Trauma Therapy

Healing from Complex PTSD

Trauma isn't weakness—it's what happens when your nervous system responds to experiences that overwhelm your capacity to cope. Whether you experienced a single traumatic event or endured years of harm, your symptoms are evidence of survival, not failure. You're not broken; you're responding to what happened.

Janice LaFountaine, LMFT, provides trauma-informed therapy via telehealth throughout Washington and Idaho, specializing in complex PTSD, childhood trauma, coercive control recovery, and EMDR therapy for trauma processing.

What Is Trauma? Understanding PTSD and Complex PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops when traumatic experiences—whether single incidents like accidents or assaults, or ongoing situations like abuse—overwhelm your brain's ability to process and integrate what happened. Your nervous system remains stuck in survival mode, continuing to respond as if the danger never ended.

Common PTSD Symptoms

PTSD typically manifests through several categories of symptoms:

Re-experiencing symptoms:

  • Intrusive memories that feel like they're happening now
  • Nightmares or sleep disturbances
  • Flashbacks where you feel transported back to the traumatic event
  • Intense physical or emotional reactions to reminders

Avoidance symptoms:

  • Staying away from people, places, or situations that remind you of the trauma
  • Avoiding thoughts or feelings about what happened
  • Memory gaps about parts of the traumatic experience

Hyperarousal symptoms:

  • Feeling constantly on edge or unable to relax
  • Hypervigilance (scanning for danger even when safe)
  • Exaggerated startle response
  • Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
  • Irritability or angry outbursts

Negative changes in thinking and mood:

  • Persistent negative beliefs about yourself, others, or the world
  • Distorted blame or guilt
  • Emotional numbness or detachment
  • Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Difficulty experiencing positive emotions

These symptoms represent your nervous system's attempt to protect you. While they may have helped you survive the trauma, they may no longer serve your current circumstances.

What Is Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)?

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder develops from recurring or long-term traumatic experiences, most often beginning in childhood. Unlike PTSD from a single event, C-PTSD results from prolonged exposure to situations where you couldn't escape—like ongoing abuse, neglect, domestic violence, captivity, or growing up in high-control environments.

C-PTSD includes PTSD symptoms plus additional challenges:

Emotional dysregulation:

  • Intense emotions that feel overwhelming or difficult to control
  • Sudden emotional shifts or mood swings
  • Difficulty calming down once upset
  • Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected

Negative self-concept:

  • Deep shame or feelings of worthlessness
  • Believing you're fundamentally damaged or different from others
  • Difficulty recognizing your strengths or accomplishments
  • Persistent self-blame for things outside your control

Relationship difficulties:

  • Trouble trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
  • Patterns of intense connection followed by withdrawal
  • Difficulty setting or maintaining boundaries
  • Either avoiding relationships or becoming intensely dependent

Dissociation:

  • Feeling detached from your body or emotions
  • Memory gaps or lost time
  • Feeling like you're watching yourself from outside your body
  • Numbness or feeling like you're in a fog

Physical symptoms:

  • Chronic pain without clear medical cause
  • Digestive issues, headaches, or other stress-related conditions
  • Sleep disturbances or chronic fatigue
  • Heightened sensitivity to stress

Common Sources of Trauma

Childhood Trauma and Developmental Trauma

Childhood trauma occurs when harm, neglect, or overwhelming experiences happen during developmental years. This might include:

  • Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
  • Neglect or abandonment
  • Witnessing domestic violence
  • Living with a caregiver struggling with addiction or mental illness
  • Medical trauma or chronic illness during childhood
  • Disrupted attachment with primary caregivers

When trauma occurs during childhood, it affects how your brain develops, how you learn to regulate emotions, and how you understand relationships. This isn't your fault—children have no power to change their circumstances.

Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence

Domestic violence involves harm or threats from partners or family members. This can include:

  • Physical violence or threats of violence
  • Sexual coercion or assault
  • Emotional or psychological abuse
  • Financial control or exploitation
  • Isolation from friends, family, or support systems
  • Coercive control (see below for specialized treatment)

The impacts often include depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting your own perceptions, and a pervasive sense of being unsafe even after leaving.

Coercive Control and High-Control Groups

Some clients have experienced systematic control over their beliefs, behaviors, relationships, and access to information. This might include:

  • Coercive intimate partnerships where one partner controls the other's reality
  • High-control religious or ideological communities
  • Destructive "self-help" organizations or multi-level marketing structures
  • Political groups that isolate members and punish questioning
  • Cult involvement or authoritarian group dynamics

For specialized treatment of coercive control dynamics, including recovery from cult involvement, see my dedicated Coercive Control Recovery page, which addresses the specific therapeutic needs of this population using Hassan's BITE Model framework.

Relationship Trauma and Betrayal

Relationship trauma occurs when people you trusted cause significant harm through:

  • Betrayal by partners, friends, or family members
  • Abandonment during vulnerable times
  • Manipulation or gaslighting
  • Persistent criticism or emotional invalidation
  • Professional boundary violations (therapists, clergy, mentors)

These experiences can create difficulties trusting others, persistent loneliness, and fear of future relationships.

Sexual Assault and Sexual Trauma

Sexual trauma includes any unwanted sexual contact or coercion, whether from strangers, acquaintances, partners, or family members. This trauma often creates:

  • Shame, self-blame, or guilt (none of which you deserve)
  • Difficulty with physical intimacy or trust
  • Hypervigilance in situations that feel vulnerable
  • Disconnection from your body or sexuality

Sexual trauma is never the survivor's fault, regardless of circumstances.

Other Forms of Trauma

Trauma can also result from:

  • Combat or military experiences
  • Medical trauma (difficult procedures, life-threatening illness)
  • Accidents or natural disasters
  • Workplace violence or harassment
  • Witnessing violence or death
  • Sudden loss of loved ones
  • Chronic exposure to others' trauma (first responders, healthcare workers)

How Trauma Therapy Works

Trauma treatment isn't about reliving every detail of what happened or forcing yourself to "just get over it." Effective trauma therapy helps your nervous system finally complete the survival response it couldn't finish during the trauma.

My Approach: Phase-Oriented Trauma Treatment

I integrate evidence-based trauma care with my Soul Unity Therapy framework to create a comprehensive healing path:

Phase 1: Safety and Stabilization Before processing traumatic memories, we establish:

  • Physical and emotional safety in your current life
  • Nervous system regulation skills (how to move out of fight/flight/freeze)
  • Grounding techniques that work for your body
  • Understanding your "window of tolerance" (your capacity to feel without overwhelm)
  • Resources for managing symptoms between sessions

This phase takes as long as you need. Rushing into trauma processing before you're stable actually retraumatizes you.

Phase 2: Processing and Integration When you're ready, we use EMDR therapy and other trauma reprocessing methods to:

  • Target specific traumatic memories that still trigger you
  • Reduce the emotional intensity of intrusive memories
  • Challenge distorted beliefs created by trauma ("I'm worthless," "It was my fault")
  • Help your brain file memories as "past" rather than "present threat"

Processing doesn't mean reliving trauma in painful detail. EMDR allows your brain to reprocess memories while maintaining enough distance to stay safe.

Phase 3: Rebuilding and Integration As trauma symptoms decrease, we focus on:

  • Reclaiming your identity beyond survival
  • Building healthy relationships and boundaries
  • Reconnecting with your values and purpose
  • Trusting your own perceptions and intuition
  • Creating a life defined by who you are, not what happened

What Makes This Approach Different

Trauma-informed from the start: I understand that symptoms like avoidance, hypervigilance, or difficulty trusting aren't "resistance"—they're survival responses. We work with your nervous system, not against it.

Individualized pacing: You control the pace. Some people need months of stabilization before processing; others are ready sooner. There's no "should" timeline for healing.

Body-centered: Trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. We pay attention to physical sensations, nervous system states, and what your body is telling you.

Addresses complex trauma: Many therapists are trained primarily for single-event trauma. I specialize in the layered complexity of developmental trauma, ongoing abuse, and coercive control.

Soul Unity integration: Healing isn't just symptom reduction—it's about reclaiming your wholeness, reconnecting with your inner wisdom, and rebuilding trust in yourself and the world.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a extensively researched trauma treatment recognized by the World Health Organization and American Psychological Association as a first-line intervention for PTSD.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require you to narrate trauma in extensive detail. Instead, it uses bilateral stimulation (guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones) to help your brain reprocess traumatic memories that have become "stuck."

For detailed information about how EMDR works and what to expect, see my comprehensive EMDR Therapy page.

Who This Work Is For

You might benefit from trauma therapy if you're experiencing:

Emotional struggles:

  • Overwhelming emotions that seem to come from nowhere
  • Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected
  • Persistent anxiety, panic attacks, or depression
  • Shame, guilt, or worthlessness
  • Anger or irritability that feels out of proportion

Relationship difficulties:

  • Trouble trusting people or feeling safe in relationships
  • Patterns of push-pull in connections
  • Difficulty setting boundaries or advocating for your needs
  • Feeling fundamentally different or isolated from others
  • Repeating relationship patterns that hurt you

Physical symptoms:

  • Chronic tension, pain, or illness without clear medical cause
  • Sleep disturbances or nightmares
  • Hypervigilance or constant sense of danger
  • Difficulty relaxing or feeling settled in your body

Cognitive challenges:

  • Intrusive memories or flashbacks
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Memory gaps or dissociation
  • Negative beliefs about yourself that feel absolutely true
  • Confusion about your identity or values

You don't need to have a formal PTSD diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy. If past experiences are affecting your present life, trauma-informed treatment can help.

What to Expect in Sessions

Initial consultation: We'll discuss what brought you to therapy, your symptoms, your history, and what you hope to achieve. This helps me understand your needs and recommend an appropriate treatment approach.

Early sessions focus on safety: We'll work on stabilization, nervous system regulation, and building resources before processing trauma. You'll learn practical skills you can use between sessions.

Gradual processing: When you're ready, we'll begin trauma reprocessing using EMDR or other methods. You control the pace. We can pause, slow down, or take breaks whenever needed.

Between-session support: Healing happens between sessions too. I'll provide tools, resources, and strategies for managing symptoms as they arise.

Ongoing adjustment: Your treatment plan evolves as you do. What you need at the beginning will change as healing progresses.

Real Experiences from Clients

"It took a while for me to get the courage to seek help from a therapist. After my very first appointment with Janice, I felt accepted, and that there was hope on the horizon for me. I have not been disappointed—Janice has been a God send for me."
– B.

"I suffered from an intense case of PTSD. I had sought other means of relief from my symptoms, but nothing I tried worked... Until I worked with Janice. Before working with Janice, I felt completely hopeless that anything, or anyone could help with such a severe case of PTSD."
– B.

"Janice is a very mellow, easy-going, low-key, compassionate person and therapist who genuinely cares about her clients. I have been going to Janice for almost two years now and have suffered from delayed PTSD due to childhood abuse, developed severe depression as a result of my life circumstances... She has used a combination of interventions to help me deal with my interpersonal relationship issues, frustration intolerance, depression, and PTSD."
– E.M.

"I was skeptical of EMDR therapy initially, but I had formed trust in Janice's professional abilities, so I followed her suggestions, and have made tremendous positive gains because of her. She basically worked herself out of a job, which is the best sign of a therapist, in my opinion."
– G.

"I can't say enough about how much this lovely woman has helped me. Janice provides a welcoming, nonjudgmental, safe, compassionate environment for those she supports. This is especially important for me as I suffer from trauma, anxiety, and depression... Janice practices EMDR therapy which I feel has been the key to several breakthroughs in our journey together."
– S.T.

"I've been going to Janice for well over 3 1/2 years and absolutely recommend her for anyone who has been diagnosed with PTSD. She has worked miracles for me and if it wasn't for her, I don't know where I'd be!!"
– R.C.

"I have been to several therapists over the years, and Janice is the only one I've ever 'clicked' with/felt like really made a difference in my life. Whether you're suffering from PTSD or just need to work through things, I would recommend (and have recommended) her above anyone."
– C.D.

Specialized Related Services

Complex trauma often intersects with other areas of specialty:

  • Coercive Control Recovery: Specialized treatment for recovery from cult involvement, high-control groups, and coercive relationships using Hassan's BITE Model framework

  • EMDR Therapy: Comprehensive information about EMDR protocols, what to expect in sessions, and how EMDR works for trauma reprocessing

  • Soul Unity Therapy: My integrative framework combining evidence-based trauma treatment with principles of inner wisdom and conscious creation

  • Couples Therapy: When trauma affects your relationship, we can incorporate Gottman-informed couples work to rebuild safety, communication, and trust

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to work with you?
No. Many people who would benefit from trauma therapy don't meet full diagnostic criteria for PTSD. If past experiences are affecting your present life, trauma-informed treatment can help.

How long does trauma therapy take?
This varies widely depending on the complexity of trauma, your current stability, and your goals. Single-event trauma often responds relatively quickly to EMDR (often 6-12 sessions after stabilization). Complex trauma typically requires longer treatment—often a year or more—because we're addressing developmental impacts and multiple layers of harm.

Will I have to talk about everything that happened?
No. You're in control of what you share and when. EMDR allows trauma processing without detailed narrative retelling. You can heal from trauma without describing every painful detail.

What if I dissociate or can't remember parts of my trauma?
This is common with complex trauma. We work with what you do remember and what you're experiencing now. As therapy progresses and safety increases, some memories may become more accessible—but forcing memory recovery isn't the goal.

Is this therapy only for severe trauma?
No. Trauma exists on a spectrum, and what matters is how it's affecting you now. "Small" traumas can have significant impacts, and your suffering is valid regardless of whether it "seems bad enough" compared to others.

Can trauma therapy make things worse?
When done properly with phase-oriented treatment, no. We establish safety and stability before processing. If symptoms increase temporarily, we slow down and add more stabilization. You're never pushed beyond what you can handle.

Do you offer in-person therapy?
My practice operates primarily via secure telehealth, though I do have a home office location near Spokane/Chattaroy, WA for clients who prefer in-person sessions within driving distance.

Trauma doesn't have to define your life. Healing is possible, and you deserve support on that journey.