Key Insights Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)  is a structured, short-term approach (typically 5–20 sessions) that focuses on the present moment. It helps you identify and challenge negative thought patterns, providing practical coping tools for rapid symptom relief from conditions like anxiety and depression. Psychodynamic Therapy (PDT) , rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud, takes a longer, exploratory approach, often spanning months or years. It helps you uncover how unco

TLDR: Timelines at a Glance Single-Incident Trauma (e.g., car accident, isolated event) Typical session count:  4–10 sessions (including preparation) Estimated duration:  1–2 months Clinical focus:  Processing one or two specific target memories Complex Trauma / C-PTSD (chronic, developmental, or multiple events) Typical session count:  12+ sessions (often 12–20 or more) Estimated duration:  Several months to over a year Clinical focus:  Extended Phase 2 preparation to build

Key Insights Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Hypnosis both help people heal from trauma, but they work in very different ways. SE, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is a body-based therapy  that helps release trauma stored in the nervous system through awareness of sensations, gentle movement, and nervous system regulation. Clients stay fully conscious and learn to complete unfinished fight-flight-freeze responses so the body can return to safety. Hypnosis , or Hypnotherapy , work

Key Insights Hypoarousal , also known as the freeze response  or dorsal vagal shutdown , is a primitive survival state triggered when the nervous system perceives an overwhelming threat from which escape is impossible. It is characterized by hypoarousal symptoms  such as emotional numbness, chronic exhaustion, dissociation, mental fog, and severe executive dysfunction. To learn how to get out of hypoarousal , one can use somatic (bottom-up) strategies  that reintroduce gent

Key insights Signs your body is releasing trauma include deep sighs, trembling or shaking, waves of emotion, warmth or tingling, sudden fatigue, and feeling more grounded or present. These responses occur when the nervous system finally begins to discharge stored survival stress from past overwhelming experiences. Somatic therapy supports this process by using breathwork, sensation awareness, and gentle movement to help the body complete interrupted trauma responses and retur

Key Insights Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)  gently explores how your body patterns connect with emotions, beliefs, and early relational experiences. It’s especially supportive for developmental or attachment-related trauma . Somatic Experiencing (SE)  helps your nervous system slowly release the “stuck” survival responses of fight, flight, or freeze, making it a strong fit for shock trauma or overwhelming events . SP tends to feel more reflective and relational , while SE o