C.S. Bates Therapy
C.S. Bates Therapy

Healing the Wounds That Shaped You

Specialized therapy for complex trauma and PTSD—because some wounds run deeper than a single event.

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Complex trauma isn't about one bad thing that happened. It's about the accumulation of experiences that taught you the world wasn't safe, that your needs didn't matter, or that love came with conditions.

Maybe you grew up walking on eggshells. Maybe you learned to read the room before you learned to read books. Maybe you became so good at taking care of everyone else that you forgot you had needs at all.

These adaptations kept you safe. They were brilliant survival strategies. But now they might be running your life in ways that don't serve you—keeping you stuck in patterns you can't seem to break, relationships that feel familiar but not healthy, or a persistent sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you.

I specialize in helping people untangle these deep-rooted patterns. Not by focusing on the past, but by understanding how it's showing up in your present—and building something new.

Is This You?

  • You feel like you've been in survival mode your whole life
  • You struggle with relationships—either avoiding intimacy or losing yourself in it
  • You're highly successful on the outside but feel like a fraud on the inside
  • You have trouble trusting people, even when they've proven themselves trustworthy
  • You experience intense emotional reactions that seem disproportionate to the situation
  • You've tried therapy before but it felt like it only scratched the surface

If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.

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How I Work with Complex Trauma

Healing complex trauma requires a different approach than processing a single traumatic event. We're not just treating symptoms—we're rewiring patterns that have been with you for decades.

I use Attachment Focused EMDR, which goes beyond traditional trauma processing to address the relational wounds at the core of complex trauma. This approach helps you:

  • Develop a felt sense of safety in your own body
  • Build secure attachment patterns—often for the first time
  • Process the accumulated pain without becoming overwhelmed
  • Reclaim the parts of yourself that got lost along the way

We go at your pace. There's no rushing this work, and there's no "right" timeline. What matters is that you finally feel like you're not just surviving—you're living.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between PTSD and complex trauma?
PTSD typically develops after a single traumatic event or a series of events in adulthood. Complex trauma (sometimes called C-PTSD) develops from prolonged, repeated trauma—usually in childhood—particularly within relationships that were supposed to be safe.
How long does complex trauma therapy take?
There's no standard timeline because everyone's experience is different. Some clients feel significant relief within months; for others, it's a longer journey. You'll likely notice shifts long before we're 'done.'
Will I have to talk about everything that happened to me?
Not necessarily. While understanding your history is important, we don't need to go through every painful memory in detail. Attachment Focused EMDR allows us to process trauma without extensive verbal retelling.
I'm high-functioning. Do I really have trauma?
Many of the most traumatized people are also highly functioning—the high-functioning exterior is often a survival strategy. If you're exhausted from holding it all together, that's worth exploring.

Related Reading

What Complex Trauma Really Is (And Why It's So Hard to Recognize) How Therapy Helps You Break Lifelong Patterns

Ready to Begin?

Your first consultation is free. Let's see if we're a good fit.

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