Welcome to My Blog: Exploring Trauma, Anxiety, and People-Pleasing
Hello and welcome. I am so glad you are here. This blog is a place where I share my thoughts, reflections, and insights from my many years as a trauma-informed therapist—and from my own commitment to personal growth. Learn more about my therapy services.
My hope is that through this blog you will begin to notice patterns in yourself that have been keeping you feeling stuck. Some topics you might already be thinking about: anxiety, self-doubt, people-pleasing. And some topics may surprise you—things you had not realized were quietly shaping your life. Together, we will gently bring them to light.
Trauma, Anxiety, and People-Pleasing—How They Intertwine
A lot of my work centers on the intersection between the way childhood trauma, anxiety, and people-pleasing often show up together. These patterns can feel automatic and unchangeable—but they are not.
- Anxiety: Feeling constantly on edge, nervous, or “wired.”
- People-Pleasing: Putting everyone else’s needs before your own, sometimes to your own detriment.
- Childhood Trauma: Early experiences that shaped how you relate to yourself, others, and the world.
When these threads weave together, you might notice low self-esteem, harsh self-talk, difficulty saying no, or a sense of hopelessness. And yet, with awareness and support, these patterns can loosen their grip and shift.
This is where Somatic Experiencing® comes in. Trauma does not only live in your thoughts—it also lives in your body. Somatic Experiencing helps release the nervous system’s “fight, flight, or freeze” responses that may have become stuck. By gently tuning into the body’s sensations, you can begin to settle your system, reduce anxiety, and reclaim a sense of calm and choice.
Expand your understanding of various topics that reflect ways in which I work.
Why I Bring My Whole Self to Therapy
One thing I want you to know: I do not switch hats after I leave my office. How I engage with life, relationships, and emotions in everyday moments informs my work—and vice versa.
I genuinely love talking about what is beneath the surface—feelings, patterns, and the little truths that shape who we are. My work energizes me, and this is how I know I am on the right path.
You can learn more about me and my approach if you would like to get a fuller sense of how I work
I’ve Been Where You Are
You and I are not so different. I understand firsthand what it feels like to carry anxiety, people-pleasing tendencies, and the lingering effects of childhood trauma. I have also worked to untangle myself from old patterns and continue to practice being on my own side every day.
In my sessions, clients often share experiences such as:
- Putting others first at their own expense
- Struggling to speak up or assert their needs
- Battling self-doubt and harsh inner criticism
- Feeling constantly “wired” or restless
- Carrying a sense of hopelessness
While these experiences can feel overwhelming, they do not define your capacity to change. Somatic work helps create space to notice what your body is telling you, calm your nervous system, and explore new ways of responding. These shifts may feel small at first, but they are real, lasting steps toward growth.
To give you a clearer sense of how this work can unfold, below is a real-life example. Seeing these patterns in action can help illustrate how somatic awareness and gentle, practical strategies come together to create meaningful change.
The story below has been adapted to protect privacy, but it captures the essence of the process and the kinds of shifts that are possible.
Case Study: Somatic Healing in Action
“Anna” came to therapy feeling consumed by anxiety and an almost automatic need to please everyone around her. She said yes to every request, even when she was exhausted. Each time someone asked something of her, her chest would tighten, but she pushed through with a smile, ignoring her own discomfort.
In our sessions, we took a holistic approach. Together we traced her patterns back to childhood, where people-pleasing had been an unconscious survival strategy in a chaotic household.
Using Somatic Experiencing, I guided Anna to slow down and notice what happened in her body right before she agreed to something she did not truly want. She discovered that her throat would tighten and her shoulders hunched forward, as if bracing herself. With awareness and practice, Anna learned to pause in that moment, take a breath, and slowly allow her shoulders to release.
We worked on helping Anna become her own ally—practicing self-compassion, setting boundaries, and saying no. She began experimenting with small changes, like responding with “let me think about it” instead of automatically saying yes. Over time, her self-protective skills grew stronger. She started choosing when to say yes and when to decline, grounded in a growing sense of her own worth.
This is the power of somatic work: when the body feels safe, the mind can follow. For Anna, learning to listen to her body was the key that allowed her to step into her own voice, stand up for herself, and feel more at home within her own life.
How Change Happens
Healing is often subtle at first. It might feel like small buds appearing on a rose—quiet but persistent signs of growth. Every time you take a small risk with a new behavior, practice self-compassion, or challenge an old pattern, you are strengthening yourself.
With Somatic Experiencing, change is not forced. It unfolds gently as the body learns that it is safe to relax, release, and reconnect. My job is to hold the space for you to explore, take those risks, and notice the shifts that arise. Whether it is a topic you bring or something I sense we should explore together, it is always in service of your growth.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog is a space to reflect on trauma, anxiety, self-compassion, people-pleasing, and somatic healing. I share insights, exercises, and gentle guidance—things that may feel small but are powerful steps toward feeling more connected to yourself, more confident in your voice, and more free in your life.
You are not alone. You are on a journey of growth, and I am here to walk alongside you.
