Complex PTSD Therapy in Broomfield, CO and Online Across CO and FL
Complex PTSD isn't just about what happened to you.
It's about who you had to become to get through it.
The one who kept the peace. The one who never needed anything. The one who could read a room in two seconds flat.
Those skills kept you safe. And for years… maybe decades… they've been running quietly in the background.
Now your life might look fine from the outside. You show up for work, for your friends, for everyone.
Then someone uses a certain tone of voice, and all at once you feel small. Ashamed. Sure you did something wrong, even when you know you didn't.
The feeling doesn't match the moment… because it isn't coming from the moment.
You replay conversations long after they end…
"Was I too much?"
"Are they mad at me?"
"Why did I say that?"
You apologize for things that aren't your fault. You say yes when every part of you wants to say no. Your inner critic never takes a day off.
Some days your feelings are so big you can't come down from them. Other days you feel nothing at all… like you're watching your life from far away.
Your body carries it too: tight shoulders, headaches, an upset stomach, a tiredness that sleep doesn't fix.
And underneath it all, there's a belief you may never have said out loud:
"Something is wrong with me."
What Is Complex PTSD?
PTSD often follows one frightening event, like a car crash or an assault. Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) usually grows out of something longer.
Harm that happened again and again, often in a relationship you couldn't leave. Abuse or neglect as a kid. A parent who was unpredictable, addicted, or emotionally gone. Years in a controlling relationship, or in a high-control family or faith community.
When danger is the weather you grow up in, your nervous system adapts. It learns to scan the room. To keep the peace. To go numb. Those habits kept you safe back then. The trouble is, they keep running long after the danger is gone.
The World Health Organization now lists Complex PTSD as its own diagnosis in the ICD-11. The DSM-5, the manual most U.S. providers use, does not list it separately yet. That's one reason it so often gets missed or treated as anxiety or depression alone.
You're not too sensitive. You're not broken. You adapted to a place that wasn't safe… and your body did exactly what it was built to do.
Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.
- Peter A. Levine
How Can Complex PTSD Therapy in Broomfield, CO Help Me?
Understanding where it came from helps. But insight alone isn't enough.
You might know exactly why you people-please… and still hear yourself saying yes when you mean no.
That's where our work together comes in.
Healing from Complex PTSD doesn't mean reliving every bad thing that happened to you. It means helping your nervous system learn that the danger is over.
We start with safety. Before we go near painful memories, we build tools that help you feel steady in your body and in the room with me. You set the pace. You don't have to share details before you're ready (and some details you may never need to share at all).
From there, I draw on three trauma therapies. We'll choose together based on what fits you.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Complex PTSD
IFS sees the mind as made up of many "parts."
Some parts carry old pain. Others work hard to keep that pain locked away.
You might know them as the inner critic, the people-pleaser, or the part that shuts down when things get hard.
With Complex PTSD, these protective parts are often working overtime.
In IFS, we don't fight them. We get curious about them and learn what they're afraid of.
Beneath all your parts is your Self, a calm and kind center that trauma never damaged. From that place, you can help the young parts still stuck in the past finally feel seen and safe.
EMDR Therapy for Complex PTSD
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It helps your brain process memories that got stuck when they happened.
During EMDR, you briefly focus on a memory while following side-to-side eye movements, tapping, or sounds. This back-and-forth input helps your brain file the memory where it belongs.
The event still happened. It just stops feeling like it’s happening now.
How EMDR Is Different for Complex PTSD
Standard EMDR was built for single events with a clear before and after. Complex PTSD usually comes from harm that happened over and over, often in childhood. When danger was ongoing, your nervous system may have learned that calm isn’t safe. Some parts of you may also have worked hard to keep certain memories out of view (for good reason).
So we don’t rush in.
With Complex PTSD, we spend extra time getting ready before we touch hard memories. This stage is called resourcing, and it’s a core part of the work.
We might build a calm place you can return to in your mind, create inner helpers, and get to know the parts of you that protect you. The goal is to widen your window of tolerance, the zone where you can feel something hard without shutting down or getting flooded.
When we do start processing, we often work in smaller pieces and pause more. If things get intense, we slow down and return to your resources.
Going slower isn’t falling behind. It’s how your brain finally gets to let the past be the past.
Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) for Complex PTSD
Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) is a newer trauma therapy created by Lisa Schwarz. Many people haven't heard of it, but it can be a strong fit for deep, early, or long-lasting trauma.
CRM starts by building layers of inner support. These include steady breathing, a felt sense of safety in your body, connection to caring figures, and connection to your own core sense of self.
CRM then uses specific eye positions to reach where trauma is held in the brain and body.
With those supports in place, you can face very old pain without getting flooded by it.
CRM can help when other therapy felt too intense, or when talking about what happened was never enough.
What Can I Expect From Complex PTSD Therapy?
Imagine a small comment just… being a small comment.
Not a wave of shame. Not three days of replaying it. Just a moment that passes.
Imagine your inner voice sounding less like a critic and more like a friend.
Imagine saying no without bracing for the fallout. Letting people get close without waiting for them to leave.
Not because the past disappeared, but because it finally stays in the past.
And instead of thinking,
"What's wrong with me?"
There's a shift.
"Something happened to me… and I'm healing from it."
From there, you trust yourself more. You rest without guilt. You feel safe in your own body… maybe for the first time.
You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before, and that, my love, is bravery.
-Unknown
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Complex PTSD
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That's a really common place to start… not a barrier.
You don't need a diagnosis to begin. If what you've read here sounds familiar, that's reason enough to reach out. We'll slow down and make sense of your experience together.
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You won't have to. IFS, EMDR, and CRM can all work without you telling the full story out loud. We focus on what your mind and body are holding now, at a pace that feels manageable.
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I hear this more often than you might think. And honestly, it makes sense. Talking about trauma doesn't always reach the parts of it that live in your body and nervous system. That's why I use approaches built for exactly that.
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It depends on your history and your goals. Complex PTSD formed over years, so it often takes longer to heal than trauma from a single event. Many clients notice real shifts within the first few months, even while deeper work continues.
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Many of the clients I see with Complex PTSD are also ADHD, autistic, or both. That overlap is not a coincidence. Neurodivergent kids often hear a steady stream of "try harder," "calm down," and "what's wrong with you?" Over years, that adds up.
The symptoms can also blur together. Trouble focusing, big emotions, and feeling worn out after social time can come from trauma, neurodivergence, or both.
As a therapist with a late AuDHD diagnosis, I know how much it matters to have someone who can tell the difference. Your brain doesn't need fixing. Your nervous system needs a chance to feel safe.
Start Complex PTSD Therapy in Broomfield, CO or Online Across CO and FL
You spent years learning how to survive.
You're allowed to learn something else now… what it feels like to rest, to trust, and to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.
If you're ready to begin Complex PTSD therapy in Broomfield, CO, reach out to schedule a consultation.