Trauma therapy
When Understanding Isn't Enough, Therapy Can Include the Body Too
Online somatic Trauma therapy for adults in Florida and Illinois
When Trauma Lives in Your Body
Even when a traumatic experience is over, your body may continue responding as though the danger is still present. You might notice chronic muscle tension, feeling constantly on edge, racing thoughts, emotional numbness, shutting down, or reacting more strongly than you'd like. These responses often make sense when your nervous system has spent a long time trying to protect you.
My work is grounded in Somatic Experiencing (SE), a body-based approach to trauma therapy that works with these protective patterns as they arise in the present moment. Rather than focusing only on understanding what happened, we also pay attention to how trauma continues to affect your body and nervous system today.
As these patterns begin to soften, many people find it becomes easier to stay present with their emotions, recover more quickly from stress, and respond with greater flexibility and choice.
When Therapy Hasn’t Fully Reached the Body
If you've ever thought,"I know what happened, so why do I still react this way?"
You're not alone.
Understanding why you react the way you do is an important part of therapy. But insight doesn't always change the automatic protective responses your body developed to help you get through difficult experiences. You may still find yourself bracing, shutting down, becoming overwhelmed, or staying on alert even when you know you're safe.
That's because trauma affects more than thoughts and memories. It can also shape how your nervous system responds to stress, relationships, and everyday experiences.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) works with these protective responses as they arise in the present moment. Rather than trying to push them away or override them, we get curious about them, understand how they developed, and gradually help your nervous system discover that it has more options than it once did.
Meet Amy Hagerstrom, LCSW, SEP
I'm Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner specializing in trauma therapy for adults. My work is grounded in Somatic Experiencing and also draws on the Safe and Sound Protocol, the Rest and Restore Protocol, and advanced training in developmental and complex trauma.
Many of the people I work with have already been to therapy. They understand what happened, have gained insight, and still feel stuck in the same protective patterns.
My own experience with developmental trauma taught me that understanding what had happened wasn't always enough. I could explain many of my patterns, but that understanding didn't necessarily change how I felt or responded. As I began including the body in the process, I gradually felt safer in my body and in my life, and the shame I had carried for much of my life began to lessen. Those experiences are part of what drew me to Somatic Experiencing.
I believe therapy works best when it includes both the mind and the body. Together, we build on the strengths and insight you already have while helping you develop more flexibility, resilience, and capacity for whatever life brings.
What it’s Like to Work Togeher
Many of the people I work with have already been to therapy. They understand what happened, have gained insight, and still feel stuck in the same protective patterns.
Sessions begin with whatever feels most important that day. You might come in wanting to make sense of a recent trigger, an interaction that stayed with you, or a pattern you've noticed in yourself. As we explore it together, I'm paying attention not only to what you're saying, but also to what's happening in your emotions, body, and nervous system.
My graduate training in infant and early childhood mental health gave me a strong foundation in understanding developmental and complex trauma. Combined with Somatic Experiencing, it helps me look beyond what's happening today to understand how earlier experiences may still be influencing the way you relate to yourself, other people, and the world around you.
Sometimes our work is conversational. Other times, we slow down and notice what's happening in the present moment. We may explore what helps you feel more supported through grounding, gentle movement, or other somatic practices. Throughout the process, I'm listening for patterns that may be outside your awareness and offering observations that can help you move beyond them.
Although we make space for difficult experiences, therapy isn't heavy all the time. There's often room for curiosity, relief, laughter, and reconnecting with parts of yourself that may have been buried under years of stress and protection.
How I Approach Trauma Therapy:
Somatic Experiencing: A body-based approach that works with the protective responses created by trauma, helping your nervous system develop greater flexibility and capacity.
A developmental and complex trauma: My background in infant and early childhood mental health and advanced trauma training helps me understand how early experiences continue to influence the way people relate to themselves, others, and the world around them.
When appropriate, we may also incorporate:
Safe and Sound Protocol: Using specially filtered music to support your nervous system when connection feels difficult, overwhelm comes quickly, or your system stays on high alert.
Rest and Restore Protocol: Supporting recovery when trauma shows up as exhaustion, shutdown, or the wired-but-tired feeling that can develop after prolonged stress.
Supporting the whole person: Looking at areas such as sleep, movement, nutrition, and daily rhythms that support nervous system regulation and overall wellbeing.
Different Ways Trauma Can Affect Us
Many people come to therapy unsure how to make sense of what they've been through. Some traumatic experiences are clearly overwhelming, such as abuse, violence, serious accidents, or medical trauma. Others develop gradually through repeated experiences such as emotional neglect, chronic criticism or shame, unpredictable caregiving, growing up walking on eggshells, or relationships where safety, comfort, or protection were inconsistent.
These kinds of repeated relational experiences are often described as developmental trauma or complex trauma (C-PTSD), where protective patterns develop in response to chronic stress or a lack of safety.
For some people, trauma follows a single overwhelming event, often described as PTSD, where the nervous system remains on alert long after the danger has passed.
Regardless of how trauma began, many of its effects can feel similar. You may notice strong reactions, shutting down, ongoing tension or exhaustion, physical symptoms that seem connected to your past, difficulty trusting yourself or others, or relying on strategies that once helped but no longer feel sustainable.
What Begins to Shift as Trauma Patterns Soften
As therapy progresses, many people begin noticing changes in everyday life rather than dramatic breakthroughs.
You may recover more quickly after becoming overwhelmed, stay present during difficult conversations, or notice tension leaving your body sooner. Situations that once pulled you into familiar reactions may begin to feel more manageable.
This doesn't mean life stops being stressful or that difficult emotions disappear. Rather, your nervous system develops greater capacity to experience those moments without becoming completely overwhelmed or shut down.
Many people also notice changes in their relationships, confidence, and sense of self. They begin trusting themselves more, setting healthier boundaries, and participating in life with greater flexibility and choice.
Online Somatic Trauma Therapy in Florida and Illinois
Whether you’re in Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, or elsewhere in Florida, we can do this work online. I support adults navigating the effects of trauma, helping them reconnect with their body, their relationships, and their sense of self.
Sessions take place virtually, allowing us to do deep nervous system work while you remain in the comfort and familiarity of your own space.
I am also licensed in Illinois and work with clients throughout the state, including Chicago.
Trauma Therapy FAQs
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Trauma is not only about what happened. It is about how your nervous system responded and what it had to hold onto in order to get through it.
When experiences feel overwhelming, unsupported, or too much for the body to process at the time, your system can stay on alert long after the event has passed. This may show up as tension, fatigue, emotional reactivity, difficulty relaxing, or a sense that your body never fully settles.
Many people I work with understand their story intellectually, yet still feel it in their body. Trauma therapy that includes the nervous system helps reconnect what you know with how you actually feel and respond in daily life.
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Trauma is a broad word that describes experiences that overwhelm a person’s capacity to cope.
PTSD often refers to the impact of a single overwhelming event where the nervous system stays activated long after the danger is over.
Complex trauma, sometimes called C-PTSD, usually develops through repeated or relational stress over time, especially when support felt inconsistent or unpredictable.In practice, the lines between these experiences are not always clear. Many people carry elements of more than one. Rather than focusing on labels, our work pays attention to how these experiences live in your body, your relationships, and your sense of self today.
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Yes. The nervous system does not measure healing by a timeline.
Some people come in after a recent experience. Others begin this work years later, when old patterns start to show up more strongly in relationships, health, or emotional life. If your body still reacts as if something is unresolved, that is a meaningful place to begin.
This work meets you where you are now, helping your system build more capacity, steadiness, and choice in how you move through stress and connection.
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There isn’t a single timeline for trauma work. Some people begin noticing shifts early on, while deeper patterns often unfold more gradually as your nervous system builds capacity.
Consistency matters more than speed. Weekly sessions are usually the most supportive rhythm, especially in the beginning, because they help your system feel grounded enough to explore what is emerging without becoming overwhelmed.
Many people come to this work after years of insight or personal growth that didn’t fully reach the level of the body. Rather than rushing toward an outcome, we focus on creating steady, meaningful change that supports how you live, relate, and move through the world.
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I currently offer virtual sessions only.
Somatic Experiencing works well online because the focus is on what’s happening in your mind and body. I’ll guide you through the same process and practices I would in person, and they translate easily through the screen.
Being in your own space can add comfort and support. You might settle into a favorite chair, keep grounding items nearby, or even have a pet close. These small things often help you feel more present and supported during the work.
Online sessions are also practical. You don’t have to rearrange your day or commute, and you can log in from wherever you are. That way, you can put your energy into the work itself. I see clients throughout Florida and Illinois, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale.
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Individual 55-minute sessions are $200.
If you’d like to include the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) or Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP), there’s an additional fee. Details are listed on both the SSP and RRP pages. We can talk about whether either of these protocols is a good fit during your consultation or at any point in the work together.
A Different Way Forward
Living with trauma can feel heavy at times. Old experiences may show up in your reactions, your relationships, or in how connected you feel to yourself.
In this work, we move at a steady pace, paying attention to both mind and body. Many people begin to notice more steadiness, more choice in how they respond, and a deeper sense of connection over time.
You don’t have to figure it all out before reaching out. We begin with what feels present and build from there.
If you’re considering trauma therapy, the next step is scheduling a brief consultation. We’ll talk about what’s bringing you here and whether this work feels like the right fit.