Trauma therapy
If trauma still shows up in your body, deeper healing becomes possible with a mind-body approach.
Online somatic Trauma therapy for adults in Florida and Illinois, with limited in-person availability in Delray Beach.
When Trauma Lives in Your Body
Trauma therapy with a mind-body approach recognizes that trauma is not only something you think about. It can continue to live in your body and nervous system long after an experience has passed. Protective responses like tension, racing thoughts, or shutdown often make sense when your system has had to stay on alert for too long.
Trauma therapy that includes both mind and body supports your nervous system in finding more steadiness. As your system begins to settle, it becomes easier to think clearly, connect with others, and respond in ways that feel more aligned with who you are today.
When Trauma Therapy Hasn’t Fully Reached the Body
Many people who come here have already done meaningful therapy. You may understand your story and still feel reactive, shut down, or depleted in your nervous system. Some notice that talking or insight has not fully reached the level of the body where patterns continue to live.
This does not mean previous work was wrong or unsuccessful. It often means your system needs an approach that includes the body as part of healing. For some, this becomes clear through ongoing reactivity, fatigue, or physical symptoms that feel connected to earlier experiences.
A mind body approach supports your nervous system in settling and reorganizing. By working with what is happening in your body, not just your thoughts, deeper integration and steadiness can begin to emerge.
About Me
Hi, I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.
Many of the people who find their way to this work have already done meaningful therapy and understand themselves well. And still, trauma can continue to show up in the body through tension, emotional reactivity, fatigue, or a sense of disconnection that is hard to explain.
You may have been carrying a lot for a long time. Even with insight, old patterns can remain wired into the nervous system, shaping how you respond to stress, relationships, and change. For many people, deeper shifts begin when the body and nervous system become part of the process.
Together, we work with both mind and body so your nervous system can begin to settle and reorganize. This approach honors what you have already explored while creating space for integration, steadiness, and a clearer connection to yourself.
Inside a Session: Trauma Therapy
No two sessions unfold exactly the same, because trauma shows up differently for each person and at different times. Some sessions may focus on talking and understanding what is happening in the moment. Other times we slow down together and notice what your body is holding, allowing space for sensations, emotions, or patterns that may not have had room before.
Rather than pushing for breakthroughs, we work with what feels manageable for your nervous system. You are never asked to go faster than your system is ready for. The pace stays steady so your body can begin to experience more safety without becoming overwhelmed.
Sometimes this looks like tracking subtle shifts in sensation, noticing how your body responds when something feels activating, or gently supporting the natural movements your system wants to make. Even when we are talking, attention stays connected to your nervous system so change happens at more than just a cognitive level.
Over time, many people notice they feel more present, less reactive, and more able to stay connected to themselves and others.
This work is steady, respectful, and deeply attuned to your nervous system.
My Mind-Body Approach to Trauma Therapy
In trauma therapy, we include both mind and body because trauma often lives in the nervous system, not just in memory or insight. Together we stay curious about how your trauma responses developed and how your system learned to adapt through past experiences. This work supports both regulation and deeper processing at a pace that feels steady and respectful.
Some parts of our work focus directly on the nervous system. Other parts focus on understanding the emotional experiences, relational wounds, or protective patterns that formed over time.
Some of the ways we may approach trauma therapy together include:
Somatic Experiencing: We work with how trauma responses show up in your body, supporting your nervous system in processing at a pace that feels steady and manageable.
Safe and Sound Protocol (Optional): Filtered music that supports your nervous system when connection feels difficult, overwhelm rises quickly, or your system stays on high alert.
Rest and Restore Protocol (Optional): Support when trauma shows up as exhaustion, shutdown, or that wired-but-tired feeling many people experience after long periods of stress.
A developmental lens: Some trauma traces back to earlier experiences where you may have felt alone, unseen, or overwhelmed. When this comes into the work, we slow down and stay with what is present, supporting both your nervous system and your emotional experience.
Integrative mental health support: We may explore lifestyle factors like sleep, movement, nutrition, and daily rhythm that influence nervous system regulation and recovery.
These approaches work together to support meaningful change without forcing breakthroughs or overwhelming your system.
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.
-Dr. Peter Levine
How Trauma Can Show Up in Different Ways
Not all trauma looks the same, and many people arrive here unsure how to describe what they have been through. Some experiences are clearly overwhelming. Others are less visible from the outside but still shape how you carry yourself, how safe the world feels, and how your mind and body respond during times of heightened stress.
For some, trauma traces back to earlier developmental experiences where support felt inconsistent, emotions had to be carried alone, or relationships felt unpredictable. Others recognize patterns often referred to as complex trauma or C-PTSD, where relational wounds unfolded repeatedly over time.
Some come after a single overwhelming experience, often described as PTSD, where the nervous system remains on alert long after the danger has passed.
Regardless of how trauma began, many of the ways it shows up can feel similar. You may notice strong reactions, shutting down easily, ongoing tension or exhaustion, or physical symptoms or health concerns you sense may be connected to your past.
Trust in yourself or others may feel unsteady. Some people cope by staying busy or overworking. Others turn to substances or habits that bring temporary relief but can take a toll on well-being or relationships. Many appear stable from the outside while still carrying these patterns underneath.
Rather than focusing on labels, we stay curious about how trauma is living in both your body and your life today, and what your nervous system needs now.
What Begins to Shift as Trauma Patterns Soften
As we do this work together, you may begin to notice subtle shifts.
The tension your body has been holding for a long time may start to ease. Your nervous system may feel less braced, and moments that once felt overwhelming can begin to feel more manageable.
Instead of reacting automatically, you may notice more space to pause, sense what you need, and respond in ways that feel more aligned with you.
At the same time, this work builds capacity. Strong emotions or activation may still arise, but they do not take over in the same way. Your nervous system begins to move through intensity without shutting down, spiraling, or pushing through alone.
Many people notice more steadiness in relationships and daily life. Energy becomes more available, trust in yourself grows, and you may feel more present in your body while staying connected to what matters.
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.
Most sessions take place virtually, allowing us to do deep nervous system work while you remain in the comfort and familiarity of your own space.
A limited number of in-person sessions are available in Delray Beach for clients who feel supported by occasional face-to-face work.
I am also licensed in Illinois and see clients online in Chicago and throughout the state.
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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II 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.
Trauma Therapy That Supports Real Healing
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.
I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a licensed somatic therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner specializing in trauma therapy that works with both mind and body. Talking alone often isn’t enough when trauma lives in your nervous system. I support adults across Florida and Illinois in moving beyond patterns like reactivity, shutdown, anxiety, or chronic burnout.
In our work together, we pay attention to what your body is holding and help your system release trauma responses at a pace that feels safe. When appropriate, I integrate the Safe and Sound Protocol and Rest and Restore Protocol to support nervous system regulation. This approach honors the connection between your experiences, emotions, physical symptoms, and the way trauma shows up in daily life.