Trauma Therapy Irvine, CA

You’ve been holding it together for too long

You are Exhausted

You’re exhausted. Not just "need a nap" tired - but exhausted in a way that sleep doesn’t fix.

It’s the weight of pretending you’re fine when you’re not. It’s showing up to work with a smile while your insides are screaming. It’s trying to explain to your friends why something "small" sent you spiraling, even though you can barely understand it yourself.

The truth is, your body won't let you forget.

You’re looking for trauma therapy in Irvine because you've realized something has to change. You don't need a lecture on "wellness"; you need a therapist who actually gets what it’s like when:

The "Always On" Alarm

You’re at dinner at the Spectrum or sitting in traffic on the 405, and suddenly, you’re not "there" anymore. Your chest tightens. Your brain starts scanning for exits. You aren't in danger, but every fiber of your being is telling you to run.

The Relational Shadow

It shows up in your marriage, too. You want to be close, but the moment things get "too real," you pick a fight or shut down completely. It’s not that you don’t care - it’s that your body is trying to protect you from a threat that isn't there anymore.

The Ghost of "What Happened"

Maybe you don't even have a "big" story. No war zones, no major accidents. Just a childhood where you never felt quite safe to be yourself. Where you had to be the "perfect kid" or the "quiet kid" just to survive. That counts, too.

You’re still functioning, but you’re barely holding it together.

You show up. You respond to the texts. You do what you're "supposed" to do. But inside? You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whether your heart is racing or whole chunks of your childhood are just... gone, it’s heavy.

It’s time to stop trying to carry it alone.

You didn't ask for this.

Whatever happened; whether it was years ago or yesterday, whether anyone else would call it trauma or not, you're carrying it.

And it's heavy.

It shows up as:

• Tightness in your chest that won't release

• Anger that flares over nothing

• Shame that tells you you're too broken to be loved

• The exhaustion of always being on guard

You've tried to push through it. Told yourself to get over it, be stronger, stop being so sensitive.

It's not working.

You’ve been carrying this long enough. Let's see if I can help you put some of it down.

You're Not Broken. You're Hurt.

Here is the thing about trauma: It doesn’t care if you think what happened was "bad enough" to count. It doesn’t care if other people had it worse, or if you think you should be "over it" by now.

Trauma is simply what happens when something overwhelms your ability to cope. It leaves an imprint you're still carrying.

It doesn't always look like a "big" event. Sometimes it looks like:

• A Thousand Small Cuts: Things that didn’t look like trauma from the outside but carved away at your sense of safety and trust.

• The "Quiet" Hurts: No one hurt you with their hands, but they hurt you with their absence, their silence, or their inability to see you when you needed them most.

• Walking on Eggshells: Growing up never knowing which version of a parent you’d get, or learning that your needs were "too much."

• Betrayal of Trust: Being let down by the people or institutions (churches, leaders, family) that were supposed to keep you safe.

• The Weight of Shame: Carrying blame that was never yours to hold after someone violated your boundaries or your body.

• Unresolved Loss: A parent, a relationship, or a version of yourself you lost too soon. The kind of grief that doesn't fit into a neat timeline.

Maybe it wasn’t any one thing. Maybe it was just growing up in a home where you learned to stay small, take care of everyone else, and doubt your own reality.

You’ve been living in survival mode long enough

It’s exhausting to always be on guard, watching your life from behind glass while waiting for the next thing to go wrong. But "surviving" isn't the same thing as living.

Healing means moving to a place where:

• The past stays in the past. You stop flinching at every loud noise or "small" comment.

• You feel safe in your own skin. Your heart rate settles, and you can finally just be.

• You’re present in your relationships. No more shutting down or picking fights to keep people at a distance.

• You trust yourself again. The shame and self-blame are replaced by a quiet, steady confidence.

You don't have to keep managing this on your own. Relief is possible, and we can start finding it together.

You’ve spent enough time just surviving. Let’s start the work of actually living.

Therapy that goes deeper than just talking.

Most people come to me after they’ve already tried "venting" to friends or traditional talk therapy. They’re frustrated because they know logically they are safe, but they still feel like they’re in danger.

That’s because trauma doesn't live in the logical part of your brain. It lives in the deeper, survival-based parts that don’t speak in words. To get to the root, we use tools that speak the body’s language.

Brainspotting: Where you look affects how you feel.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re talking about something heavy, your eyes naturally drift to a specific spot on the floor or out the window? That’s not an accident.

Brainspotting uses your field of vision to find where those "stuck" hurts are stored in your brain. By focusing on a specific point, we can bypass the "thinking" mind and help your nervous system finally process and release the physical weight of the past. It’s a way to hit the "reset" button on those old alarms.

EFT: Tuning into the "Why" behind the reaction.

Emotionally Focused Therapy isn't about analyzing your childhood for hours. it’s about understanding the "music" behind your current reactions.

Whether we are working individually or with your partner, we look at the patterns that keep you feeling disconnected or defensive. We help you move from "reacting" to "understanding," so you can stop fighting the same old battles and start feeling secure again.

Hi, I’m Karl

I Help People Reconnect — With Themselves and Each Other

I know that reaching out for help—especially when you’ve spent years being the "strong one"—is a huge deal. It takes a lot of courage to admit that the ways you’ve been protecting yourself aren't working anymore.

I’m here to be in the trenches with you. My approach is grounded, direct, and collaborative. I specialize in trauma and relationship work because I’ve seen firsthand how much our past experiences shape the way we show up today. I’m here to help you untangle those old knots so you can start showing up for your life with a sense of ease you haven't felt in a long time.

Whether we’re doing Brainspotting to settle your nervous system or using EFT to help you feel more secure, my goal is the same: to help you get to a place where you feel safe, steady, and finally at home in your own skin.

When I’m not in the office, I’m usually spending time with the people that matter most to me or finding a quiet spot to recharge. I know firsthand how important it is to find a balance between showing up for others and taking the time to simply be still