Depression

Depression isn’t always obvious. For many people, especially those with a history of trauma, depression doesn’t show up as sadness or tears — it shows up as numbness, fatigue, disconnection, or a sense of not really being here.

If you’ve been feeling this way, you’re not alone — and you’re not broken. This may not be “just depression.” It may be your nervous system in shutdown mode — a response rooted in survival.

This frozen state often starts in childhood, when the nervous system is still developing and doesn’t know how to make sense of pain. Instead of thinking, “That was scary,” the body learns to be scared all the time—and to go quiet in order to cope.

Understanding Depression Through the Nervous System

If you experienced early trauma such as neglect, abandonment, or emotional abuse, your body may have adapted by shutting down. What feels like depression may actually be dorsal vagal shutdown — a freeze response your body developed when fight or flight wasn’t possible.

You might feel:

  • Emotionally flat or numb
  • Tired all the time or unmotivated
  • Foggy, spaced out, or mentally “offline”
  • Disconnected from your body or your feelings
  • Present in your life, but not fully here

A New Kind of Depression Therapy

At our practice, we offer a holistic, body-based approach to depression therapy that supports deep healing — not just symptom relief. We understand that trauma, especially in early life, often shapes the nervous system’s patterns of shutdown, and that traditional talk therapy alone isn’t always enough.

If you’ve been searching for what helps with depression, and you feel like nothing quite fits — this might be the missing piece.

How We Help

  • Gentle, body-based approaches to support your nervous system
  • Breath, sound, and movement to help you feel more alive and connected
  • A steady, caring relationship where you don’t have to perform or explain
  • Optional psycholytic (low-dose psychedelic) therapy to support deeper integration
  • You’re not broken. You’re not failing. You shut down because you had to. Now, together, we can help you come back to life—at your own pace.

FAQs

Yes. For many people, especially those with trauma histories, depression shows up as emotional numbness, fatigue, or a sense of being “spaced out.” This is often a nervous system response called shutdown or freeze—not just a mood issue.

Chronic fatigue and lack of motivation can be signs your nervous system is stuck in a freeze state, often linked to past trauma. This isn’t laziness—it’s your body’s way of protecting you when it once didn’t feel safe to act or feel.

Trauma-informed, body-based therapy can be especially helpful. Our approach supports the nervous system using somatic work, gentle movement, and relational safety to gradually unwind the freeze response behind shutdown or dissociation.

Other issues we treat

Depression

Depression isn’t always obvious. For many people, especially those with a history of trauma, depression doesn’t show up as sadness or tears — it shows up as numbness, fatigue, disconnection, or a sense of not really being here.

Find out more

Trauma

Trauma isn’t just about what happened—it’s about how your mind and body had to adapt to survive. Whether the trauma was acute or ongoing, physical or emotional, its imprint can linger in the nervous system as fear, numbness, shame, or disconnection.

Find out more

Self Esteem

Overcoming low self-esteem is less like becoming a new person, and more like finally coming home to yourself.

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Grief & Loss

Grief can feel like an unpredictable, exhausting tidal force—physical, emotional, and haunting all at once. Whether you’re grieving the finality of death or a more ambiguous loss—a breakup, estrangement, miscarriage, the loss of a role, dream, youth, abilities, innocence, job, home, faith, or worldview—grief shows up when something deeply meaningful is gone.

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Anger & Conflict

Anger is often a signal—not a problem. It can point to buried hurt, unmet needs, or crossed boundaries. But when anger feels overwhelming or leads to conflict in your relationships, it may be a sign that deeper wounds are asking for attention.

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Career Stress & Burnout

The pressures of modern life are real. The fast pace and multi-dimensional nature of life – work, school, family, social challenges and the baseline intensity of life can inspire us or push us beyond our limits.

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Online therapy

More comfortable at home?

Online therapy lets you connect with our therapists from the safety and ease of your own space; no commute, no waiting room, just support where you feel most at ease.

You’re in the right place

Take the first step toward healing. Get in touch and we’ll walk with you from there.