What is complex trauma?

Complex trauma refers to repeated or long-term experiences that affect your sense of safety, identity, emotions, relationships, and ability to trust yourself or others. It can come from childhood trauma, emotional neglect, sexual trauma, physical trauma, family dynamics, domestic violence, cultural trauma, academic trauma, or relationships that left a lasting impact.

How do I know if what I experienced is trauma?

If an experience continues to affect how you feel, respond, relate to others, or see yourself, it is worth exploring. Many people question whether their experiences count as trauma, especially when the harm was emotional, relational, or difficult to name.

Can EMDR help with complex trauma?

Yes. EMDR can help with complex trauma by supporting the brain and body in processing unresolved experiences. With complex trauma, EMDR is often paced carefully and may focus on both specific memories and larger emotional patterns that developed over time.

What types of therapy do you use for complex trauma?

This approach integrates EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, and art therapy. EMDR can help process unresolved experiences, somatic therapy can support body-based trauma responses, and art therapy can help access and work through experiences that may be difficult to explain in words.

Do you offer virtual complex trauma therapy in New York?

Yes. Complex trauma therapy is available virtually for adults located in New York State, including NYC.

Complex Trauma Therapy in New York & NYC

Virtual therapy for Adults Statewide

EMDR, Somatic Therapy, and Art Therapy for Deep, Lasting Healing

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You’re ready to let it go.

It feels unresolved, even after years of trying to work through it.

You might be here because something feels unresolved, even after years of trying to work through it.

You’ve read, reflected, maybe even been in therapy before.
You understand your patterns on an intellectual level.
And still, certain reactions, emotions, or memories feel just as intense as ever.

That’s often what complex trauma looks like.

Not one event, but layers of experiences that shaped how you relate to yourself, your emotions, other people, and the world around you.

You might be dealing with complex trauma if…

You feel overwhelmed by emotions that seem bigger than the situation
You shut down, go numb, or disconnect without meaning to
You overthink interactions and replay conversations
You struggle with trust, even in safe relationships
You carry guilt or shame that doesn’t fully make sense
You feel responsible for other people’s emotions
You’ve had experiences that were confusing, invalidating, or hard to name
You wonder if what you went through “counts” as trauma

Complex trauma doesn’t always look obvious from the outside.
A lot of people function highly in their careers and still feel like something is off internally.

A space that can hold the depth of your experience

When your experiences are layered, it can feel unclear what to talk about first, or how to explain it in a way that makes sense.

You don’t need to organize it before coming in.
Part of the process is helping you make sense of it in a way that actually feels relieving, not overwhelming.

Many people with complex trauma have had moments where they felt misunderstood, rushed, or like they had to hold back parts of their story.

This work requires a different level of attunement.

In our sessions, we move at a pace that allows your system to process what it’s been holding, without flooding or shutting down.

There's room for the full picture, including:

Childhood dynamics and family patterns
Relationship experiences that left an impact
Emotional neglect that was never acknowledged
Sexual or physical trauma
The parts of you that learned to cope, protect, and keep going

You don’t have to filter yourself here.

WORK WITH ME

My approach to complex trauma

My method integrates:

EMDR therapy to process and resolve traumatic memories
Somatic therapy to work with how trauma is stored in the body
Art therapy to access experiences that are difficult to fully to put into words

This allows us to go beyond talking about what happened and begin shifting how those experiences continue affecting your body and nervous system.

I also bring lived understanding into this work.
I know what it’s like to sit on the other side and wonder if someone can really hold what you’ve been through.

That perspective shapes how I show up in the room with you.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Types of Complex Trauma I Work With

Complex trauma can come from many different experiences, including ones that were never named or acknowledged at the time.

You may recognize yourself in one or more of the areas below:

Childhood trauma and emotional neglect

Physical or Sexual Trauma

Cultural, Religious, and Generational Trauma

High-pressure and performance-related trauma

Relational and Family Trauma

Medical Trauma, Accidents & Unexpected Events

Options for working together

Weekly or Extended Therapy Sessions

Ongoing virtual sessions to build insight, process experiences, and create meaningful change over time. Integrative structured approach combining EMDR. Art Therapy, Somatic Therapy and other evidenced based stategies.

EMDR Intensives

Longer, focused virtual sessions (2–3 hours, half-day, or full-day formats) designed to move through deeper material more efficiently.

Intensives are a strong fit if:

You feel stuck despite doing a lot of inner work
You want to make significant progress in a shorter period of time
You’re ready to focus on specific experiences or patterns

It start's with a free 15 minute phone or video consultation call.

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What starts to feel different

Clients begin noticing:

More emotional steadiness in situations that once felt overwhelming
A clearer sense of self, needs, and boundaries
More ease and trust within relationships
Less shame, self-criticism, and emotional exhaustion
Greater ability to stay present during difficult emotions and conversations

Over time, many clients describe feeling more grounded, connected to themselves, emotionally regulated, and able to move through life with more clarity and capacity.

You've learned how to function. You've learned how to push through.

If you’re ready to move forward from what you’ve been carrying, you can begin here.

A 15-minute consultation is the first step.

Virtual sessions available across New York
EMDR sessions and intensives available

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Specialized Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma & Burnout

Hi! I'm Attiya Awadallah, LCAT, ATR-BC, a licensed trauma and anxiety therapist providing virtual therapy across New York State.

I specialize in EMDR, art therapy, somatic approaches, and evidence-based treatment for anxiety, trauma, burnout, and complex PTSD.

My approach is collaborative, active, and tailored to your goals, helping you process difficult experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and create lasting change.

With more than 10 years of experience across inpatient, outpatient, addiction treatment, and community mental health settings, I bring both clinical expertise and compassion to every session.

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Frequently asked questions

Complex Trauma Therapy FAQs

Complex trauma, sometimes called Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), develops after repeated or long-term experiences that leave you feeling unsafe, unseen, or emotionally overwhelmed. This can include childhood emotional neglect, chronic criticism, unstable relationships, emotional abuse, ongoing invalidation, or growing up in unpredictable environments. Rather than being defined by one event, complex trauma often affects how you relate to yourself, other people, and the world around you.

Complex trauma can look different from person to person. Some common signs include:Chronic anxiety or feeling on edgeEmotional numbness or shutting downPeople pleasing and difficulty setting boundariesPerfectionism and fear of making mistakesFeeling responsible for other people's emotionsTrouble trusting othersRelationship patterns that repeatShame, self-criticism, or feeling "too much"Feeling disconnected from yourself or your bodyMany people don't realize these patterns can be rooted in trauma rather than personality.

Complex trauma often influences the way you experience closeness, conflict, trust, and boundaries. You might notice people pleasing, fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting others, withdrawing when relationships become emotionally intense, or repeating similar relationship patterns. Therapy helps you understand where these patterns developed and build healthier ways of connecting that feel more secure and authentic.

That's something I hear often. You don't have to tell me everything at once or know exactly where to begin. Many people with complex trauma worry they'll overwhelm a therapist or spend months trying to explain everything that's happened.That's not your job.We'll start with what's affecting you most right now and build from there. Over time, we'll make sense of the bigger picture together, at a pace that feels manageable and respectful of where you are.

Yes, when it's clinically appropriate. In addition to individual therapy, I offer Family Support Sessions for current clients. These sessions help family members or partners better understand trauma, strengthen communication, and learn how to provide meaningful support while respecting your treatment goals. Whether a Family Support Session would be beneficial is something we'll discuss together during therapy.

Complex Trauma Therapy in New York & NYC

It feels unresolved, even after years of trying to work through it.

You might be dealing with complex trauma if…

A space that can hold the depth of your experience