Relational Trauma Recovery Center

Michelle Roberts, MEd, MS, LPC, NCC

The most difficult traumas from which to recover are those that occur at the hands of those we expect to love and protect us.

Relational trauma can occur when the actions of another violate the trust on which a relationship was built. The experience of profound and unexpected betrayal can be deeply traumatic and cause lasting changes in the areas of the brain responsible for regulating emotion, thought, and memory. This can happen when we are children, and it can happen when we are adults.

When your brain is hijacked in this way, regaining control is difficult, no matter how long ago the betrayal occurred. Yet your brain is resilient, and so are you. Treatment at the Relational Trauma Recovery Center is designed to take advantage of neuroplasticity – your brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections in order to adapt and adjust to new situations, experiences, and environments.

I work with clients whose PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addictions were caused by past trauma, particularly narcissistic abuse. My multi-dimensional approach, which includes such modalities as EMDR and somatic experiencing, is shaped by the latest research in neuroscience. Each of the methods that I use is informed by what is now known about the brain, what I can learn about the particular needs of each client, and how I can craft a treatment plan specific to those needs.

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