PTSD & Complex Trauma (CPTSD)

You’ve Been Carrying This Long Enough.

Maybe you’ve tried therapy before and it helped — a little. Maybe you’ve read the books, understood your patterns, and still find yourself stuck in the same cycles of fear, shutdown, or hypervigilance. Or you’ve been told you have anxiety or depression, but something in you has always known it runs deeper than that.

If that sounds familiar, you may be living with PTSD or Complex PTSD, and what you need isn’t more talk therapy. You need a specialist.

What Is PTSD — And What Is CPTSD?

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) typically develops after a single traumatic event — an accident, an assault, a medical emergency. The nervous system gets stuck in survival mode, replaying the experience through flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) runs deeper. It develops from prolonged, repeated trauma — childhood abuse or neglect, domestic violence, emotional manipulation, or growing up in an environment where you never felt safe. With CPTSD, the effects aren’t just about specific memories. They reshape how you see yourself, how you relate to others, and how safe you feel in your own body.

Both are real. Both are treatable. And both require a therapist who understands the difference.

My Approach to PTSD and Complex Trauma

In my practice, trauma treatment is never one-size-fits-all. Every person I work with brings a different history, a different nervous system, and a different set of needs.

I’m Heather Oster, a licensed trauma therapist specializing in PTSD and Complex PTSD. I work with clients using a combination of EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Somatic Therapy — always at the pace your nervous system can handle. We build safety first, then gently process what’s underneath.

This is not about reliving your trauma. It’s about helping your brain and body finally move through it.

 This Work Is for You If…

• You’ve been in therapy before but feel like something hasn’t shifted
• You experience emotional flashbacks, shame spirals, or chronic self-doubt
• You struggle to feel safe in relationships or with yourself
• You’ve been told you have anxiety or depression but suspect the root is trauma
• You’re ready to do deep work — at a pace that feels manageable