PTSD - Complex Trauma
If you're grappling with flashbacks, numbness, persistent shame, or a constant feeling of being on edge, know that you're not broken—you're experiencing the effects of an injury.
Trauma therapy offers a secure and stable environment to regain your breath, process your experiences, and move forward at your own pace. We'll address the most challenging aspects—triggers, sleep disturbances, body tension, and self-blame—while simultaneously re-establishing a foundational sense of safety and control. Utilizing evidence-based techniques such as EMDR and MBCT, we'll help your nervous system find balance, restore your sense of agency, and gently rebuild your self-worth, empowering you to live with increased calm, confidence, and connection.
Who Is This Therapy Service For?
When old wounds feel heavy, trauma therapy provides steady support. This service may be right for you if you:
Deal with anxiety and depression related to their trauma
Survived sexual assault, violent crime, or military sexual trauma
Have had adverse childhood experiences
Military Veteran dealing with scars from the past
Carry the heavy burdens of a First Responder
Displaced refugee or asylum seeker
Common Signs & Symptoms
Trauma therapy may be right for you if you’re experiencing:
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or distressing nightmares
Avoiding reminders of the event (people, places, conversations)
Feeling detached, numb, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy
Persistent guilt, shame, fear, or negative beliefs about yourself/others
Irritability, anger outbursts, or reckless behavior
Hypervigilance, being “on edge,” or exaggerated startle response
Physical stress reactions (racing heart, sweating) when reminded of the event
If these signs sound familiar, you don’t have to face them alone—take the first step today.
What to expect
Embark on a collaborative, steady, and practical journey with me to address PTSD and complex trauma. From your first session, you'll feel safe, understood, and in control. We'll engage in focused 55-minute sessions, either weekly or biweekly, setting clear goals and implementing simple practices between sessions to ensure continuous progress in your daily life. Our approach integrates evidence-based methods, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps you detach from trauma-related thoughts and avoidance. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps process stuck memories while maintaining your grounding, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) calms your nervous system, improving sleep, focus, and emotional regulation.
get oriented
A calm, no-pressure call or video chat to hear what’s happening—hypervigilance, nightmares, flashbacks, numbness, shame—and to outline how sessions will feel, which methods fit, and your first step toward relief.
your first sessions
We set a precise aim for the hour, map triggers and body cues, review sleep and safety, and identify strengths. You leave with a starter plan (grounding, breathwork, sleep basics) and one small action to test.
build, practice, repeat
Each session follows a steady rhythm: check-ins, targeted skills, and a concrete plan for the week. Expect CBT experiments, EMDR processing as appropriate, and brief MBSR drills—plus clear take-home reps that create real, steady change.
Areas of Focus & Specializations
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You’ll use practical tools—CBT, mindfulness, and behavioral activation—to quiet chronic worry, reduce tension, and regain control of your thoughts. Together, we’ll target sadness, low motivation, and hopelessness by reshaping unhelpful patterns and building steady, healthy coping skills.
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Trauma can leave your nervous system stuck on high alert—tight muscles, pain, panic, and restless nights. We’ll retrain it with regulation skills—breathwork, grounding, paced exposure, sleep hygiene, and somatic practices—so your body can settle and rest. Over time, you’ll feel calmer, safer, and more in control.
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Shame and self-blame often grow from your own harsh inner story and old, negative core beliefs. In therapy, you’ll learn to challenge those beliefs, practice real self-compassion, and replace the script with a more accurate, dignifying view of who you are. Step by step, you’ll see yourself with more fairness—and more respect.
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Your early relationship injuries can echo as people-pleasing, weak boundaries, or codependency. You’ll strengthen secure attachment skills—clear limits, direct communication, and trust-building—so closeness feels safer and more satisfying.
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When your deepest values are violated, you may experience feelings of guilt, anger, or profound sorrow. Together, we’ll name what happened, process the betrayal and grief, and pursue repair through meaning-making, forgiveness work (when appropriate), and values-aligned action. Step by step, you’ll move toward integrity, relief, and a path forward.
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Dissociation can show up as going numb, feeling outside your body, or even mild “highway hypnosis”—you’re driving and suddenly realize you don’t remember parts of the route or where you were headed. We’ll start by building safety, then use present-moment anchoring to help you stay here and connected. With parts-informed work, you’ll increase stability, a sense of continuity, and a stronger connection to yourself.
Meet Your Therapist
I provide compassionate, judgment-free support, walking alongside you as you navigate your healing journey. With 10 years of experience as a therapist and lived experience as a Veteran, father, husband, and brother who has faced PTSD, I offer practical tools and a steady presence. Your values will guide us, ensuring we move at your pace and utilize proven methods to alleviate pain and foster healing. My therapeutic approach incorporates EMDR to process difficult memories and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to challenge unhelpful beliefs. I also draw upon cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and skills for managing calmness under pressure, always tailoring these methods to your specific goals.
I work with men, couples, veterans, first responders, and youth athletes, and I welcome clients from all backgrounds and identities. Sessions are respectful and accessible, available in person or via telehealth, and offered in both English and Ukrainian. You lead with what matters most; I provide a dependable plan, practical tools, and a partner who understands the terrain.
Take the Next Step
If trauma is still in control, let’s work together to change it. Schedule a free 15-minute call to begin a personalized, step-by-step treatment plan.
FAQ’s
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Located in Fargo, ND, I offer in-person sessions and provide telehealth services throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. My practice serves men, women, couples, veterans/first responders, as well as youth athletes. My care is evidence-based, primarily using EMDR and CPT, but also complemented by CBT and mindfulness skills to promote daily stability.
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We move at your pace. First, we focus on safety and nervous-system regulation so you feel steadier day to day. When you’re ready, we use structured approaches (like EMDR/CPT) to help you remember without reliving the past, reducing the charge behind memories instead of retraumatizing you.
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Common goals include more transparent communication; rebuilding trust after hurt or betrayal; navigating parenting or blended-family stress; healing trauma’s impact on the relationship; and strengthening friendship, intimacy, and sexual connection.
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Imagine feeling calmer, clearer, and more in control of your life.
Outcomes you can expect:
Remembering without reliving; fewer triggers and flashbacks
Restored dignity, self-trust, and secure attachment
Clear boundaries, steadier mood, and better sleep
Healthier intimacy and everyday calm, focus, and control
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Everyone’s timeline is different, but many people notice early wins—such as improved sleep, reduced triggers, and increased calm—within the first few weeks. We’ll set clear goals, review progress regularly, and adjust the plan to ensure continuous improvements.
Not Sure Where to Start? Let’s Talk.
Schedule a free consultation with Ronin Counseling, serving North Dakota and Minnesota in person and online. Ask questions and find out how therapy can support you.