A Somatic + EMDR Approach to Trauma Therapy in San Diego

“I keep thinking I should be over this by now… but one day I’m having a panic attack and the next I can’t get out of bed.”

“I feel like I’m going crazy — and I can’t live like this anymore.”

You’ve done everything you were supposed to. You’re showing up to work, maybe raising a family, trying to keep it all together. But under the surface, it feels like you’re constantly bracing for impact. Old wounds keep bubbling up — memories you wish would stay buried, criticism you hear in your own voice, and that never-ending pressure to "just get over it."

Sometimes the pain comes from way back — childhood moments no one knew were harmful, times you felt invisible, helpless, or not good enough. And sometimes the trauma hit later: a toxic relationship, military service, a devastating loss, or simply a life that hasn’t given you room to breathe.

Whatever the source, it’s exhausting. You’re tired of snapping at the people you love, feeling ashamed of how easily you shut down, or second-guessing every decision. You want to be present. You want to feel safe. You want to stop living like your nervous system is stuck in survival mode.

And you’re not alone.

How I Help:

As a trauma therapist in San Diego, I work with people who feel haunted by their past — whether it's developmental trauma, later-in-life trauma, or both. The people I support often feel overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, and disconnected from who they truly are.

They’re not broken. And neither are you.

Healing trauma takes more than just talking — it takes reconnecting with your whole self, especially your nervous system. When we’ve lived through painful or overwhelming experiences, our bodies can stay stuck in survival mode, constantly scanning for danger even when we’re safe.

That’s why my approach combines EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), somatic tools and interventions, mindfulness strategies, and nervous system regulation practices and practical tools to help you feel more grounded, resilient, and present in your life. to help you regain a sense of agency and calm.

• EMDR Therapy

EMDR helps your brain reprocess overwhelming experiences so they lose their emotional charge. It allows your mind and body to “unstick” from survival mode, make peace with the past, and move toward integration and peace.

• Mindfulness + Somatic Tools

Together, we’ll build a toolkit of grounding strategies — from breathwork to gentle movement — that will help you regulate your nervous system and feel safer in your body again.

• Cognitive Shifts

Together, we’ll explore and reframe the beliefs and thought patterns that may be keeping you stuck. You'll begin to replace inner criticism with compassion and fear with clarity.

You’ll learn to recognize unhelpful thought patterns and create new, empowering beliefs. No more feeling like a failure or a problem to fix — you’ll start seeing yourself with compassion and strength.

• Vagal Toning & Nervous System Regulation

We work directly with your nervous system to build safety from the inside out. Through gentle strategies like breathwork, humming, self-massage, movement, and cold exposure, we activate the vagus nerve — a key player in calming the body’s stress response. This kind of vagal toning supports your ability to shift out of fight-or-flight and into a state of calm, connection, and healing.

• Mindfulness + Somatic Tools

We’ll also practice present-moment awareness through mindfulness and somatic (body-based) tools. These techniques help you notice and interrupt old patterns, reduce dissociation, and begin feeling safe in your own skin again.

What Healing Can Look Like

Over time you will start to feel grounded, you’ll begin to feel safe in your skin. You will be able to pause instead of panicking when things feel hard. Community and connection will replace hypervigilance and isolation, and you will have a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

You won’t forget what happened, but it won’t define or control you anymore. You will have the tools to deal with challenging life circumstances, and you will be able to make healthier life choices. You will let go of shame and finally feel “enough.”

EMDR THERAPY FOR PTSD AND COMPLEX TRAUMA

Then you joined the military and thought that you were getting a fresh start but instead, you felt even more victimized by the rigid social culture, the lack of emotional support and the lack of control over your life’s choices. You couldn’t be there when your child was born or your family was in crisis because you were deployed. You couldn’t quit when you decided you wanted a different life path and, the worst part, was finding yourself acting in a hurtful way towards your family members.

I work with people who have experienced pain and trauma and are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Developmental Trauma or Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). I help them recognize that while this may have been an inevitable part of their lives, they have an innate capacity to heal and be transformed by difficult experiences. With time, support, guidance and a good self-care routine you can heal and live a a life that is satisfying and rewarding.

I help people by teaching skills to calm and balance their emotions so they can develop more self-compassion and loving self-care through different strategies such as breathing, relaxation, meditation, movement and so on. Mindfulness strategies help people bring their attention to the present moment with less judgement allowing them to see situations more objectively offering them the choice to let go of what no longer serves them and opening up to the opportunities of the present and the possibility of a better future.

You Deserve a Trauma Therapist Who Gets It so Let’s Talk — You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

I know that reaching out for support can feel vulnerable, especially if your past includes betrayal, neglect, or emotional invalidation.

We’ll go at your pace. We’ll follow your nervous system’s wisdom. And we’ll trust your body’s natural ability to heal — because healing isn’t just possible, it’s what you’re wired for.

I know that reaching out for support can feel scary so my job is to create a space where your story is honored — without pressure, shame, or judgment.

If you’re searching for a trauma therapist in San Diego and this page resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. You can schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation — no pressure, just a chance to connect and see if it feels like a good fit.

Phone: (858)842-0234 or miriam@miriamchorfreitas.com;

I do accept certain insurance plans and you will find further information about insurance coverage and payment on my FAQ’S page.

If you're constantly anxious, easily triggered, emotionally shut down, or struggling with relationships — and especially if you’ve experienced abuse, neglect, loss, or violence — trauma therapy can help.