Childhood Trauma Therapy in Berkeley & the Bay Area
Physical abuse or neglect is not the only way trauma takes root in childhood. Some of the deepest wounds come from more subtle experiences — a parent who was emotionally unavailable, a home where your feelings were "too much," or a childhood where you learned to shrink yourself to keep the peace.
This is called complex trauma, and its effects can follow you into adulthood in ways that aren't always easy to recognize.
Signs you may be carrying childhood trauma:
Your worth feels tied to what you do for others, not who you are
You struggle to set boundaries without guilt or anxiety
You find yourself drawn to relationships that feel familiar but unhealthy
Perfectionism holds you back from trying new things
You feel a persistent sense of emptiness or not-enoughness
Anger, sadness, or anxiety show up in ways that feel out of proportion
You have difficulty trusting others or letting people in
How childhood trauma affects the nervous system:
When we grow up in environments that feel unpredictable or unsafe, our nervous system adapts to survive. We learn to stay hyper-vigilant, to people-please, to shut down emotionally, or to abandon our own needs. These adaptations make sense in childhood — but as adults, they can leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, and unsure of who we really are.
The body holds onto these experiences long after the mind has tried to move on. That's why talk therapy alone often isn't enough — healing childhood trauma requires working with the body as well as the mind.
How I work with childhood trauma:
I'm Noah Eastman, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #146602) based in Berkeley, CA. I specialize in trauma-informed therapy using a combination of approaches:
Somatic therapy — working with the body to release stored trauma and regulate the nervous system
IFS (Internal Family Systems) — getting to know the different parts of you that developed to protect you from pain
EMDR — processing traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge
Together, these approaches help you move from surviving to truly living — reconnecting with your authentic self, building healthier relationships, and developing a felt sense of safety in your own body.
You don't have to keep carrying this.
Healing is possible. Many people who come to me have spent years feeling like something is fundamentally wrong with them — only to discover that their responses make complete sense given what they experienced. Therapy is a space to finally feel seen, understood, and supported as you do that work.
I offer in-person childhood trauma therapy in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco, and online therapy throughout California.