"If you're a survivor, I just want to acknowledge that you are a pioneer, brave beyond words, and I would like to encourage you to recognize this and be extremely kind to yourself, because you are walking this path not just for you today, but for the future of humanity." - Anneke Lucas
Licensed to practice in States of: California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah
Trauma can take its toll; it can feel confusing, fragmented, or even unspeakable. If you have survived something that has caused you pain, you deserve to heal what has been trapped inside of you, without fear of judgment. This can be a supportive space for you to tell your story and release the burdens you’ve been carrying. It’s not about looking for “what’s wrong” with you; it’s about understanding what’s happened to you and taking your power back. It's never too late to shift from just surviving to thriving.
I offer confidential, HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy for anyone residing in California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. I am also able to occasionally provide in-home therapy to residents in Los Angeles County, depending on availability. Additionally, I am available to contract with non-profit organizations to provide therapy to survivors who experience dissociation, psychosis, and any of the below forms of trauma.
I offer confidential, HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy for anyone residing in California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. I am also able to occasionally provide in-home therapy to residents in Los Angeles County, depending on availability. Additionally, I am available to contract with non-profit organizations to provide therapy to survivors who experience dissociation, psychosis, and any of the below forms of trauma.
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Specializations:
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Additional Information:
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Trauma...what is it?
DEFINITIONS
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Definitions There are so many out there...here are some of them:
Here's my personal favorite:
Inclusions It's more than stress, frustration, or being challenged. Using this framework, trauma includes so much more than what most of us think. This can include:
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Generational Impacts & Epigenetics Children often identify with their caregivers’ suffering, which can lead to something called "vicarious learning", wherein trauma-based parenting is internalized. Sadly, this can become a pattern throughout generations, until awareness and healing takes place. Epigenetics is the study of how behaviors and the environment can change us on a genetic level. A parent’s experiences, in the form of epigenetic tags (chemical modifications on DNA strands), can be passed down to future generations in such a way that their children may exhibit the symptoms of a traumatic event they did not even directly experience. This is also known as "molecular memory". The good news is that the epigenetic effects of trauma can be reversed so that they are not continuously passed down. People who become aware of these patterns and are able to invest in healing are the "cycle-breakers" of their lineage. To learn more about how trauma and resiliency can pass through generations, you can read Dr. Rachel Yehuda's work. Health Implications A study done in the 90s found that the more traumatic experiences a person has in childhood, the increased risk of chronic health conditions they have in adulthood. These experiences were called adverse childhood experiences, hence its name, The ACE Study. To learn more, watch this TED Talk by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the first Surgeon General of California. What does this mean for me? Everyone experiences trauma in their own way, and there is no "right" or "wrong" way to recover; everyone is unique. And it can be easy to get caught up in names (ex. PTSD vs. C-PTSD), but it's important to remember that we should not pathologize what most would agree is a normal response to overwhelming events. There are many misunderstandings of how trauma can manifest in people's lives, which can result in shaming, labeling, and misdiagnosing. In terms of disclosing and defining your traumatic experiences, no one has the right to tell you that your trauma is not real. You deserve to be believed and heard. |
MANIFESTATIONS AND SIGNS
All of the effects or "marks" of trauma you notice in yourself hold wisdom to offer, in terms of understanding how you managed to stay alive and survive this whole time. The goal is to understand these manifestations and learn additional coping strategies that can help regulate your nervous system and soothe your mind enough that you no longer feel controlled by them.
Examples
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Structural dissociation
This is an involuntary, physiological defense mechanism the brain employs to separate severe traumatic experiences from consciousness by fragmenting the memory- and parts of one's persona- through the use of amnesiac barriers. In other words, it's a way in which the brain attempts to prevent complete overwhelm and death of the psyche. To learn more, click here.
Examples
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EXTRA-SENSORY/PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCES & DISTRESSING BELIEFS
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Stigma 70-90% of people who experience voices, visions, and/or distressing beliefs have gone through complex trauma. These experiences are on a spectrum and have historically been pathologized and stigmatized in society (e.g. called psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, etc.). To learn more, click here. Cultural & Environmental Factors In addition to trauma, these can also sometimes be attributed to other causes, such as genetics, cultural norms, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, and/or substance use. Some describe them as positive/comforting, some as negative/distressing, and others as a mixture of both. Another impactful factor is if they are embraced/revered vs. feared/dismissed by your culture. I personally belief that we each have our own perception of reality and that no one should be pathologized just because they experience something that someone else may not. |
Examples:
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TRAUMA SPECIALIZATIONS
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SEXUAL VIOLENCE There is a lot of stigma around talking about sex, let alone sexual violence, and no one knows this better than those who have experienced unwanted (or even confusing) sexual activity. The main concept to keep in mind is this: unwanted sexual activity is not sex; it is an abuse of power and control that is conducted through sexual means. This trauma is even more perpetuated by societal contributions, such as lack of education around consent, rape culture (including victim-blaming), sexualization of minors, objectification in media, and hurtful gender expectations. Anyone can be a victim of sexual trauma- those of all ages, gender identities, and sexual orientations. To read more about consent, click here; to read more about rape trauma syndrome, click here. |
Examples
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT Having a history of being in the criminal justice system is often the result of trauma or adversity, not to mention often a cause of additional pain. There are many experiences that tend to go unacknowledged as trauma, particularly if someone has also been involved in crime or any other behaviors prohibited by law. The thing is: there is a reason behind all behaviors, and there are many survivors who have coped with past traumas through a fight response and a means to feel in control. For instance, those who have been members of gangs or cartels often have complex childhood trauma histories, wherein joining up is usually a means of survival or escape. For some, involvement in organized crime may have been a way to survive a community fraught with violence and competition for basic needs. Part of this recovery process is then coping with actions that one may have carried out during this period of double-binds. Being locked up can also include literally being trapped in a cage, sensory deprivation, isolation, and/or forced alliances with high-risk groups in order to obtain protection. Anyone who has been incarcerated has also most likely been negatively impacted by the many gaps in care, including assault while in custody, lack of trauma-informed mental and medical health care, human rights violations, and lack of support upon release. To read more about trauma from gang membership, click here. To read more about post-incarceration syndrome, click here. To read more about the sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline click here; for the school-to-prison pipeline, click here. |
Examples
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HOMELESSNESS Not only is living unhoused a form of trauma, but it also places individuals at higher risk of being assaulted, abused, exploited, and violated. Homelessness is a very misunderstood experience, one that tends to be charged with stigma and judgment from society. For many survivors, homelessness is a result of no-win situations, adversity, and additional traumas; some precursors include domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, inflation of rent and lack of tenant protection, eviction, loss of job, hospitalization, lack of resources for acute mental health conditions, and many others. Survival tactics can also produce additional injuries and traumas, ranging from substance use (e.g. to stay awake, stay warm, distract from stress, keep flashbacks at bay), to sex work or survival sex (e.g. to buy food, afford medications, pay for a motel room to avoid being assaulted during the night). Additional adversities faced by survivors include poor shelter conditions, shelters that do not accept companion animals, not enough interm housing resources, lack of affordable housing, and lack of accessible case management services. |
Examples
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GENERATIONAL TRAUMA There are so many forms of violence, abuse, and hardships that can be experienced by not only multiple family members, but also by people unrelated to one another who belong to a shared community. Research has actually shown that trauma of a family member (or members), generation, cultural group (e.g. "collective" or "historic trauma"), or neighborhood can be transmitted on a DNA-level. In families, this may look like someone repeating the same behaviors that were perpetrated against them, thus continuing the cycle. It could be finding yourself in the same abusive situation over and over again. In other instances, this may be experiencing manifestations of someone else's trauma (e.g. a parent) and not understanding what's happening. To learn more, click here. |
Examples
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VICARIOUS TRAUMA For those with service professions that are regularly exposed to human suffering, it is not uncommon to develop traumatic stress injuries. Vicarious trauma is the emotional residue that results from this exposure and is often considered to be the "cost" of helping. It is separate from burnout and, sadly, is still a taboo topic within most human service fields, some more than others. It can include full-on sensory absorption of graphic details, difficulty experiencing joy or connection, chronic hypervigilence, increased distrust, and sometimes even complete misanthropy. These are NOT signs of weakness, and you are not alone. To learn more, click here. |
Examples
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Rates & Insurance
- I currently have a waiting list; you are welcome to contact me if you would like to be placed on it
- Payments accepted (for self-pay and insurance co-pays): American Express, Mastercard, Visa
PRIVATE PAY
- $200-250 / 53 min.
INSURANCE
Please check with your insurance plan regarding what your co-pay is, which will be automatically charged on the debit/credit card you provide prior to our initial session. I am in-network with the following insurance plans:
To double-check if I take your insurance, go to my Headway page: https://care.headway.co/providers/kristen-muche
Please check with your insurance plan regarding what your co-pay is, which will be automatically charged on the debit/credit card you provide prior to our initial session. I am in-network with the following insurance plans:
- Aetna (CA, FL, NV, UT)
- Providence Health Plan (CA, FL, UT)
- Oscar (Optum; FL)
- Oxford (Optum; CA, FL)
- UnitedHealthcare (Optum; CA, FL)
To double-check if I take your insurance, go to my Headway page: https://care.headway.co/providers/kristen-muche
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If you do not see your insurance listed on here, it means that I am not paneled with them. However, I can provide you with a superbill at your request. How this works is that you would be charged at the self-pay rate (see above), then I would provide you with a monthly receipt for that prior month's sessions, which you can then submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. You can also use Reimbursify or Mentaya to submit your superbill.
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