"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
- 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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MANIFESTATIONS OF COMPLEX TRAUMA
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.
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.
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 To learn more, click here 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 Way in which the brain attempts to prevent complete overwhelm and death of the psyche Disconnection or separation from body and self (aka depersonalization) Disconnection from reality or hard time knowing what's real and what isn't, feeling the world is unreal (aka derealization) "Blind rage" resulting in blackouts "Spacing out" or nodding off unexpectedly Periods of lost time or blacking out (aka amnesia), amnesic states Changing memories, passive internal influences Alters/system-formation (aka multiplicity/plurality), sharing headspace with others, feeling like you are comprised of Many vs. just your Self Includes Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and Polyfragmented Dissociative Identity Disorder (pDID) 
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Extra-Sensory/Perceptual Experiences and Distressing Beliefs To learn more, click here 70-90% of people who experience voices, visions, distressing thoughts, and other similar experiences have known complex trauma; are on a spectrum Have historically been pathologized, judged, and stigmatized in society (e.g. called psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, etc.) In addition to trauma, these can also sometimes be attributed to other causes, such as genetics, cultural norms, sleep deprivation, or substance use May be experienced as positive/comforting, negative/distressing, or mixture of both May be embraced/revered as part of your culture and beliefs or rejected/feared/discriminated Auditory sensations, for example: voices or sounds- either felt inside or outside of your head Visual sensations, for example: ghosts, spirits, ancestors, shadows, images, visions Tactile sensations, for example: feeling choked/grabbed, as though something is crawling on your skin Olfactory sensations, for example: blood, bodily fluid, perfume/ cologne, smoke Gustatory sensations, for example: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, taste of something specific |
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. 
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Examples Sexual abuse, molestation, incest, rape, sexual assault Drug-facilitated or technology-facilitated sexual assault Sex trafficking or pedophile rings, commercial sexual exploitation Exchanging sex acts for basic needs (aka "survival sex") or being coerced into sex work Being “sexed-in” for entry within a group (e.g. gang) Military sexual trauma (MST) Being manipulated into sexual activity as a result of a double-bind, to protect someone else, or as part of ceremonial acts Being made to watch someone masturbate, perform sex acts, or commit sex crimes Being forced, coerced, or groomed to engage in pornography (i.e. sexual exploitation) |
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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. 
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Examples Gang or cartel membership Prison, jail, juvenile halls/detention centers Can include exonerees, parolees, and probationers Affiliation or membership-based violence Being jumped or “sexed” into group Use of fear-based tactics to avoid dissent Humiliation, neglect Jail/prison rape, sexual exploitation Being abducted, held hostage, tortured Inhumane practices (i.e. abuse), such as isolation/seclusion, straightjackets, starvation Torture via violence/abuse and/or deprivation, as a means of punishment, conditioning, or way to coerce information (aka "interrogations") Moral trauma due to forced initiation of violence (i.e. double-binds) Muling, substance use to appease Witnessing violence, addiction, suffering, and death |
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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 Living on and off in the street, squats, or encampments Living in and out of hotels, motels, or shelters Lack of access to medical care, mental health care, affordable housing, food, income, financial assistance Exploitation of vulnerability by attempted or completed violence by others (e.g. sexual assault, abduction, theft, murder) Exploitation of vulnerability through coerced sex work, dealing, muling, using, etc. Witnessing violence, addiction, suffering, and death 
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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. 
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Examples Sexual abuse, domestic violence Incarceration, gang membership Genocide, war, military combat for veterans Enslavement, persecution Abduction into residential boarding schools, “stolen generations” Trauma-based parenting Addiction, suicide, homicide Poverty, housing insecurity Family secrets, shame, unspoken losses |
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