Trauma Therapy
Trauma-Informed Therapist in Arlington, VA + Online Trauma Therapy in VA
Therapy that helps you heal the emotional, mental, and physical effects of trauma, whether from childhood, relationships, systemic harm, or major life events.
What Is Trauma Therapy?
Reclaim your story - when the past doesn’t stay in the past
Trauma therapy is a space to gently explore and heal the emotional, mental, and physical effects of what you’ve been through. Whether you’re carrying the weight of childhood trauma, relational wounds, systemic oppression, or a life-altering experience, this is a place where your story is held with care.
You might feel anxious, hyper-aware, emotionally shut down, or like you’re stuck in patterns you can’t explain. Trauma can show up in your body, your relationships, and your sense of self. Our trauma therapists support clients in Arlington, VA, and virtually across Virginia.
Sessions are paced to your nervous system and centered on your truth. Using trauma-informed and somatic approaches, we help you reconnect with your body, emotions, and voice, one safe step at a time.
You might feel anxious, hyper-aware, emotionally shut down, or like you’re stuck in patterns you can’t explain. Trauma can show up in your body, your relationships, and your sense of self. Our trauma therapists support clients in Arlington, VA, and virtually across Virginia.
Sessions are paced to your nervous system and centered on your truth. Using trauma-informed and somatic approaches, we help you reconnect with your body, emotions, and voice, one safe step at a time.
Why You Might Be Seeking Therapy
You’ve done your best to cope, but the past still lingers.
Trauma doesn’t always show up as memories; it often lives in the body, in your reactions, and in the parts of you still trying to feel safe. Maybe you’ve pushed through, compartmentalized, or told yourself it wasn’t “that bad.” But lately, you feel overwhelmed, numb, disconnected, or on edge for reasons that aren’t easy to name.
This therapy is for you if:
This therapy is for you if:
- You’re experiencing anxiety, hypervigilance, or emotional shutdown
- You feel stuck in survival mode, always waiting for something to go wrong
- You tend to people-please, self-blame, or avoid your own needs
- You dissociate, go numb, or feel out of sync with your body
- Past experiences continues to affecting your present day
- You want to understand your patterns and feel more like yourself again
You don’t have to carry it alone. Therapy can help you reconnect with what was lost and move forward with more compassion and choice.
How Therapy Can Support You
You don’t have to relive it to heal from it
We understand how trauma shapes the way you think, feel, and connect, often without you even realizing it. Our therapists offer trauma-informed, somatic care that honors your pace and nervous system, so healing doesn’t feel overwhelming or retraumatizing.
Here’s how we support you:
Here’s how we support you:
- Reconnect with your body after dissociation or shutdown
- Understand and gently shift survival-based patterns like people-pleasing or avoidance
- Process the emotional impact of childhood trauma, systemic oppression, or relationship harm
- Identify triggers and increase your capacity to stay grounded and present
- Rebuild a sense of inner safety, self-trust, and emotional resilience
- Name your needs, set boundaries, and move toward the life you want
About Rising Sun Therapy & Wellness
A Practice Where You Don’t Have to Shrink to Be Supported
Rising Sun Therapy & Wellness was founded with a simple but powerful belief:
Healing is possible when we feel seen, safe, and supported.
We specialize in trauma-informed, identity-affirming therapy for individuals navigating anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, grief, neurodivergence, or major life transitions. Many of our clients are LGBTQIA2S+, neurodivergent, or part of polyamorous and kink-involved communities, and they’re looking for a therapist who truly understands their lived experience.
Whether you’re exploring your identity, recovering from burnout, or processing deep emotional pain, we’re here to walk with you, not rush you. Therapy here isn’t about “fixing” who you are. It’s about helping you return to yourself.
We specialize in trauma-informed, identity-affirming therapy for individuals navigating anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, grief, neurodivergence, or major life transitions. Many of our clients are LGBTQIA2S+, neurodivergent, or part of polyamorous and kink-involved communities, and they’re looking for a therapist who truly understands their lived experience.
Whether you’re exploring your identity, recovering from burnout, or processing deep emotional pain, we’re here to walk with you, not rush you. Therapy here isn’t about “fixing” who you are. It’s about helping you return to yourself.
Therapy that honors your pace, your truth, and your wholeness.
Collaborative, Not Prescriptive
You’re the expert on your life. We bring clinical skill, deep listening, and honest reflection, but we move at your pace and prioritize your goals.
Affirming & Identity-Centered
Whether you’re LGBTQIA2S+, navigating nontraditional relationships, or exploring neurodivergence or trauma, we affirm your full self, without judgment or assumptions.
Trauma-Informed & Somatic-Aware
We understand how the body holds stress and how systems shape our stories. We integrate gentle nervous system tools, emotional processing, and parts work where helpful.
Warm, Grounded, & Real
Therapy doesn’t have to be cold or clinical. We show up as real people, offering presence, perspective, and support you can feel.
We’re here to walk with you while you remember how whole you already are.
In-Person & Online Therapy Options
We offer in-person sessions in Arlington, VA. For those outside the area or who prefer the flexibility of virtual care, we also provide secure telehealth therapy across Virginia, Maryland, DC, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Maine.
Trauma Therapy FAQs
Do I have to talk about my trauma right away?
We move at your pace. You never have to share anything before you’re ready. Safety and consent guide every step of the process.
What if I don’t remember everything that happened?
You don’t need a clear memory to do trauma work. We focus on how your experiences live in your body, relationships, and emotions now, not just in the past.
Is trauma therapy only for people with PTSD?
No. Trauma therapy is for anyone impacted by overwhelming experiences, whether or not you have a diagnosis. If it’s affecting your life, it’s valid.
What types of trauma do you work with?
We work with complex trauma, childhood trauma, medical trauma, systemic and identity-based harm, relational trauma, and more.
Do you offer virtual trauma therapy?
Yes. We provide online trauma therapy across VA, MD, DC, NC, MA, FL, RI, VT, WV, and ME, so you can access care wherever you are.
Therapy is personal and finding the right therapist matters.
That’s why we offer a free 15-minute consultation, so you can get a feel for how we work, ask questions, and decide if this space feels right for you.
There’s no pressure to commit. No need to have all the answers. Just a conversation. And if we are not the right practice for you, we can help you find a better fit using our network.
Ready to explore therapy?
Let’s connect and see if we’re a good match.
* 5-minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro Station
Online & In-Person Therapy in Arlington, VA
You can work with us in whatever way feels most comfortable, in-person in Arlington, VA or online across Virginia, Maryland, DC, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Maine.