trauma & Betrayal Trauma therapy in los angeles
Evidence-based therapy for complex trauma, trust issues, and emotional abuse
Trauma can leave you feeling emotionally unsafe long after the experience itself is over and change the way you experience yourself, relationships, safety, trust, and the world around you.
You may find yourself constantly anxious, emotionally overwhelmed, hypervigilant in relationships, disconnected from yourself, or unable to trust your own instincts the way you once did.
At Sawtelle Psychotherapy Group, we provide evidence-based trauma therapy in Los Angeles for people navigating betrayal trauma, relationship trauma, PTSD symptoms, emotional abuse, attachment wounds, childhood trauma, and chronic emotional overwhelm.
When Trauma Affects Your Relationships, Nervous System & Daily Life
As much as we’d like it, trauma doesn’t always stay in the past. It also doesn’t always look dramatic from the outside.
Even after difficult and threatening experiences are over, the nervous system often continues responding as though you’re still unsafe, emotionally exposed, or waiting for something bad to happen.
Sometimes it looks like:
constantly overthinking
difficulty trusting others
emotional shutdown
people-pleasing
panic
dissociation
chronic anxiety
emotional reactivity
or feeling like your nervous system never fully relaxes
You may find yourself:
Replaying conversations or painful memories over and over
Feeling emotionally “on edge” in relationships
Struggling to trust yourself or your perceptions
Avoiding vulnerability or emotional closeness
Becoming highly sensitive to rejection, conflict, or abandonment
Feeling numb, disconnected, or emotionally detached
Constantly scanning for signs something is wrong
Feeling exhausted from trying to feel emotionally safe
Struggling with shame, guilt, self-blame, or low self-worth
Many people living with trauma responses don’t realize how much of their life has become organized around emotional survival.
Therapy can help you move from chronic survival mode toward greater emotional safety, presence, steadiness, and connection.
Therapy for Betrayal Trauma, Infidelity & Relationship Trauma
Betrayal trauma happens when trust is deeply ruptured in an important relationship.
This may involve:
infidelity
emotional abuse
manipulation or the effects of personality disorders
chronic dishonesty
emotional invalidation
abandonment
repeated boundary violations
or discovering that someone you trusted was emotionally unsafe
These experiences often affect far more than the relationship itself. Many people navigating betrayal trauma experience:
panic attacks
obsessive thinking
hypervigilance and paranoia
emotional dysregulation
sleep difficulties
intrusive thoughts
attachment wounds
difficulty trusting
and loss of confidence in themselves or others
Some feel consumed by trying to understand what happened. Others feel emotionally numb, detached, or unable to stop scanning for danger in future relationships.
Therapy can help you process the betrayal while rebuilding trust in yourself, your emotions, your boundaries, and your ability to feel safe again.
Trauma Is Not Always One Specific Event
Many people think trauma only refers to catastrophic experiences. In reality, trauma can also develop through repeated, complex emotional experiences that slowly teach the nervous system that relationships, emotions, or vulnerability are unsafe.
Trauma may stem from:
childhood emotional neglect
emotionally unpredictable caregivers
abusive relationships
betrayal or infidelity
chronic criticism or invalidation
family conflict
bullying
attachment wounds
religious trauma
medical trauma
high-conflict relationships
or years spent emotionally unsafe in important relationships
Sometimes clients come to therapy because of one painful event. Other times, it’s because they realize they have spent years adapting to stress, instability, emotional unpredictability, or relational pain without fully recognizing the impact it has had on them.
Our Approach to Trauma Therapy
At Sawtelle Psychotherapy Group, our therapists understand that trauma is not simply a memory, but that the past is in the present. something that can reshape the nervous system, relationships, emotional patterns, and sense of self.
Using evidence-based trauma therapies, we help clients:
Feel more emotionally grounded and regulated
Reduce anxiety and nervous system hyperarousal
Improve distress tolerance during triggers
Rebuild self-trust and emotional clarity
Develop healthier boundaries and communication
Process grief, anger, shame, and fear
Stop organizing life entirely around emotional survival
Feel more present and connected in relationships
Our approach balances practical coping tools with deeper relational and emotional work — helping clients create meaningful, sustainable healing rather than simply “pushing through.”
Our therapists integrate evidence-based approaches including:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Therapy is collaborative and individualized. We tailor treatment to each client’s experiences, relationships, goals, and nervous system rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
We believe healing involves more than symptom reduction alone. We help clients rebuild self-trust, emotional flexibility, connection, and a stronger relationship with themselves.
Trauma Therapy in West Los Angeles & Throughout California
We provide in-person therapy in West Los Angeles near Sawtelle, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Culver City, and Century City.
We also offer virtual therapy across California, New York, Florida, and Vermont.
Our therapists work with adults navigating trauma, relationship trauma, betrayal trauma, institutional trauma, PTSD, attachment wounds, loved ones with personality disorders, emotionally immature parents and emotional overwhelm.
MEET THE TEAM
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Brooke Schwartz, LCSW
Founder & Therapist
Areas of expertise: perfectionism, anxiety, depression, first time in therapy, personality disorders, relationship and interpersonal challenges, and life transitions.
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Mitchell Hale, LCSW
Staff Therapist
Areas of expertise: LGBTQIA+ issues, trauma symptoms and PTSD, OCD, body dysmorphia, anger, anxiety, career changes, critical self-talk, and depression
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Sara Arpiarian, LCSW
Staff Therapist
Areas of expertise: anxiety, depression, relationship and interpersonal challenges, trauma, grief and loss, ADHD, adoption-related issues, parenting skills, and navigating life transitions.
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Sophie Elkins, MSW, ASW
Staff Therapist
Areas of expertise: teen and young adult mental health, anxiety, perfectionism, body image, life transitions, self-esteem, trauma, couples, relationship dynamics, and effective communication strategies.
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Kaitlin Christy, LMFT, APCC
Staff Therapist
Areas of expertise: child, teen, and young adult mental health, emotion dysregulation, anxiety (OCD, panic, phobias), depression, self-esteem, family dynamics, play & art therapy, parent-child work, impulse control, ADHD, and personality disorders.
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Trauma
What is betrayal trauma?
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Betrayal trauma is the emotional and psychological impact of having trust deeply ruptured in an important relationship. This can include infidelity, emotional abuse, manipulation, dishonesty, abandonment, or repeated violations of emotional safety.
Can betrayal trauma cause PTSD symptoms?
2
Absolutely. Betrayal trauma can contribute to symptoms commonly associated with PTSD, including hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, emotional dysregulation, panic, sleep disruption, and difficulty feeling safe in relationships.
What types of therapy help with trauma?
3
Evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, DBT, CBT, CPT, and ACT can help clients process trauma while improving emotional regulation and nervous system stability.
Can therapy help if I don’t know whether my experiences “count” as trauma?
4
Yes. Many people minimize their experiences because they compare themselves to others or don’t feel like they can tolerate the impact (emotional or external) of calling what happened “trauma.” Trauma is not simply the event itself, but the lasting emotional impact the experience had on your nervous system, relationships, and sense of safety. If the word “trauma” doesn’t resonate, we won’t try to convince you it should. Our job is to help you navigate the impact in whatever way is most effective and meaningful for you.
Can childhood experiences and emotional neglect cause trauma symptoms later in life?
5
Absolutely. Growing up without consistent emotional safety, attunement, validation, or support can affect the way people experience relationships, emotions, trust, self-worth, and stress later in life. Many adults struggling with anxiety, hypervigilance, people-pleasing, or emotional disconnection are responding to patterns that began much earlier than they realized.
What is relationship trauma?
6
Relationship trauma refers to the emotional and psychological impact of painful, unsafe, invalidating, or deeply distressing relationship experiences. This can develop through experiences like emotional abuse, betrayal, manipulation, abandonment, infidelity, chronic conflict, emotionally unpredictable caregivers, or repeated violations of trust and emotional safety. Relationship trauma can affect trust, self-worth, emotional safety, boundaries, and the way people experience closeness in relationships long after the experience itself is over. Therapy can help you process those experiences while rebuilding a stronger sense of safety, self-trust, and connection.
Start Trauma & Betrayal Trauma Therapy in Los Angeles
You do not have to keep navigating anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional overwhelm, or relationship wounds alone.
Therapy can help you process painful experiences, better understand your emotional patterns, rebuild trust in yourself, and create a stronger sense of safety and steadiness moving forward.
Schedule a Free Consultation
In-person therapy in West Los Angeles
Virtual therapy across California
Evidence-based and personalized care