Welcome to Yogi Counseling!

At Yogi Counseling, we specialize in supporting people navigating the complexities of Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), grief, religious abuse, political trauma, spiritual exploration, ADHD/Autism/AuDHD in highly sensitive people, and the deep inner work of healing.

What is C-PTSD and Why Does it Matter?

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) continues to have little representation in the mental health literature, including lack of diagnostic representation in the DSM-5. However, the ICD-11 recognizes C-PTSD as a distinct diagnosis separate from traditional PTSD. At Yogi Counseling, we understand that C-PTSD underlies many other clinical diagnoses and reflects the profound impact of chronic, relational, and developmental trauma.

We offer an integrated, phase-based approach to complex trauma care grounded in the most recent guidelines from the American Psychological Association for treating complex trauma, which you can read more about here!

We also recognize that, for conditions not better explained by Complex PTSD, neurodivergence is often playing a role. We offer neurodiversity-affirming support for highly sensitive adults navigating recent diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, or both (AuDHD), or who suspect these may be a factor in their lived experiences and want a supportive environment to further explore this possibility.

Our Phase-Based Approach to Treatment has Four Stages:

• Phase 1: Grounding and Stabilization: in this stage, we focus on preparing the nervous system for deeper therapeutic (or trauma) work. We use:

  • Mindfulness practices to build awareness of triggers and body responses to trauma

  • Somatic interventions to support embodiment, reduce dissociation, and expand distress tolerance

  • Coping skills rooted in ritual and somatic practices for grounding, and integration.

• Phase 2: Parts Work and Early Coherence : this is where we begin to parse out various aspects of yourself to begin to build self-coherence with the following approaches.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) parts work, a gentle and empowering method to connect the wounded inner parts to facilitate integration of the self

• Phase 3: Trauma Reprocessing: this is where we engage with any core trauma material (or deeply upsetting experiences from the past that continue to cause distress) using the following approaches:

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to reprocess trauma memories. (Note*** this requires a nervous system that is sufficiently stabilized). We are careful not to rush the process. Many with C-PTSD struggle with EMDR because of lack of adequate stabilization at phase one. We make sure you are ready for the big work. If you do not tolerate EMDR, IFS parts work is also very effective and less triggering in this phase.

• Phase 4: Integration: this is where we focus on meaning-making, reintegration, embodiment, and posttraumatic growth. Here, we support you in

  • reconnecting with your authentic self

  • Exploring your values and future direction

  • Embracing post-traumatic growth and wholeness

This phase-based approach honors the body’s wisdom, supports your unique nervous system, and respects the nonlinear nature of healing.

Grief and Bereavement

Grief and bereavement can be deeply traumatic and its severity can often go unacknowledged in mental health spaces. Grief can also overlap with PTSD as it is deeply painful and sometimes avoided, causing cyclic triggers of the loss that sustain suffering.

Religious Abuse & Political Trauma

• Religious abuse and spiritual betrayal can shatter identity, dignity, and purpose - sometimes costing individuals their communities, sense of self, and safety. We work with individuals who are deconstructing or recovering from fundamentalist religions, spiritual cults, or authoritarian belief systems, helping them reclaim their sense of truth and agency.

• Political trauma is currently on the rise, especially for minoritized communities, and can contribute to collective and chronic distress and PTSD. This includes the dehumanization of historically marginalized identities such as the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and those from the global majority.

High Sensitivity/High Empathy and Neurodivergence

• Autism

  • For many people, being described as "highly sensitive" or an "empath" has finally provided language for a lifetime of feeling emotions deeply, becoming overwhelmed by sensory input, or absorbing the emotional experiences of others. For some, however, these traits may reflect more than personality and instead represent an autistic neurotype that has gone unrecognized, particularly in adults, women, and those who are high masking due to social conditioning. If you have struggled with anxiety or depression that never fully explained your experience, frequently felt "too much and not enough," become overwhelmed by social interaction despite craving connection, or felt chronically misunderstood, autism may be worth exploring.

• ADHD

  • For many adults, especially highly sensitive people, ADHD can go unrecognized because it often presents as chronic anxiety, overthinking, perfectionism, emotional overwhelm, or difficulty focusing rather than obvious hyperactivity. Many have spent years feeling scattered, mentally exhausted, forgetful, constantly juggling competing thoughts, becoming overwhelmed by too many demands, struggling with organization and time management, or feeling paralyzed by simple tasks. As a result, many are diagnosed with anxiety or depression, yet these symptoms may be secondary to lifelong executive functioning differences.

• AuDHD

  • For many highly sensitive people, the combination of autism and ADHD (AuDHD) creates a unique pattern that can be even more difficult to recognize than either neurotype alone. The autistic need for structure, predictability, and routine often exists alongside the ADHD drive for novelty, spontaneity, and stimulation, creating an exhausting internal push-pull that can feel confusing or contradictory. Likewise, each neurotype may partially mask the other: ADHD can make an autistic person become more socially spontaneous than their sensory processing system may prefer. In contrast, autism can compensate for ADHD through routines, perfectionism, anxiety, and intense effort, allowing many sensitive people to function well enough that neither neurotype is recognized. This combination of intense effort and sensory processing overwhelm can lead to burnout, and is frequently misdiagnosed as anxiety, depression, perfectionism, personality disorders, or complex trauma, particularly in women and highly sensitive people who have learned to camouflage their differences and prioritize the needs of others over their own. If you feel simultaneously overwhelmed yet under-stimulated, crave connection yet require significant solitude, excel in areas of deep interest while struggling with everyday tasks, and spend years feeling fundamentally misunderstood, AuDHD may explain your core experiences.

Spiritual Integration

We are also passionate about working with people from diverse spiritual, philosophical, or contemplative backgrounds who seek healing that honors their worldview, not one that pathologizes it. Historically, the field of mental health has had a narrow scope, viewing human suffering as a personal problem - a disorder to be diagnosed and eradicated. This approach can be shaming for people when the suffering continues despite treatment. At this point, many people give up on mental health services or turn to other options.

In their search, a lot of people gravitate toward various spiritual, philosophical, or personal meaning-making systems as a way to seek relief from suffering, such as yoga, meditation, or other contemplative practices. Others turn to psychedelics for answers. The goal of these practices is typically to develop joy, find peace - or experience transcendence - and a deeper sense of what it means to be human.

While people often report finding both comfort and insight from these various approaches, many also benefit from additional support as they traverse uncharted territory and confront deeper personal truths. This inner journey can be both incredibly profound and deeply destabilizing - often defying Western logic and traditional psychological models. Here, we honor your search for transcendence, joy, peace, and wholeness - and offer integrative support for navigating the liminal spaces between personal growth, existential questioning, and spiritual awakening. Here, there is space for the numinous.

A Non-Pathologizing Approach to Suffering and Meaning

At Yogi Counseling, we offer mental health services deeply rooted in - and affirming of - spiritual and contemplative practices. Our approach is non-pathologizing and grounded in a sense of curiosity that situates the client as the expert on their own internal knowing. Our goal is to support your personal journey to the most profound parts of the human experience.

A Dedication to Social Justice

Finally, we stand firmly in our commitment to equity, dignity, and the inherent worth of every person. We recognize that trauma does not occur in a vacuum, it is shaped by systems of oppression, historical harm, and intergenerational wounds. Healing must take these realities into account. We provide care that is anti-racist, LGBTQ+ affirming, neurodiversity affirming, and accessible to people across varying identities, cultures, abilities, immigration statuses, and belief systems. In a climate of increasing hostility toward historically minoritized communities, we affirm that silence is complicity —and we choose to speak. For more on this topic, please read our social justice statement.

Ready to Learn More?

We invite you to explore our services, meet our providers, or read about what to expect from counseling by clicking on the links above. We support you on your journey —wherever you are, and wherever you’re headed.