Complex PTSD Therapy
With Dr. Trevor Alleman
The relational wounds behind complex PTSD often don’t respond to traditional talk therapy.
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy is an alternative therapy that can bring relief and clarity where other methods stall out.
Have you spent years trying to understand why you keep ending up in the same frustrating situations?
Do you have a sense of what’s affecting you from your past, yet still feel stuck?
Are toxic relationship patterns, a negative self-concept, or unexplained physical symptoms getting in the way?
Many people can recognize the patterns holding them back intellectually, but struggle to work through the underlying emotions. Others find themselves repeating painful relationship dynamics or unconsciously sabotaging their success.
Understanding the past is part of the work, but there’s usually a deeper wound that needs attention.
People Come to Me When
They’re repeating painful relationships
Self-sabotaging is a pattern
Anxiety continually seeps in
Self-doubt takes over
Ongoing unexplained physical symptoms
Change feels impossible
Complex PTSD Therapy With Me
Therapy with me isn’t about talking in circles. It’s about finding a way to face the feelings that have been locked away so that you can find genuine resolution and make peace with what you’ve been through.
I’m an active, engaged therapist, not a passive head nodder. Together, we’ll identify the defenses keeping you stuck and make sense of how they used to work to keep you safe. Then we’ll move toward actually processing the underlying feelings those defenses keep out of reach.
My approach is compassion-focused, goal-oriented, and direct. I balance empathy with healthy challenge when you need it. Clients tell me they appreciate this way of working, because it feels like therapy is actually going somewhere.
Approaches I Use
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ISTDP helps bring hidden emotional patterns into awareness, where they can be worked through in the safety of the therapy relationship. Research supports its use for people who haven’t found standard talk therapy effective.
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Somatic therapy techniques helps people with complex PTSD gradually feel safe in their bodies. Getting in tune with sensations in the body can also act as a gateway to unearthing buried emotions.
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This kind of therapy helps people become more skilled at understanding what is going on in their own mind and in the minds of others. This leads to more emotional regulation and better relationships.
“ Because Insight Alone
Won’t Change The Pattern”
You don’t have to keep relying on insight alone. Therapy with me is about processing underlying feelings, so you can make peace with your emotions around past relationships and learn to trust yourself.
After Working With Me, People Report:
Being less avoidant
More confidence
More ease setting boundaries
Trusting their gut
Breaking old patterns
Deeper, more meaningful relationships
Choosing better partners
Progress means more than understanding why a pattern exists. It means building the emotional capacity to face what was unfaceable.
“Working with me is about moving somewhere.”
About Dr. Trevor Alleman
Hi, I’m Dr. Trevor Alleman, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in Santa Barbara, California.
I’ve spent nearly two decades working in mental health, including 11 years as a private-practice psychotherapist. I want our work to develop your a sense of safety and connection with yourself.
My therapeutic style is direct, honest, and engaged. I’ll listen carefully, ask important questions, and challenge you when I believe it’s helpful. I take the relationship between therapist and client seriously, because meaningful change depends on embracing yourself more fully while working with someone you trust.
I was born and raised in Pasadena and now live in Santa Barbara with my wife, our two boys, and our husky mix, Pepper. Outside of work, I enjoy surfing, playing pickleball and drums, and catching live shows.
Availability: I provide in-person therapy in Santa Barbara, CA, and virtual therapy via telehealth for clients across California.
Education, Credentials, and Trainings
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from Fuller School of Psychology
Licensed Psychologist, California, PSY32530
250-hour training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
2 Year internship in psychoanalytic therapy from The Wright Institute LA
Advanced Level certification in Mentalization-Based Therapy
Postdoc at Westmont College Counseling Center
3 Steps to Get Started
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Reach out to tell me what’s bringing you to therapy and what you’d like to change.
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We’ll talk about what you’re looking for out of therapy and whether working together is a good fit.
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We’ll identify the main concerns you want to address and build a focused plan for your therapy.