Complex PTSD Therapy
With Dr. Trevor Alleman
The wounds behind complex PTSD often run deeper than traditional talk therapy can reach.
That’s why I use research-supported experiential and somatic therapy techniques to bring healing to the places that “talking it out” can’t touch.
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, chronic self-criticism, or unexplained physical symptoms getting in the way?
It is common to intellectually grasp the patterns holding you back, yet still feel unsafe in your body, unable to use your voice, and stuck in painful relationship dynamics.
That’s because the traumatized mind uses a variety of defense to keep certain feelings out of awareness, defenses that the thinking brain cannot disarm.
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 making room for the feelings that have been waiting years to be felt.
Together, we’ll bring compassionate attention to the conscious and unconscious defenses that once kept you safe but now hold you back. Then we’ll gradually strengthen your “feeling muscle,” so you can process what has gone unnamed until now.
Clients tell me they value this way of working because therapy finally feels like it’s going somewhere.
Approaches I Use
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ISTDP is an attachment-focused therapy model that 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, including those with treatment-resistant depression and unexplained physical ailments.
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Somatic techniques help people with complex PTSD gradually feel safe in their bodies. Getting into bodily sensations can also serve 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 minds and in the minds of others. This leads to better emotional regulation and more stable 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 yourself and learn to trust yourself—perhaps for the first time.
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 muscle to face what was once 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 small group training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) with Jon Frederickson
2-year internship in psychoanalytic therapy at 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.