Birth Trauma Therapy

Helping You Heal After a Traumatic Birth Experience

Birth trauma affects approximately one-third of women, leaving lasting emotional and psychological wounds that can impact wellbeing, relationships, and the parenting journey. At Thriving California, we provide specialized birth trauma therapy exclusively through secure telehealth and in-person services throughout California to help you process your traumatic birth experience and find a path to recovery.

What is Birth Trauma?

Birth trauma refers to psychological distress resulting from childbirth experiences. Even births that appear medically routine can be experienced as traumatic when a mother feels unsafe, unheard, or out of control. Many women report experiencing their childbirth as traumatic, with approximately 25-34% describing their birth experience as disempowering or distressing.

Common causes of birth trauma include:

  • Loss of control during the birthing process

  • Unplanned medical interventions, including emergency c-sections

  • Fear for both the mother and baby's safety

  • Poor communication from healthcare providers

  • Previous trauma being triggered by the birth experience

The impact of birth trauma extends far beyond the immediate postpartum period, potentially affecting parent-infant bonding, family relationships, and maternal mental health for years to come.

Signs and Symptoms of Birth Trauma

Recognizing the symptoms of birth trauma is the first step toward healing. While each person's experience is unique, common symptoms include

Emotional and Psychological Symptoms

  • Intrusive thoughts or memories about the traumatic birth

  • Nightmares and flashbacks

  • Avoidance of conversations, places, or people that trigger memories

  • Health anxiety about your baby, including excessive worry about normal development or minor health issues

  • Hypervigilance and excessive worry about your baby

  • Feelings of failure or guilt about the birth

  • Emotional numbness or disconnection from your baby

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms

Physical Symptoms

  • Sleep disturbances, even when the baby is sleeping

  • Being easily startled by sudden movements or sounds

  • Chronic tension and physical discomfort

  • Difficulty with physical affection or intimacy

  • Fatigue beyond typical new parent exhaustion

Without appropriate treatment, these symptoms can evolve into longer-term conditions such as postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, or chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, significantly impacting quality of life for both mother and family.

Our Birth Trauma Therapy Approach

At Thriving California, we understand the profound impact of birth trauma and offer evidence-based therapeutic approaches specifically designed to help you process your experience and reduce trauma symptoms. Our therapists are specially trained in birth trauma therapy and create a safe, compassionate environment for your healing journey—all from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Somatic Resourcing

Somatic resourcing is a body-centered approach that helps you process birth trauma by reconnecting with your physical self in a safe, supportive way. This therapeutic technique includes:

  • Developing awareness of body sensations related to the traumatic birth

  • Building a repertoire of positive physical resources to counter traumatic activation

  • Learning to recognize and regulate your nervous system responses

  • Creating physical grounding techniques to manage overwhelming emotions

  • Restoring a sense of safety and control within your body

Somatic resourcing recognizes that trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind. By working with bodily sensations and responses, this approach helps release trapped trauma energy and restore a sense of wholeness and integration. This is particularly effective for birth trauma, which involves both physical and emotional experiences.

Bilateral Stimulation

Bilateral stimulation is a powerful technique that facilitates the processing of traumatic memories by engaging both hemispheres of the brain. This approach includes:

  • Alternating stimulation of the right and left sides of the body while processing traumatic birth memories

  • Using rhythmic movements, sounds, or visual tracking to facilitate neural integration

  • Reducing the emotional intensity of traumatic memories while maintaining the important learnings

  • Creating new neural pathways that allow for more adaptive responses

  • Integrating fragmented aspects of the traumatic experience into a coherent narrative

Bilateral stimulation helps the brain process traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge while maintaining important learnings. This technique has been adapted specifically for telehealth delivery, allowing us to guide you through effective trauma processing from the comfort of your home.

Specialized Birth Trauma Support

Recovering from birth trauma often requires tailored support that addresses the unique challenges of this experience. We offer several specialized telehealth services:

Individual Counseling

One-on-one therapy provides a confidential space to process your birth trauma with a trained professional who specializes in maternal mental health. Individual counseling for birth trauma includes:

  • Creating a coherent narrative of your traumatic birth experience

  • Learning to manage overwhelming emotions

  • Processing grief and loss related to birth expectations

  • Examining how the experience has affected your identity

  • Considering approaches to potential future pregnancies

Our therapists create a safe, non-judgmental environment for this important healing work, available both through secure video sessions and in-person appointments. Birth trauma therapy isn't just for those who gave birth—partners, fathers, and others who witnessed a traumatic birth can also benefit greatly from this specialized treatment.

Couples Therapy

Birth trauma can significantly impact your relationship, particularly if your partner was present during the birth. Our telehealth couples therapy focuses on:

  • Improving communication about needs and feelings related to the traumatic birth

  • Helping your partner understand your experience

  • Rebuilding intimacy and connection

  • Developing collaborative parenting approaches that accommodate trauma symptoms

  • Making decisions about future family planning together

Many couples find that addressing birth trauma together strengthens their relationship and creates a foundation of mutual support. Our virtual format allows both partners to participate from home, though you may still need childcare arrangements to ensure uninterrupted session time.

Starting Birth Trauma Therapy with Thriving California

Beginning therapy for birth trauma takes courage. Here's what to expect when you start your telehealth healing journey with us:

1. Initial Consultation

Your first virtual session involves:

  • Sharing details about your traumatic birth experience and current symptoms

  • Discussing your therapy goals

  • Learning about potential therapeutic approaches

  • Addressing practical questions about telehealth therapy

  • Determining if our approach is a good fit for your needs

We prioritize creating a supportive environment from your very first interaction with us, even in the virtual space.

2. Ongoing Therapy Sessions

During your telehealth therapy journey, we'll help you:

  • Process traumatic memories in a safe, supported way

  • Develop effective coping strategies

  • Address relationship and parenting challenges related to birth trauma

  • Rebuild your sense of self and confidence

  • Integrate your experience into your broader life narrative

Throughout this typically brief process of 3-6 sessions, we continuously assess progress and adjust approaches as needed to ensure you're moving toward healing. Our birth trauma treatment is designed to be focused and effective, providing relief in a relatively short timeframe.

Additional Support for Birth Trauma Recovery

While therapy forms the foundation of birth trauma recovery, several additional strategies can support your healing process:

Building a Support Network

Strong social support is crucial for overcoming birth trauma. We help you:

  • Identify supportive people in your life

  • Communicate your needs effectively

  • Connect with others who have experienced birth trauma

  • Find online communities focused on birth trauma recovery

Having people who understand and validate your experience significantly enhances the healing process.

Self-Care Practices

Self-care is essential for birth trauma recovery. We work with you to develop realistic self-care practices that fit into your life as a parent:

  • Physical self-care routines that respect your postpartum body

  • Emotional regulation techniques

  • Setting healthy boundaries

  • Finding moments for activities that bring joy

  • Practicing self-compassion

These practices complement the work we do in therapy and support your overall wellbeing during recovery.

Why Choose Thriving California for Telehealth Birth Trauma Therapy

Our approach to birth trauma therapy is distinguished by:

Specialized Expertise

Our therapists have specific training in somatic resourcing, bilateral stimulation, and perinatal mental health, ensuring you receive expert care throughout your recovery journey. We understand the unique challenges of birth trauma and provide targeted approaches to address these specific concerns.


Personalized Care

We recognize that every birth experience is unique, and trauma manifests differently for each person. Our treatment approaches are tailored to your individual needs, circumstances, and goals rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution.


Comprehensive Support

We address all aspects of birth trauma recovery:

  • Processing the traumatic event itself

  • Managing current symptoms

  • Rebuilding relationships

  • Enhancing parenting confidence

  • Preparing for potential future pregnancies

Accessible Telehealth Services

Our specialized birth trauma therapy is currently offered by our lead trauma specialist and is accessible to clients throughout California via telehealth, including those in Napa, Lafayette, Thousand Oaks, and everywhere in between. As this specialized treatment grows, we plan to expand availability within our practice. Virtual therapy offers unique advantages for new parents:

  • No travel time or transportation concerns

  • Therapy from the comfort and privacy of your home

  • Easier integration with unpredictable newborn schedules

  • Continued care even during illness or inclement weather

Our secure, HIPAA-compliant platform ensures your privacy while providing seamless connection with your therapist.

Begin Your Healing Journey Today

If you're experiencing symptoms of birth trauma, know that you're not alone, and effective treatment is available. Birth trauma therapy can help you process your traumatic birth experience, reduce symptoms, and reclaim your sense of wellbeing.

At Thriving California, we offer a safe, supportive telehealth environment to begin your healing journey. While we cannot erase your difficult birth experience, together we can work toward processing it, reducing its impact on your daily life, and helping you overcome birth trauma with greater peace and strength.

Contact us today to learn more about our telehealth birth trauma therapy services available throughout California. Your path to healing starts with one brave step.

 FAQs

  • Birth trauma refers to psychological distress resulting from childbirth experiences. It can occur even when births appear medically routine and may develop immediately or emerge weeks or months later. The experience is highly individual, influenced by personal history, support systems, and expectations.

  • Common signs include intrusive thoughts about the birth, nightmares, flashbacks, avoiding birth-related topics, excessive worry about your baby, emotional numbness, and feeling disconnected from your baby or partner. If these symptoms persist beyond a few weeks postpartum or significantly impact your functioning, professional support is recommended.

  • The length of therapy varies based on individual circumstances, the severity of symptoms, and the type of treatment. Some women experience significant improvement within 3-6 sessions, while others benefit from longer-term support. We work with you to determine the approach that best meets your needs.

  • Somatic resourcing helps you reconnect with your body in a positive way after trauma, addressing the physical aspects of birth trauma that are stored in the body. Bilateral stimulation facilitates the processing of traumatic memories by engaging both hemispheres of the brain, reducing the emotional intensity of these memories. Together, these approaches address both the physical and psychological aspects of birth trauma.

  • You'll need a device with internet access, a camera, and a microphone (most smartphones, tablets, and computers have these built-in). We'll provide instructions for accessing our secure platform, which requires no special software downloads. We recommend finding a quiet, private space for sessions where you feel comfortable speaking openly.

  • One of the advantages of telehealth is the flexibility it offers for parents of young children. Many parents really enjoy being able to fully drop in to the experience and that might mean finding childcare. Many parents prefer having childcare so they can fully be present. But if that's not an option, having a baby there is fine too. Our therapists understand the realities of new parenthood and can work with you to accommodate your baby's needs during sessions.