Couples Therapy for Emotional Intensity & Relational Trauma

When love feels like a storm, you don't need to be fixed. You need to feel safe enough to stay.

Some people feel everything at full volume. One moment you feel deeply close. The next, a look, a tone, or a late text sets off a wave neither of you saw coming.

This isn't a character flaw. It's a nervous system that learned, early and often, that closeness and danger travel together. Here in Show Low and across Arizona, I help couples and individuals understand that wiring and build a relationship that can hold it.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Small moments turn into big fights, fast

  • You swing between "I can't lose you" and "I need space now"

  • Your partner walks on eggshells, or you do

  • You shut down, go numb, or disappear when things get intense

  • Fear of being left shows up even when nothing is wrong

  • Apologies happen, but the same cycle keeps coming back

  • You love each other, and you're both exhausted

How we work together

We slow the cycle down until you can both see it. Not who's right, but what's happening underneath: the fear of being abandoned, the urge to protect yourself, the body bracing for a hit that isn't coming anymore.

I work with the nervous system, not just the words. We practice noticing activation in real time, coming back down together, and repairing after a rupture instead of pretending it didn't happen. Partners learn what's actually being asked for in the heat of the moment, so they can respond instead of react.

I bring training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and the Gottman Method. I'm comfortable with emotional intensity. You won't scare me off.

What can change

  • Fights that end in repair instead of distance

  • A partner who understands your triggers without tiptoeing around you

  • More time in your body and less time bracing

  • A relationship that feels steady enough to rest in

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a diagnosis to work with you? No. We focus on what's happening in your relationship and your body, not on a label. Whatever you've been told about yourself, you're welcome here.

My partner's reactions are intense. Can I come on my own? Yes. I see partners individually when the other person isn't ready. You'll learn how to stay connected without losing yourself.

I already see an individual therapist. Can I still do couples work? Yes. Many of my clients do individual or skills-based work elsewhere and use our sessions for the relationship itself. The two fit well together.

Is this a treatment program? No. EROS is a private outpatient practice, not an agency, IOP, or crisis service. If you need a higher level of care, I'll help you find it. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Ready to stop surviving your relationship and start living in it? Book a free 10-minute consultation. You belong here.

Sessions online across Arizona and Missouri, and in person in Show Low, in the White Mountains.