Therapy for Sexual Trauma
Reconnect to your body. Release the shame that never should have been yours to begin with.
In-person in Waterbury, Vermont and Online across Maryland & Vermont
I work with adult (19+) survivors of sexual trauma who want to feel grounded in themselves again, but aren’t sure how to find their way back.
It’s not that you’re overreacting.
You’ve been holding something too heavy to bear alone.
Whether you’ve experienced a single incident or prolonged abuse, I offer a space where you can release the grief, untangle the confusion, and rebuild trust.
I have close to 10 years of experience working with people coping with histories of sexual assault and promise, you don’t need to protect me from what happened. I’m here to support you.
My clients are:
Artists | Musicians | Poets
Writers | Dancers | Singers
Therapists | Psychologists | Nurses
Theatre Performers | Actors
Creative Humans of all Walks of Life
Clients with Sexual Trauma
Come To Me When:
They are tired of the constant fear, vigilance, and sleepless nights
They want to feel embodied and alive again
Self-criticism runs high and fears of being “too much”
Irritability, anxiety, and panic run the show, they don’t recognize the person they’ve become
Emptiness now fills the space where emotion once lived
The memories and internal judgement continue to hijack their life, its become difficult to access coping strategies that work
They want a therapist who can truly understand their experiences and trust that they won’t be judged or dismissed
Somatic Trauma Therapy & Music-Centered approaches Help You Work Not Only With Your Brain… But Your Whole Being.
Maybe you’ve learned to keep the memories to yourself, manage your triggers quietly, or disconnect from your body when things feel like too much. Maybe you’ve become so accustomed to being on guard that you’re not sure what feeling safe is supposed to be like anymore.
Therapy is where you don’t have to minimize what happened, manage someone else’s emotions, or have the “right” words for your experience. We can face the fear, shame, embarrassment, and guilt together- beginning to heal what your mind and body have carried so you can find your way back to yourself.
My somatic, trauma-responsive, and creative approach helps you heal at the source- not just manage the symptoms. With the help of Music-centered approaches and neuro-experiential modalities, you won’t be required to say the words out loud… unless you feel it’s important.
Prolonged trauma isn’t just the moment the assault happened. It’s a result of the survival patterns, belief systems, and social-emotional experiences you’ve had throughout your life.
Together, we’ll uncover your deeply held beliefs and the patterns that shaped how you relate to yourself and the world around you. I’ll help you heal and re-build feeling more aligned, embodied, and compassionate towards yourself and the experiences you couldn’t control.
Frameworks We’ll Use In
Sexual Trauma Therapy
-
Strengthen emotion regulation and distress tolerance.
This body + mind approach helps you slow down and learn to work with your nervous system signals to understand and cope with intense emotions. Reducing urgency and reactivity so you feel more capable and grounded in daily life.
-
Listen deeply and learn to respond in realtime to your own needs.
While music speaks the language of our emotions and body, the imagery and memories it evokes are how we understand its message.
This creative, empowering, music-centered approach focuses on using your own creativity and relationship with music to help you build greater attunement to your inner resources. It was founded out of early research in psychedelic assisted treatments. The main concept is music can be used in the same way a drug can be, to help you have a deeply spiritual and transpersonal experience targeted at supporting you in meeting your own emotional needs. Healing moments of misattunement that have occurred in relationship to others.
-
Re-process trauma held in the body & mind.
This technique, born out of EMDR, is an experiential approach that works with your brain and body’s natural capacity to process and release what may still feel stuck- often reaching places that traditional talk therapy can’t. No need to find the perfect words, this focuses on your relationship with yourself and works through the neurological & biological systems connecting your field of vision to your limbic system.
-
Rebuild your relationship with yourself.
This approach helps you conceptualize your inner world as a system of parts. Helping you understand and work with your inner world to soften inner judgment and realign inside. Building grace, patience, and respect for the brain and body you have.
-
Understand how relationships shaped the way you relate to yourself and others.
We explore how early relationships, family dynamics, and experiences of connection or disconnection shaped your beliefs about who you are and how safe it feels to be fully yourself. Together, we’ll help you build more authentic, mutually supportive relationships.
-
Untangle your authentic-self from the expectations placed on you.
We explore cultural messages, power dynamics, and expectations around gender, success, creativity, and identity that have shaped the way you move through the world. Together, we’ll make space for your own values, desires, and definition of success.
-
Understand how early relationships shaped your sense of safety and connection.
We explore how your early experiences taught you what to expect from relationships and how those experiences may still influence the way you seek approval, navigate conflict, set boundaries, and respond to rejection. Together, we’ll create new experiences of safety, trust, and connection that allow you to relate to yourself and others with greater ease.
Therapy for Survivors of Sexual Trauma
With Results
After therapy with me, clients report:
Less shame or self-criticism
Calm and clarity, even in the face of triggering situations
Reduced vigilance and improved sleep
A sense of peace over what was
Feeling steadier in emotions and less overwhelmed by stress
Confidence in their decisions with no need for second-guessing
Relationships that feel easier to maintain without the insecurity and overwhelm that used to come with taking up more space
Fulfilled in their life, choices, responsibilities, and communities
They stop holding it all inside and start treating moments of vulnerability with compassion and care.
LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), LCMHC, & Nationally Board-Certified Music Therapist | she/her
Hi there.
I’m Alison Dagger, a therapist for creatives, performers, and healers in Maryland, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.
I believe that recovery from complex trauma, chronic anxiety, and imposter syndrome is possible - and that you are not defined by what happened to you, but by who you are.
I want to help you make peace with experiences of the past, reconnect with creativity, and feel more grounded, authentic, and fully yourself.
If you seek a calming, genuine, and kind presence to guide you on your healing journey, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome.
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
What makes me qualified to support you?
MA, Lesley University, Boston, Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Music Therapy
BA, Goucher College, Baltimore, Music Performance (Flute)
7+ years of experience as a trauma-focused, somatic, music therapist
Licensures
Trained in creative & embodied approaches to trauma recovery, including Brainspotting and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Ready to begin your healing journey?
1) Click here to view my availability & book your first session. A brief screener will help me begin getting to know you.
2) Once I approve your request, I’ll reach out via email to introduce myself and see if you have any questions. You will receive paperwork, to be completed at least 24 hours before the session.
If needed, I am happy to hop on a brief call to answer any questions.
3) We’ll meet for your first session. I’ll introduce myself, explain my approach, and ask you questions. We will build a care plan that reflects your top priorities.
Moving forward, both of us will commit to a consistent schedule with intention and purpose.