Everybody holds the innate ability to heal.
Healing is possible.
Lasting change is possible.
Online trauma-informed, Somatic Therapy for individuals, couples and families across California.
Meet Supraja Vijay, AMFT, SEP
You might be arriving here with a sense that something isn’t quite right.
Maybe you’ve been pushing through, showing up for everyone, doing all the “right” things, yet inside, it still feels like something’s missing. I see you.
Stress isn't just in the mind. It's carried in the body, in the nervous system, even if you don't know where it started.
You may look like you're holding it all together, but inside, it can feel like a different story.
Therapy for high-functioning anxiety, chronic stress, people-pleasing, and low self-worth
You may be a driven, high-achieving adult juggling career, relationships, and constant responsibilities, and still feel:
Anxious or on edge
Overwhelmed and exhausted
Disconnected, despite having “everything”
Like you're never doing enough
Many of my clients identify with what's often called high-functioning anxiety. They appear composed, successful, and capable on the outside, but deep within, they feel restless, or deeply unsettled. This inner tension can be exhausting, especially when there is added pressure to keep achieving and showing up for others.
What You May Be Experiencing
The inner pressure to “do more” or “be better” often comes from deeper emotional wounds or early experiences where love or safety felt conditional. Over time, this can show up as:
Burnout
Difficulty setting boundaries or saying 'no' when you need to
People-pleasing
Perfectionism
Disconnection
A quiet sense that something essential is missing
A fractured sense of self
The belief: "I'm not good enough."
Chronic health issues or chronic pain
Understanding Survival Responses and Trauma
When we experience chronic stress or overwhelming emotional experiences (what can be called as trauma), we can get stuck in survival responses like fight, flight, freeze, or shut down.
These patterns often show up in ways that seem unrelated at first. For example: you may find yourself snapping at a loved one, feeling exhausted and unmotivated despite getting rest, staying constantly busy to avoid emotions, prioritising productivity over rest, avoiding conflict or intimacy, or feeling numb and disconnected from yourself or others.
These are not flaws. They are protective strategies your nervous system learned to keep you safe.
You are not alone. And it does not have to feel this hard.
It is possible to create a life that feels more meaningful, connected, and fulfilling, from the inside out.
A Different Path Forward: My Therapy Approach
Attachment-based, integrative somatic trauma therapy offers a new way. I support you in truly listening to your body’s story, your lived experience, unspoken wounds, unmet needs, and emotional imprints that may still be held in your nervous system.
Even if your mind can't fully make sense of your feelings, your body remembers.
In our work together, we’ll gently explore the roots of your survival patterns so you can begin to feel:
More at ease in your body, instead of constantly on edge or stuck in survival mode
More fulfilled in who you are, rather than who you were told you should be
More connected to your emotions, your needs, and your relationships
Liberated and empowered to live in a way that feels true to who you really are
At the heart of healing is safety and connection, and attachment shapes how we experience both.
I bring an attachment-based, trauma-focused lens to therapy, drawing from experiential approaches like Somatic Experiencing (SE), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Expressive Arts, and Mindfulness-based practices, all while honoring the deep connection between mind, body, and spirit.
These modalities help us go beyond talking about your pain, toward gently connecting with what your body, emotions, and subconscious mind have been holding onto over time.
We’ll explore how early relationships and life experiences may have shaped your sense of self, your survival patterns, and how you show up in the world today. With tools like IFS, we compassionately meet the parts of you that carry pain, fear, shame, or protective roles (like the inner critic, perfectionist, or people-pleaser), so they no longer have to carry that weight alone.
Clients often describe me as warm, grounded, and deeply attuned. I bring a calming presence and a collaborative, holistic approach that invites curiosity, connection, and healing at every level: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. I meet you where you are on your personal journey, honoring your beliefs and experiences with openness in a non-judgmental space.
My Journey and Passion
Born and raised in India before moving to the US, I understand what it’s like to navigate life across cultures and explore identity on a deep level. I know how much identity, race, and culture shape the way we see ourselves and how safe we feel in the world. These parts of our story matter in the healing process.
My cultural heritage and upbringing in India deeply influence my approach to healing. I carry with me a profound respect for ancestral wisdom, the importance of listening to the body, and the spiritual strength many of us grow up with. I honor and respect all parts of you on your healing journey, regardless of your culture or beliefs.
My lived experience helps me show up with nuance and compassion for clients who are exploring identity, belonging, navigating major life transitions or relational dynamics, especially in multi-cultural environments.
Whether you're an immigrant, second-generation American, a woman, or someone carrying the weight of generational or cultural expectations while wondering who you truly are underneath layers of social conditioning, I see you.
Before Becoming a Therapist, I spent years in the corporate world, which helps me relate to clients navigating burnout, high-functioning anxiety, stress-related challenges and self-worth struggles that don’t always show on the outside. My own self-discovery path eventually brought me to somatic work: first as a client, then as a coach and Reiki Master, and now as a clinician.
I am multilingual and speak Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi, apart from English.
Outside the therapy space, I enjoy spending time in nature, listening to soulful music, watching regional Indian movies, and exploring my creativity. These simple joys nourish my spirit and help keep me grounded. I’ve always been passionate about all things art and culture.
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy | Touro University Worldwide (TUW)
Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) / MBA | Myra School of Business
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in California | Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
Certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (3-year advanced trauma training)
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Externship | International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)
Certified Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) Provider | Unyte
Uncover Hidden Trauma: Transgenerational Healing Approaches | Dr. Diane Poole Heller, Dr. Peter Levine, Efu Nyaki
Developmental Trauma Course | Dr. Raja Selvam
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate | The Embody Lab
Healing Trauma Workshop with Dr. Peter Levine | The Embody Lab
My Training & Education
Why This Work Matters to Me
For a long time, the societal message I got was that I had to think my way out of my emotions. Feelings were often dismissed or invalidated with phrases like:
“Calm down.” “Don’t worry.” “Forget about it.”
As a woman raised between cultures, I struggled to find my authentic self. I carried the expectations about who I should be based on my gender and background.
Like many of you coming into this work, I tried journaling, self-help books, life coaching, and self-healing practices, but something was still missing.
It wasn’t until I began connecting with my mind, body, and spirit that I experienced deep transformation.
I learned that trauma and stress aren’t just in our thoughts. We can’t think our way out of stress, anxiety or emotional pain.
True healing happens when we go deeper than talk, gently exploring the root of old survival patterns in a safe, non-judgmental space where you feel truly seen and supported.
This is the power of co-regulation: when another nervous system helps holds space and support ours.
We are wired for connection. We heal in relationship, not in isolation.
I know the healing power of being truly seen and heard.
And I’m honored to offer that kind of presence to others.
That’s why this work means so much to me.
I’ve lived it. I’ve felt its impact.
And I’m here to walk beside you on your own healing journey.
