Ready to finally break the cycle & heal deeper, faster?  SKIP THE WAITLIST! Accepting new clients for EMDR Intensives NOW.

I know you're  tired!

You're the FixerThe Overthinker.

The one holding it all together while falling apart inside.

You’ve carried it long enough. 

This is where you can finally put it down.

Jessica Brooks EMDR Certified therapist in Florida

EMDR & TRAUMA THERAPY for Adults in Cape Coral & Online across Florida 

Hi, I'm Jessica!

I know opening up to a stranger sounds about as fun as a root canal. You don’t need another therapist who just nods, you need someone who’s been through it. I don’t just rely on textbooks or clinical training.  I’ve sat in that client seat, exposed and unsure, trying to find words for pain I barely understood. It felt like being naked with my clothes on. Vulnerable AF and uncomfortable as hell. But it was worth every second. 

 

If your past looks like a minefield of trauma, emotional neglect, addiction, and/or chaotic family dynamics, let me be very clear, you’re not broken. You’re surviving.

 

And surviving is f*cking exhausting.

 

We’ll work together to get to the root so you can feel safe in yourself, trust your nervous system again, and stop bracing for impact to finally get you living on your own damn terms.

Therapy doesn't  have to suck!

And it definitely shouldn’t feel like one more thing to manage.

EMDRIA EMDR Certified therapy Florida

Trauma isn't just in your head, it’s in your body.

Here’s how Trauma Shows Up in Your Everyday Life:

  • Chronic tension and unexplained exhaustion
     

  • Gut issues or physical discomfort with no medical cause
     
  • Emotional numbness or zoning out
     
  • Constant urge to “escape” even when nothing’s wrong
     
  • Pushing through everything without asking for help because it feels safer to do it all yourself
  • Relationships that feel like walking on eggshells
     
  • Trouble sleeping even when you’re exhausted
     
  • Feeling "on edge" or jumpy for no obvious reason
     
  • Over-apologizing or shrinking yourself to avoid conflict
     
  • Struggling to make decisions because you're afraid of getting it wrong

This is your nervous system doing its best to keep you alive. But you deserve more than just surviving.

but You’re Done Pretending "You’re Fine".

 

You’re over all of it!  The spinning in circles. The constant overthinking. The emotional exhaustion.

You don’t need more surface-level talk therapy. You need trauma healing that actually works. 

The Real-Life Sh*t I Help Over-Achieving Adults Heal

Relationship Wounds

& Trauma:

 

If you find yourself dating the same person with a different face or stuck in a loop of WTF relationship moments, you’re not alone. You’ve been downplaying your trauma because someone else had it worse. But your story matters.

Low Self-Esteem &

Imposter Syndrome: 

 

You’ve been overachieving since childhood because productivity felt like the only way to prove your worth. Now you’re burnt out and still questioning whether you’re good enough.

Complex PTSD &

Attachment Trauma:

 

Your childhood was a mess. You became the parent too early and never got to be a kid. Now, you micromanage everything to avoid chaos. You’re not controlling. You’re scared. And that makes sense.

What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy and Why It Matters

Trauma-informed therapy means I don’t treat you like you’re broken, dramatic, or not trying hard enough. Your reactions, like shutting down, overthinking, people-pleasing, or staying too busy to feel, aren’t flaws or personality traits.

 

They’re survival skills your nervous system created to keep you safe.

 

This kind of therapy meets you where you are, works with your nervous system (not against it), and creates the emotional safety you need to finally release all that shit you’ve been carrying for way too long.

Break Free From What’s Keeping You Stuck

EMDR Therapy for Women

EMDR Therapy

Helps you reprocess trauma at the root, so you stop reacting from survival mode and finally feel grounded again.

Attachment healing in Florida

Parts Work & Attachment Healing

Helps you connect with your inner child, stop people-pleasing, and build real self-trust from the inside out.

Setting boundaries effectively in Cape Coral Florida

Emotional Survival Skills (CBT + DBT)

Gives you the tools to manage big emotions, set boundaries without guilt, and break the spiral before it takes over.

Nervous System regulation therapy in Cape Coral Florida

Nervous System Reset & Repair

Helps your body come down from burnout so you can feel calm, safe, and regulated without having to earn rest.

The Goal Isn’t Just  Survival. It’s Freedom!

Freedom to stop white-knuckling your way through the week.
Freedom to stop second-guessing your worth.
Freedom to feel grounded, clear, and in the driver seat of your own life.

 

That’s what this work is really about, helping you live life on your own damn terms.

 Clients often tell me they feel more seen, more challenged, and more supported than they ever have in past therapy. and that I "just get it" when it comes to how life and trauma can really jack up out mental health.  This isn’t slow-motion, polite healing, this is where they stopped circling their pain and started moving through it.

 

I am beyond honored to walk that path with them and honored you are here now.

woman ready for change and healing

Ready to Dive In?

I’m grateful you’re even considering letting me walk with you through this wild AF healing work. I do have a waitlist for weekly therapy just know I can not determine when a spot will become available. 

 

Right now, I’m ONLY accepting new clients for EMDR Therapy Intensives. deep, focused sessions for faster breakthroughs and real movement.

 

If an intensive isn’t the right fit, I get it. Check out Psychology Today, Headway, Alma, and Grow Therapy for other amazing providers. You can also browse My Therapists Peeps in SWFL  (please make note that I can’t reach out or vouch for specific approaches).

 

Wherever you start, just know:You deserve support. You deserve healing.  You deserve to feel like you again.

Join my E-mail Club

free therapy tools

The Email You Actually Wanna Open!

Therapy truths. Trauma healing. No fluff. No shame. Just real, raw feral AF insights to help you stop gaslighting yourself, quit overgiving, and get out of your own damn way.

Your nervous system will thank you.

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You're in! Super excited to have you in the Feral AF Email Club!

 

The Hyper-Independent Woman: 7 Signs You Might Be One

(and Why It’s Probably Trauma in a Trench Coat)

 

EMDR Therapist in SWFL, EMDR Intensives, Therapy Tips , Hyper Independent Women

 

 

You’ve heard it before “Wow, you’re so strong! You handle everything!"

 

 

 

And sure, on the surface, that sounds like a compliment. But let’s be real: being "The Strong One" isn’t a flex, it’s fucking exhausting.

 

If you’re the one who always has her shit together (or at least makes it look that way), refuses to ask for help, and would rather chew glass than depend on someone else, congrats! You might be a hyper-independent woman.

 

And before you tell me, “No, I just like doing things myself”, let’s break down what’s really happening here.

 

Spoiler: Hyper-independence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a trauma response. Somewhere along the way, life taught you that needing people wasn’t safe. So, you built walls, put yourself in charge of everything, and made “I got it” your default setting. Now, even when you’re drowning, asking for help still feels unnatural AF.

 

Sound familiar? Let’s talk about it.

 

 

 

 

 

7 Signs You Might Be a Hyper-Independent Woman

 

 

 

  1. You’d rather struggle alone than ask for help.
    Even when you’re overwhelmed, the thought of reaching out makes your skin crawl. Why? Because depending on people in the past didn’t go well, so now you avoid it like the plague.
     

  2. You hate feeling like a “burden.”
    The second you need something, you convince yourself you’re too much. But let’s be honest you’re the first to drop everything for others, yet somehow believe that no one should have to do the same for you. Make it make sense.
     

  3. You don’t trust people to do things “right.”
    Delegating? Hell no. Because if you want something done properly, you do it yourself. But deep down, it’s not just about control it’s about safety. If you rely on others, they might let you down. And you’ve had enough of that.
     
  4. You over-function in relationships.
    You’re the planner, the fixer, the emotional support system. You attract people who need you, but when it comes to your own needs? You keep that shit locked up tight.
     
  5. Rest makes you anxious AF.
    If you’re not being productive, your brain tells you you’re lazy or falling behind. You struggle to relax without guilt because you’ve been conditioned to believe that your worth is tied to how much you do.
     
  6. You have a hard time expressing your needs.
    Not because you don’t have them (spoiler: you do), but because you’ve spent so long convincing yourself you shouldn’t need anything. So instead, you push through, stay quiet, and keep handling shit on your own.
     
  7. You struggle to let people take care of you.
    Even when someone offers genuine support, your first instinct is to say, “No, I’m good.” But if you’re being honest? You’re fucking exhausted, and part of you wishes someone would just take the load off for once.

 

 

 

 

Why This Sh*t Happens

 

Hyper-independence doesn’t just happen. It’s learned usually from:

 

1. Childhood Trauma & Parentification

 

If you had to grow up too fast, whether it was taking care of younger siblings, managing the emotions of an unstable parent, or just learning that your needs didn’t matter. You likely became hyper-independent out of necessity. When no one else was reliable, you became your own caretaker. Now, as an adult, you struggle to let anyone else take on that role because you learned early that people can’t be trusted to take care of you.

 

 

2. Emotionally Unavailable or Neglectful Caregivers

 

If your emotional needs weren’t met as a child, you might have learned that being “needy” wasn’t an option. Maybe you were told to stop crying, to be “strong,” or that you were “too sensitive.” So, you adapted. You stopped showing vulnerability and became self-sufficient to avoid disappointment. Now, you can’t help but cringe at the thought of depending on anyone.

 

 

3. Toxic Relationships & Betrayal

 

Whether it was a manipulative partner, a shitty friend, or even a toxic workplace, repeated experiences of being let down, betrayed, or dismissed can reinforce the belief that no one has your back. So, instead of risking more hurt, you double down on self-reliance because at least that way, you can’t be disappointed again.

 

4. A Survival Mindset

 

Maybe life taught you, through hardship, that the only person you can really count on is yourself. If you grew up in instability, financial struggles, unsafe environments, or just constant chaos you might have wired your brain to operate in permanent survival mode. Asking for help feels like a weakness because, back then, you had to be strong just to make it through. The problem? That hypervigilance never turned off. Now, you’re still living like everything depends on you because at one point, it did.

 

At some point, you realized that relying on others led to disappointment, so you stopped doing it. Now, it’s your default mode, even when it’s hurting you more than helping you.

 

 

 

 

 

What You Can Do About It

 

Breaking out of hyper-independence isn’t about suddenly trusting everyone with your whole heart and soul (because lol, no). It’s about learning that safe, healthy support exists and you deserve it.

 

  • Start small. Let someone help you with one thing. Like carrying a bag, handling a task, offering emotional support. Notice the discomfort, but don’t shut it down.
     
  • Challenge your beliefs. When you feel like asking for help makes you weak, remind yourself: Needing support is human. I am human.
     
  • Heal the root of the wound. Hyper-independence is just a symptom. Therapy (hello, EMDR!) can help you process the past experiences that made you this way in the first place.
     
  • Practice receiving. Let yourself rest. Let yourself be supported. Let yourself exist without earning your worth through over-functioning.

 

 

Hyper-independence kept you safe once. It helped you survive. But you’re not just here to survive anymore, you’re here to heal, thrive, and actually enjoy life without carrying the whole damn world on your shoulders.

 

It’s okay to let people in. It’s okay to not do it all alone. And it’s okay to finally put down the weight you were never meant to carry by yourself. You’ve got this but you don’t have to have it all alone. EMDR Therapy Intensives are a great option to help you kick this shit to the curb and live your life on your own damn terms. Check out how here.