Heart In Mind Therapy Blog

What is “relational trauma”?
Relational Trauma, Trauma Effects, Relationships, Trauma Gina Li Relational Trauma, Trauma Effects, Relationships, Trauma Gina Li

What is “relational trauma”?

“Relational trauma” refers to the toll that overwhelming, and devastating experiences within relationships, especially close relationships, can have on us.


In this blog post, I share several examples of experiences that can lead to relational trauma. I also share some of the signs and symptoms of relational trauma.

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What’s in a “healthy relationship”?
Relationships, Communication, Love Gina Li Relationships, Communication, Love Gina Li

What’s in a “healthy relationship”?

Undoubtedly, relationships/social connections can serve as powerful reminders that we are not alone when life gets rough. There’s an additional layer to this that is critical to consider and that is, whether or not the relationships/social connections we have and/or are seeking are healthy…In this blog post, I share 5 signs of a healthy relationship/social connection.

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Hi, I’m Gina. It’s an honor to meet you.

Gina Li, LCSW, Therapist in Bay Area, California

Gina Li, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)/ Therapist, California

I am a licensed mental health therapist based in the Bay Area, who specializes in helping young adults, Asian Americans, and caregivers throughout California, break the cycles of intergenerational and relational trauma so that they can live truly more fulfilling lives. This can look like being more gentle with ourselves and others, while also setting boundaries as needed. It can also look like gaining greater self-awareness and true confidence. In summary, this looks like learning how to stay grounded in who we genuinely are and who we genuinely want to be.

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I know from my work and personal life, some of the paradoxical experiences of trauma survivors/recovery. In this post, I share about the paradox in the experience of pain specifically and some explanations of why this paradoxical experience happens.
Awhile back, I shared an overview of the autonomic stress responses. One of the responses that's often easier to miss is the "freeze" response which refers to when we instinctively stay at a standstill/"frozen" out of shock/in att
In efforts to stay safe, one strategy our bodies and minds adopt is to seek the familiar. What's familiar to us is often more predictable; we know what to expect and therefore, also how to prepare ourselves to show up within that familiarity. What's
A continuation from my last posts about Mental Health Awareness and Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month of this year, 2024, here are some pictures of me throughout the years where I've struggled with clinical depression at different severity levels
Happy Mental Health Awareness and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! In this series of posts, I share some of my reflections on working with mostly AAPI folks as an Asian American therapist and as a "fellow traveler" (aka a f
In much of my work as a therapist, something that often comes up is how to balance empathy with boundaries. Sometimes...a lot of times, especially if we've grown up learning that our needs come after taking care of everyone else, we can become cond
There's a lot of talk around the importance of clear and direct communication, as part of fostering healthy relationships. *I know I've talked about it on here:) And...to be fair, practicing such communication can be so helpful in a relationship. It