Chula Vista Counseling

Chula Vista Counseling Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #113176. I help people overcome trauma, depression and anxiety.

In honor of AYA Cancer Awareness Week, I’ve been reflecting on my own experience with cancer as a young adult.I didn’t k...
04/08/2026

In honor of AYA Cancer Awareness Week, I’ve been reflecting on my own experience with cancer as a young adult.

I didn’t know I had cancer until after the surgery removed it.

From the outside, everything looked “fine.” The outcome was good. The surgery was successful.

But emotionally, it was much more complex than that.

There was no time to prepare. No space to process. Just a quiet realization that something significant had happened to me.

As a grief and trauma therapist in San Diego, I now work with many individuals who have gone through similar medical experiences. One of the most common things I see is how often the emotional impact is overlooked, especially when the outcome is positive.

If you’ve experienced cancer, surgery, or a major medical diagnosis, it’s okay if your emotions don’t match the “good news.”

You can feel grateful and still feel shaken.
You can feel relieved and still feel grief.

Both can be true.

If this resonates, I wrote more about this experience and the emotional side of healing after cancer in a recent blog post (link in my bio).

04/07/2026

This week is . AYA stands for “adolescent and young adult.” I am an , having been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer at 29. I had a partial Thyroidectomy in 2010 and later a total Thyroidectomy (removal of my thyroid gland) in 2013 when I had a reoccurrence. As a and in San Diego, I want to highlight and normalize the emotional side of having a cancer diagnosis.

I recently write a blog post about my personal experience being diagnosed with cancer and what I wish some had told me about the emotional aspects that come along with it. Check it out through the 🔗 in my bio and let me know what you think and if it resonates with your experience as well.

Surviving cancer does not always mean the emotional impact is over.You can feel grateful and still feel anxious.You can ...
03/05/2026

Surviving cancer does not always mean the emotional impact is over.

You can feel grateful and still feel anxious.
You can be in remission and still feel on edge.
You can be “done” with treatment and still feel changed in ways that are hard to explain.

Many cancer survivors experience scan anxiety (aka "Scanxiety"), body mistrust, grief, or a lingering sense of vulnerability long after treatment ends. These reactions are not weakness. They are often signs of medical trauma stored in the nervous system.

As a trauma therapist in San Diego, I work with individuals navigating the emotional aftermath of cancer. Healing is not about forcing positivity. It is about helping your body feel safer in the present.

If this resonates, you are not alone.

You can read more through the link in my bio.

You don’t have to remember something for it to affect you.Early illness.Surgery as a baby.A congenital condition.Repeate...
03/02/2026

You don’t have to remember something for it to affect you.

Early illness.
Surgery as a baby.
A congenital condition.
Repeated hospital visits.

Even if you don’t consciously remember, your body might.

Many adults struggle with anxiety, medical fear, or body mistrust without realizing early medical trauma could be part of the story. The nervous system stores experience through sensation, not just memory.

As a trauma therapist in San Diego, I help adults understand how early medical experiences shape stress responses later in life. When your reactions make sense, self-judgment softens.

You are not overreacting. Your body adapted to survive.

If this resonates, you can check out this blog post through the link in my bio.

NEW ON THE BLOG: No one talks about the grief that comes after illness or surgery.You survived.The procedure went well.T...
02/28/2026

NEW ON THE BLOG: No one talks about the grief that comes after illness or surgery.

You survived.
The procedure went well.
The treatment worked.

So why do you still feel sad… anxious… changed?

Grief after medical experiences is real. You might miss the body you once trusted. The energy you once had. The version of yourself that existed before everything shifted.

Grief does not require a worst-case outcome. It only requires that something meaningful changed.

As a trauma therapist in San Diego, I work with adults who feel confused or ashamed about this kind of grief. You are not ungrateful. You are adjusting to loss.

If this resonates, you are not alone.

Read more through the link in my bio.

02/27/2026

If you felt “fine” during treatment but anxious afterward, this might be why.

The body doesn’t process trauma on a set schedule that makes sense socially.

It processes it when it finally feels safe enough to do so.

You’re not behind.
You’re not weak.
You’re responding exactly the way your nervous system was designed to respond.

If this resonated with you, check out my blog series on this topic of medical trauma.

Medical trauma is often invisible.You can be told the treatment was successful, the surgery went well, the scans are cle...
02/26/2026

Medical trauma is often invisible.

You can be told the treatment was successful, the surgery went well, the scans are clear — and still feel anxious, disconnected, or unsettled months later.

That doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful.
It doesn’t mean you’re dramatic.
It means your nervous system experienced something overwhelming.

Trauma isn’t defined by outcomes.
It’s defined by impact.

If your body still feels on high alert long after the crisis is over, you’re not alone — and healing is possible.

Check out my latest blog post on this topic (link in bio) to learn more.

Save this if it resonates.
Share with someone who may need to hear it.

If this resonated, I invite you to:💙 Share this with someone who needs it💙 Save it for later reflection💙 Hold compassion...
02/13/2026

If this resonated, I invite you to:

💙 Share this with someone who needs it
💙 Save it for later reflection
💙 Hold compassion for your own body’s story

1 in 100 is a statistic.

But it’s also a thousand untold stories.

Thank you for letting me share mine.

One of the most meaningful parts of my healing journey has been learning that the body can update its story.With the rig...
02/12/2026

One of the most meaningful parts of my healing journey has been learning that the body can update its story.

With the right support, we can help the nervous system recognize that the danger has passed.

That safety is possible now.
That support exists now.
That we’re not alone.

CHD awareness includes hope for realistic healing, transformation, and restoration!

If you were born with CHD — or love someone who was — this is for you:You’re not weak for being impacted.You’re not dram...
02/11/2026

If you were born with CHD — or love someone who was — this is for you:

You’re not weak for being impacted.
You’re not dramatic for needing support.
You’re not “behind” for still processing something that happened long ago.

Survival doesn’t cancel out the nervous system’s experience.

Your story deserves care — at every stage of life.

I didn’t become a trauma therapist in Chula Vista despite my medical history.I became one because of it.Experiencing how...
02/11/2026

I didn’t become a trauma therapist in Chula Vista despite my medical history.

I became one because of it.

Experiencing how trauma can live quietly in the body — and how healing is possible — shaped how I listen, how I sit with pain, and how I hold space for others.

My work is rooted in the belief that:
• You’re not broken
• Your reactions make sense
• Healing doesn’t mean erasing the past

CHD awareness isn’t just about survival.
It’s about quality of life — emotionally, too.

Did you know trauma can exist without memory?Our nervous systems develop before language.That means early medical proced...
02/10/2026

Did you know trauma can exist without memory?

Our nervous systems develop before language.
That means early medical procedures can shape how we experience safety, stress, and connection later in life — even if we “don’t remember.”

For me, understanding this was both sobering and relieving.

It explained panic symptoms I couldn’t logically account for.
It gave compassion to reactions I once felt ashamed of.

Awareness leads to understanding.
Understanding makes room for healing.

Address

680 Old Telegraph Canyon Road
Chula Vista, CA
91910

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Website

http://christygarcialmft.com/

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