“It’s Not Just in Your Head”: Dr. Tracy King on PMDD, Trauma & Holistic Healing

Dr. Tracy King is a clinical psychologist with a unique integrative approach. She blends evidence-based clinical work with somatic and spiritual practices to help women with trauma, neurodivergence, and hormonal conditions like PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). In this conversation, she shares how her work honors the body, mind, and nervous system.

A Dual Lens

“I work holistically with people who resonate with that,” Tracy explains. “But I’m also rooted in evidence-based models, especially when working as an expert witness or through insurance referrals.” Her toolkit includes talking therapies, somatic work, yoga, meditation, EMDR, clinical hypnosis, and nervous system regulation. The goal? Helping clients understand how their nervous systems are responding to the world and learning to expand their “window of tolerance” so they can function with more ease.

The Mountain MethodTM

To support clients with PMDD, Tracy developed the Mountain MethodTM, a model based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. “We start with the physical level: basic needs like sleep, nutrition, and understanding what’s happening in the body,” she says.

With PMDD, that means tracking symptoms and gently reconnecting with sensations many have learned to ignore. Tracy integrates Ayurvedic concepts like doshas to assess imbalances in the system. “We then look at nervous system patterns—are they stuck in fight or flight, or shutting down altogether?”

Blending Science and Spirituality

Tracy is careful not to impose holistic practices on clients who don’t want them. “If someone only wants evidence-based therapy, that’s what we do,” she says. “But often, people come to me because they’ve tried CBT or talk therapy and it didn’t help. That’s when we can explore yoga, meditation, nutrition, even energy healing...if that’s something they’re open to.”

Even in court, when challenged about these “alternative” methods, Tracy stands firm. “I explain that we begin with science and only layer in other approaches to help people move forward when they’re stuck. That blend hasn’t clashed clinically, because it’s always person-led.”

Why PMDD Is Still So Misunderstood

“PMDD isn’t just a severe form of PMS,” Tracy stresses. “It’s a serious neurobiological sensitivity to normal hormonal changes.” This can result in intense behavioral shifts, rage, impulsivity, or deep shutdown, often misunderstood as mood disorders or personality flaws.

“Even in forensic cases, I always ask about menstrual cycles,” she says. “Most legal assessments don’t. But patterns often emerge when you look for them.” PMDD, she adds, is often minimized by both patients and professionals, since symptoms resolve temporarily after menstruation begins.

Trauma’s Hidden Role

According to Tracy, trauma and PMDD often co-exist and compound each other. “Trauma affects how the nervous system responds to stress. So when PMDD flares, the body’s already primed for overreaction.”

She also believes PMDD itself can be traumatic. “Women feel overtaken by something they can’t control. They act out of character—sometimes aggressively—and feel deep shame afterward. That’s ego-dystonic behavior: it doesn’t align with who they are. And that creates another layer of trauma. It's a vicious cycle.”

Neurodivergence & PMDD

Tracy often works with clients who are both neurodivergent and dealing with PMDD, particularly those with ADHD. “Estrogen affects dopamine. When estrogen drops before a period, dopamine does too, and that worsens ADHD symptoms. So you get stacked emotional dysregulation.”

She’s seen PMDD magnify everyday struggles. One client couldn’t wear clothes during her PMDD phase because of sensory overload. Another lost jobs or clashed with colleagues due to unpredictable mood changes. “It’s intense. And without understanding the hormonal link, people just feel broken.”

High Performers, High Pressure, and Hormonal Chaos

Many of Tracy’s clients are actors, athletes, or corporate professionals. “In these high-pressure settings, the anxiety about PMDD often becomes worse than the symptoms themselves,” she says.

Sometimes, people opt out of auditions or jobs for fear of how they’ll perform. Others try to push through while hiding the toll it takes. Tracy helps them rewrite that narrative: “Once they explain PMDD to others, their anxiety lowers and their nervous systems calm. That alone reduces symptoms.”

The Ideal Support System

If Tracy could design the perfect PMDD support system, it would be multidisciplinary. “We need menstrual health clinics, staffed with GPs, therapists, dietitians, yoga instructors, all working together,” she says. “And we need healthcare providers trained to ask the right questions. Don’t wait for women to self-diagnose.”

She applauds the rising visibility of perimenopause but says PMDD needs the same focus. “Let’s create environments where women don’t feel ashamed or dismissed. Let’s put hormonal health front and center.”

Finding Voice, Claiming Power

Helene, the interviewer, reflects on how isolating PMDD can feel. “None of the women around me relate. It would mean so much to just talk to others going through the same things.”

Tracy agrees. “Community matters. Education matters. And having practitioners who listen—that’s where healing begins.”

This is the heart of Tracy King’s work: making space for women to feel seen and heard.

Check out Dr. Tracy's PMDD workbook here and visit her website for more information.