TRAUMA & STRESS

I help trauma survivors get control over their symptoms so that they can feel safe and reclaim their lives.

 
 

You feel overwhelmed and your body seems outside of your control.

Your symptoms stop you from doing ordinary things, and you avoid certain places because you’re frightened of a panic attack.

At other times you feel numb and zone out for periods of time. It’s scary because you can’t predict it. Your mind goes blank and you can’t think or talk. In worse cases, you don’t know how you got somewhere. Read more on dissociation here.

You may be scared or angry with someone in your family, at work or in your friendship group. You want to be in a relationship, but for some reason it’s frightening.

 

“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” Asked the boy. “Help” said the horse. “Asking for help isn’t giving up” said the horse”. “It’s refusing to give up”

(Mackesy, C. 2019, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse)

 

Psychotherapy will help you to:

  • Feel safer in your body and in relationships

  • Understand and untangle your triggers, so that they don’t happen as often

  • Learn about the brain and the nervous system’s response to trauma

  • Build a safe, containing space for you to process the emotions trapped in your body

  • Put the brakes on flashbacks, uncontrollable emotions and gain back control

  • Help your body and mind to separate out what is happening now from what happened then

  • Decrease symptoms, so you can rest properly and get better sleep

  • Decrease somatic symptoms that may be linked to chronic stress, such as IBS, UC, Chronic Fatigue, or Migraines

  • Piece together what happened to you, so that you can form a coherent narrative

  • Process the trauma/s so they stay in the past and free you up to live in the here and now

START YOUR JOURNEY TO ACHIEVE THE LIFE THAT YOU WANT

If you can relate and feel ready to work with a therapist, book your free 15-minute telephone consultation to talk about how I can help you.

FAQs

 

  • Trauma is an event where you felt your life was threatened. Single event trauma can be things like sexual assault or an earthquake. You felt overwhelmed emotionally and alone with the experience. Your body responded to the life threat by going into one of the following biological states: fight-flight, fawn, freeze, or collapse.

    Often our capacity to manage and recover from a one off traumatic event is dependent on our psychological and emotional character. How able we are to talk about our feelings and feel supported, how safe we generally feel in the world, and how resilient we are.

    If PTSD symptoms persist for longer than three months, you will need treatment.

  • Complex post traumatic stress disorder is the result of prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences, with a sense of there being no escape. For example, psychological or physical abuse or neglect by your parents, as you grew up.

    It’s possible you may not be able to identify a specific traumatic event. In developmental trauma, it can be a series of small things. For example, constant criticism, denial, neglect, or repeated misattunements, that add up to a traumatic experience.

    Read about the difference between single episode trauma and developmental trauma in my blog here.

  • The work is always done at your own pace. The first priority is to help you feel safe in the therapy room and then to help you to stabilise and manage your symptoms.

    Once this phase is reached, we can work on creating a coherent narrative to understand what happened to you, and address the traumatic emotions and fragments of memory that may be stuck in your body and mind, causing you symptoms.

    We will explore unconscious dynamics, looking at how your past experiences shape the way you are now, within yourself, and in your relationships.

  • Initial assessment consultation:
    60-90 minutes
    £150 Romsey (Hampshire)
    £160 Wandsworth (London)

    Therapy sessions:
    50-60 minutes
    £100 Romsey (Hampshire)
    £110 Wandsworth (London)

    If you require a reduced fee, please ask about my availability.

    I review fees annually at the end of the financial year, and may increase fees in line with inflation.

 

For more information on other therapy specialisms see

Anxiety & Perfectionism | Depression & Stuckness | Self-esteem & Relationships

IF THERAPY IS NOT FOR YOU JUST NOW

My mission is to help people thrive rather than just survive, whether it be through 1:1 sessions or by sharing information to help you on your journey from where you are.

Take a look at my free educational content on my blog to help you to feel more confident about how to navigate your mental health and self-care.