Trauma Therapy

Is Trauma Blighting Your Life?

Is your life plagued by nightmares, flashbacks or insomnia?

Do you feel dissociated or disconnected, like life is behind a veil or unreal?

Trauma and PTSD can shape your life in ways that aren’t always obvious at first. You might seem calm, steady or high-functioning from the outside, while on the inside you’re struggling with low self-esteem, shame or self-hatred.

Maybe you’re facing memory problems or lack of focus.

It could be that you feel constantly anxious or hypervigilant for any sign of danger.

You might be longing for a life that feels safe and nourishing, but you can’t imagine how that would ever be possible for you.

Trauma Casts A Long Shadow…

When people think of trauma, they often picture a single, catastrophic event. But trauma can come from childhood, from adulthood, from a difficult relationship, or from years of never really feeling safe. Many people carry wounds that come from a longer pattern of being dismissed, silenced, abandoned, manipulated, or violated.

Sometimes traumatic events can feel incredibly vivid and dominate your thoughts – this is particularly common in PTSD. Other times the trauma can seem vague or unreal. Your memories of it may feel quite confusing and fragmented.

The urge to avoid reminders of trauma can make your world smaller, avoiding people or places, shrinking back from life. Dissociation (the brain’s natural anaesthetic) can cause memory problems. High levels of ongoing stress can result in physical difficulties such as autoimmune issues. Sometimes, the desire to numb the internal pain can lead to struggles with addiction.

…But There Is A Safe Way Forwards

Whether your trauma is something you’ve known about for years or are just now beginning to recognise, you don’t have to carry it alone. And you don’t have to keep managing symptoms that spiralled outwards from it.

Therapy can help you incorporate new information or perspectives into your understanding of traumatic experiences. You can revisit the past, process it properly, and start to feel naturally calmer and more at ease. And if you have children, you can interrupt the inter-generational cycle of trauma, and become a better parent.

Whether you need to address a specific incident or a whole period of time in your life, professional trauma therapy can help you put that in the past. You can heal your deepest wounds, become more connected and present in your life, and start looking forward to the future.

Maybe You Still Have Some Questions About Trauma Therapy…

“I worry that trauma therapy will make me feel worse.”

You are right to be cautious – re-traumatisation is a real issue. But I have trained extensively in working safely with trauma. We’ll always move slowly and gently. We won’t talk about anything until you feel completely safe to do so. And some symptoms of PTSD can be completely resolved without you ever having to discuss the details of what happened.

However we approach things, we’ll make sure you don’t stay in the past any longer than necessary. We will just dip in and get whatever it is you need to move forwards. Professional trauma counselling can help you start to view yourself as a ‘survivor’, rather than a ‘victim’, of trauma.

“What happened is way back in the past – shouldn’t I be over it by now?”

This is one of the most common thoughts trauma survivors have. You may wonder if your pain is valid, especially if others had it ‘worse’, or if your trauma wasn’t life-threatening. But trauma isn’t about how dramatic the event was. It’s about the impact it had on you.

If trauma still affects how you feel, relate, think, or function day-to-day, you deserve support.

“I don’t want to be told I’m ‘broken’.”

I don’t believe that anyone is broken beyond repair. Wherever you are now is simply the result of your best efforts to deal with what happened to you. It’s just that old coping mechanisms can sometimes outlive their usefulness.

When we talk there will be no labelling, blaming, or rushing to leave things behind. I know that many trauma survivors have already been shamed or silenced. In our sessions I offer something radically different: safety, compassion, and real tools for healing.

“I haven’t told anyone about this… I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

It takes courage to open up about painful experiences, especially when you’ve kept them hidden for years… or you’ve been told to keep quiet. “I’ve never said this out loud before” is something I hear often. But I’ve found again and again that when people start to speak the truth of what happened, the weight begins to lift.

You don’t have to keep carrying this alone. With professional trauma therapy, this can be the time when healing starts.

Taking The Next Step

It’s common for people to try many times to address the symptoms of trauma (such as anxiety or addiction), without lasting success. That’s because trauma needs to be addressed at the root, in the way it’s held in the mind and body.

Not every therapist is equipped to deal with this. But I have completed comprehensive, specialist training with some of the world’s leading trauma experts. I am able to work safely and effectively to help you resolve all types of trauma and PTSD, including complex trauma, developmental trauma, dissociation, and DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder).

No matter what you’ve experienced or how acutely it’s affecting you, together we can find your path to peace and healing. Just contact me for further information or to book a first session together.

“I would never be at the place I am now if it were not for Sarah and our sessions.”

Feedback from a client