Trauma isn't only what happened to you — it's what your mind and body learned in order to get through it. Therapy is where that learning can gently be updated, at your pace, with someone alongside you.
Trauma is any experience that overwhelmed your capacity to cope at the time — a single frightening event, or something quieter and longer-lasting, like growing up without the safety or attunement you needed. You don't need a diagnosis, or a story that sounds "bad enough", for your experience to count.
Feelings that arrive suddenly and strongly — or a flatness where feelings should be.
Difficulty trusting, fear of being let down, closeness that feels risky.
Shame, self-blame, or a persistent feeling of being somehow at fault.
A body that stays on alert — scanning, braced, struggling to rest.
Steering around people, places or feelings that might bring it all back.
Memories, images or nightmares that intrude when you haven't asked for them.
When difficult experiences happen early — neglect, unpredictability, criticism, loss — they shape a developing nervous system and become the template for later life. Many adults I work with wouldn't call their childhood "traumatic"; they just know something keeps repeating. Understanding those early patterns, compassionately rather than blamefully, is often where change begins.
Much trauma is relational — it happened in relationships, and it shows up in relationships. Trust, conflict, closeness, the fear of being abandoned or engulfed: these are places where old experiences speak loudest. This is a particular focus of my work, and it's also why the therapeutic relationship itself matters so much — it's where something different can be experienced, not just discussed.
There's no single method for trauma, because there's no single way of carrying it. I integrate approaches — including EMDR, CBT and systemic thinking — around you: first building safety and stability, then processing what needs processing, always at a pace your nervous system can manage.
Online sessions work well for trauma therapy — many people find it easier to approach difficult material from a place that already feels safe. We'll think together about whether it's the right format for you.
Yes. The evidence and my experience both support online trauma work. We'll make sure you have a private, comfortable space for sessions, and we always build stability before approaching difficult material.
Yes — online EMDR is well established and effective. There's more on the EMDR page.
It varies — a single-event trauma may need a relatively short piece of work; longer-standing, developmental trauma usually takes longer. We'll review together regularly, and you stay in charge of the pace.
No. You don't need a diagnosis of PTSD — or any diagnosis — to benefit. If your experiences are affecting your life, that's reason enough.
Send a short enquiry — the introductory call is free and carries no obligation.