Online Trauma Therapy for Adults Across the UK
Specialist Support for the Impact of Trauma
Understanding Trauma
People often think trauma is about what happened. In many ways, it is about what happens afterwards.
It may have been weeks, months or even years, yet something still doesn’t feel right. You may be constantly on edge, exhausted by overthinking or unable to relax in the way you once could. Perhaps your confidence has disappeared, your patience is shorter, or you have started avoiding people, places or situations without really knowing why. Some people are troubled by memories, nightmares or flashbacks. For others, the change is harder to define; they simply realise that life has become smaller than it once was.
Trauma can affect anyone. One of the things I hear most often is, “I don’t know why I’m like this.” People can become frustrated with themselves for feeling anxious, angry, withdrawn or more emotional than they used to be. They tell themselves they should be coping better, particularly when the event itself is long over.
Yet our responses to difficult experiences do not always end when the experience does. What happened can alter how safe we feel, what we expect from other people and how we respond to situations that would once have felt ordinary. Reactions that seem confusing now often make much more sense when we understand what you have been through and how you learned to cope with it.
Trauma therapy is partly about making sense of those responses, but it is also about helping your mind and body recognise that what happened then does not have to continue shaping how you live now.
Examples of Potentially Traumatic Experiences Include
- Accidents, sudden injuries or medical procedures
- Physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse
- Neglect, abandonment or emotional deprivation
- Bereavement or other significant loss
- Bullying, harassment or discrimination
- Serious illness or frightening medical experiences
- Witnessing violence, serious injury or death
- War, conflict or natural disasters
- Repeated exposure to distressing or traumatic events through work
Experiences affect people differently. Something does not have to look traumatic from the outside to have had a lasting impact on you.
Common Trauma Responses
Re-experiencing: Memories of what happened can sometimes feel as though they intrude into the present. This might include unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks or strong physical reactions to reminders of the experience.
Avoidance: You may find yourself avoiding people, places, conversations or situations that remind you of what happened. Sometimes avoidance is less obvious and shows up as keeping busy, shutting down emotionally or trying not to think or talk about the experience.
Changes in how you think and feel: Trauma can affect how you see yourself, other people and the world around you. You may struggle with guilt or shame, feel disconnected from people you care about, lose confidence in yourself or find it harder to feel safe and trust others.
Feeling constantly on alert: Your mind and body may continue to behave as though danger could return. You might feel watchful or easily startled, struggle to relax or sleep, become more irritable, or notice that your concentration and patience are not what they used to be.
You may recognise several of these responses, only one or two, or experience the effects of trauma in ways that are harder to put into words.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
Trauma therapy is not about making you relive everything that has happened. We begin with where you are now and work at a pace that feels manageable. Although therapy is different for everyone, the work often involves three overlapping areas.
Feeling Safer and More Steady
- Understanding what happens when you feel overwhelmed, triggered or on high alert
- Finding ways to feel more grounded and able to manage difficult reactions
- Building enough safety and trust for us to approach more difficult experiences when you are ready
Making Sense of What Happened
- Exploring difficult experiences when you feel ready to do so
- Understanding how what happened has affected the way you feel, think and respond now
- Working with memories, emotions and beliefs that may still carry the weight of what happened
Moving Forward
- Beginning to feel less defined or restricted by what you have been through
- Reconnecting with yourself, your relationships and the parts of life that matter to you
- Finding greater freedom in how you respond, what you choose and how you want to live now
Taking the Next Step
Trauma can leave you feeling as though life has been divided into before and after. Even when what happened is over, its effects can continue to shape how safe you feel, how you relate to others and how much freedom you have in your everyday life.
Recovery does not mean forgetting what happened or returning to exactly who you were before. It means reaching a point where the experience no longer has the same hold over you, leaving more room for the life you want to be living now.
If you would like to explore whether trauma therapy with me might be right for you, you are welcome to get in touch.
Get in Touch
If you would like to arrange an initial therapy session or enquire about clinical supervision, please contact me.
Your information will be treated confidentially and handled in accordance with GDPR requirements.