Trauma Therapy – £80 – 60 minutes
Trauma can affect so much more than just our memories of what happened to us. It can alter how we see ourselves and our identity, how safe we feel in the world, how we relate to other people and even how we experience our own bodies.
I work with adults who have experienced trauma, including sexual trauma, abuse, neglect and other overwhelming or distressing experiences. Sometimes people come to sessions knowing exactly what they want to work through. Sometimes they know that something isn’t right, but aren’t sure how to explain it. I am not easily shocked and can provide you with a solid foundation to make sense of your experiences.
Trauma therapy is not about forcing you to talk about things before you’re ready to. For some, the first part of the process is having somewhere safe to begin exploring their past.
You may also experience thoughts such as:
‘Other people have been through worse‘
‘It happened years ago, so why am I still affected?’
‘I don’t have flashbacks, so this can’t be trauma‘
‘I don’t even know what’s wrong with me‘
But trauma cannot be neatly defined in a box – if you are finding life difficult to cope with, it may be that you have experienced trauma and would benefit from trauma therapy.
I have experience supporting with issues such as:
- trauma and complex trauma
- sexual abuse and sexual trauma
- dissociation
- anger and outbursts
- shame and self-blame
- attachment issues/difficulties with trust and relationships
- feeling disconnected from yourself or your body
- intrusive memories, nightmares or overwhelming emotions
- feeling constantly on alert
- difficulties with intimacy and sexuality following trauma
- suicidal thoughts/feelings of hopelessness
What is trauma?
A trauma can be defined as a single experience or enduring event which overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. Traumatic events can shatter your sense of safety and belonging and leave you feeling hopeless, helpless and powerless. The more frightened a person feels, the more likely that they will experience an event as traumatic.
There are a range of emotional responses a person may feel following/during trauma and these are considered to be normal reactions to abnormal life events. Emotions such as shock, fear, denial, feeling numb, confused and having difficulty concentrating are common. Guilt, self-blame and shame are also frequently reported as well as anger, irritability and mood swings.
Some people also experience physical symptoms following a trauma with insomnia, nightmares, decreased appetite, fatigue, muscle pain, agitation and feeling unable to relax.
Trauma can also affect relationships
Trust, intimacy, communication, sex, boundaries, emotional regulation, conflict and feeling safe with another person can all be affected by previous experiences. If you believe that trauma is impacting your relationship, you may benefit from couples therapy sessions.
“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Lyndsey Adderley MBACP - Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Trauma Therapist 