Trauma

Trauma is not only what happened. It is what the nervous system learned in order to survive it — and how those lessons keep operating long after the danger has passed.

That is why trauma responses can feel disproportionate from the outside and entirely logical from the inside. They were once accurate. Therapy works on updating them, carefully and at a pace you set.

What this can look like

• Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
• Feeling constantly on guard, or startling easily
• Numbness, or a sense of watching yourself from outside
• Avoiding reminders — places, people, conversations
• Difficulty trusting, or difficulty feeling safe in closeness
• Shame or self-blame that is not proportionate to what happened

Adults with a history of childhood sexual abuse

Many adults carry this for decades before speaking about it, sometimes never having told anyone. There is no requirement to give a full account, and no pressure to begin anywhere in particular. You decide what is said and when.

How we work

Stabilisation comes first — DBT skills for managing distress, so the work does not overwhelm the person doing it. Mindfulness-based approaches help with staying present. Family Systems Therapy can be relevant where the trauma happened inside a family system. Pacing is always yours to set.