Trauma & difficult experiences
Difficult experiences can stay with us long after they’ve passed. You might feel tired, on edge, cut off from others, or as if part of you is always on alert. Sometimes it’s hard to name what happened, or to know whether it “counts” as trauma at all.
If you’ve been carrying painful experiences for a long time, reaching out can feel like a big step. You’re welcome here, whatever you’ve been through.
How therapy can help
I’m a trauma-informed practitioner, so you’ll always be in control of what we talk about and how quickly we go. You never have to retell painful memories or go over the past in detail unless you choose to.
Often the first focus is feeling steadier in the present: finding ways to settle your mind and body when things feel overwhelming. From there, in a calm, unhurried space, you can begin to make sense of what you’ve been carrying and rebuild trust in yourself.
Choosing how we work
There are three ways we can work together. You choose whichever feels right, and you can change your mind at any point: integrative work is flexible and built around your needs and wishes.
- Counselling on its own. A safe, steady relationship where you can talk about what feels manageable, when you’re ready. Where it helps, I’ll share what we know about how trauma affects the nervous system, and introduce simple mindfulness and grounding practices to help you feel steadier.
- Hypnotherapy on its own. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combines Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with guided relaxation in hypnosis. It focuses on the present and the future rather than the past, using positive suggestions to help calm the nervous system and support a greater sense of safety day to day.
- A mixture of both. For example, talking things through in counselling, with hypnotherapy sessions alongside or later on.
Not sure which to choose? We can talk it through on your free call.