Trauma, PTSD & Complex PTSD
What brings you to therapy?
You might notice:
Memories or nightmares that intrude on your day or interrupt your sleep.
Feeling on guard, anticipating danger, or struggling to relax even when you are safe.
Avoiding people, places, conversations, or feelings connected to what happened.
Feeling numb, detached, or absent from your own life.
Shame, self-blame, or difficulty trusting people and expressing what you need.
For some people, these difficulties follow a particular event. For others, they developed over years. You do not need a PTSD diagnosis to seek support.
When difficult expereinces began early
Growing up with abuse, neglect, or unpredictable care can affect how you feel about yourself and what you expect from other people. You may struggle to express your needs, feel responsible for others’ emotions, or find closeness both comforting and frightening. Shame or a sense that something is wrong with you may be difficult to shake.
You might recognise your experience as complex trauma or have received a diagnosis of complex PTSD (CPTSD). You might simply know that your childhood is still affecting you. We can begin there, without requiring you to have a name for it.
How I work
We begin with what is troubling you now and what you would like to change. I’m interested in understanding how your experiences may be affecting your emotions, physical responses, relationships, and view of yourself.
My work draws on EMDR Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Ego State Therapy, and an understanding of attachment. Together, we consider what fits your needs and how you respond as we go. You do not need to choose a treatment approach before we meet.
You also do not have to tell your whole story at the beginning. We make room to build trust, find ways to manage overwhelming responses, and discuss whether and when to work directly with difficult memories. Your feedback helps guide the pace.
What we might work towards
Your goals might include:
Fewer intrusive memories and less disruption to sleep.
Feeling more present and recovering more easily after reminders of what happened.
Being able to do things you have been avoiding.
Less self-blame and more confidence in your needs, boundaries, and relationships.
We will identify what meaningful change would look like in your daily life and revisit those goals together.