trauma
Psychological or emotional trauma can arise from any experience that is overwhelmingly distressing, leaving you feeling isolated, powerless, or unsafe. Trauma doesn’t always involve physical harm—any situation that deeply disrupts your sense of security or well-being can be traumatic.
Emotional trauma may stem from a wide range of experiences, such as bullying, bereavement, divorce, physical injury or illness, the loss of a relationship, significant humiliation, or medical procedures. It can also result from living in an unsafe or unstable environment, witnessing accidents, experiencing natural disasters, terrorism, moving to a new location, separation from a parent, or witnessing violence. Additionally, forms of abuse—such as grooming, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and neglect—are significant sources of emotional trauma. Each of these experiences can have lasting effects on a person’s emotional health and sense of safety.
symptoms of trauma
While everyone responds to trauma in their own way, there are common symptoms you might experience after a traumatic event.
Emotional symptoms can include anxiety, panic attacks, a sense of losing control, guilt, irritability, anger, resentment, despair, hopelessness, emotional numbness, or withdrawal from daily routines and social interactions, leading to feelings of isolation.
Physical symptoms might manifest as exhaustion, disrupted eating habits, digestive issues, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, or chronic pain.
Cognitive symptoms often involve memory lapses, difficulty making decisions, trouble concentrating, or feeling constantly distracted.
Coping mechanisms like self-harm, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and compulsive actions can emerge as ways to manage overwhelming emotions.
For some, these symptoms may take weeks, months, or even years to surface. For others, different symptoms may arise at various stages of the healing process.
Because everyone reacts to trauma differently, it’s important to avoid comparing your responses to others', even if they experienced the same event. Seeking help when you need it can offer the support necessary to work through these challenges and move forward in your life.
how I can help
Trauma focussed therapy involves building up a relationship of trust and building up resources to help you cope with symptoms. We may, for example, explore triggers and tools for managing panic attacks. For some people, targeting specific traumas may be beneficial. We may choose to use EMDR (Eye movement, Desensitisation and Reprocessing) to aid recovery. EMDR is recommended by mental health authorities such as NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and by the World Health Organisation for treatment of trauma symptoms.
One of the most important aspects of trauma therapy is that you feel as safe as you can. That's why we will take therapy at a pace that feels right for you.