FAQs

You never have to talk about anything you're not ready to talk about.

Trauma therapy isn't about immediately revisiting difficult memories. We focus on building understanding, safety and support first, and only approach difficult experiences if and when it feels right for you.

We always work at a pace that feels manageable, and therapy can still be effective even if you don't want to talk in detail about what happened.

This is a common concern and one of the reasons many people put off seeking support for years.

Trauma therapy isn't about forcing you to relive painful experiences or talk about things before you're ready. We begin by building safety, understanding what's happening for you, and finding ways to help you feel more supported.

You remain in control of what you share, and therapy moves at a pace that feels manageable for you. The aim is not to overwhelm you, but to help you process difficult experiences safely and gradually.

This is more common than many people realise. Some people experience vivid memories or flashbacks, while others have very few memories at all. Therapy can help you understand and work with the impact trauma is having on your life regardless of how much you remember.

Many people minimise their experiences or compare themselves to others, wondering whether what happened to them was "bad enough" to have affected them.

The impact of an experience is often more important than the experience itself. If something continues to affect how you think, feel, relate to others or move through the world, it is worth exploring.

No. Many people who seek trauma therapy have never received a formal diagnosis.

You may simply know that life hasn't felt quite right since an experience, find yourself constantly on edge, struggle with confidence or relationships, or notice that certain memories or situations affect you more strongly than you'd like. You don't need a diagnosis for therapy to be helpful.

Yes. Whilst flashbacks and nightmares are common responses to trauma, not everyone experiences them.

Trauma can affect people in many different ways. You may find yourself constantly on edge, avoiding certain situations, struggling to switch off, feeling emotionally overwhelmed or simply noticing that life hasn't felt the same since what happened.

Some people seek trauma therapy because they keep replaying the event in their mind. Others come because their confidence, relationships, sense of safety or ability to enjoy life have been affected.

You don't need to experience flashbacks or nightmares for trauma therapy to be helpful. What's most important is whether the experience continues to affect your life today.

Trauma can affect the way the mind and body respond to threat. Even when the danger has passed, the nervous system may continue to react as though there is still something to protect you from.

You might know logically that you're safe, yet still find yourself feeling constantly on edge, scanning for danger, struggling to relax or reacting strongly to certain situations.

These reactions aren't a sign that you're weak or failing to move on. Often, they're a sign that your nervous system is still responding to something that felt overwhelming or unsafe.

Therapy can help you understand these reactions, process what happened, and gradually help your mind and body feel safer in the present.

After trauma, the brain can become highly sensitive to reminders of past danger. Sometimes these reminders are obvious, whilst at other times they can be subtle and difficult to identify.

A sound, smell, tone of voice, situation or even a feeling can trigger a strong emotional or physical reaction. You might be left wondering why something affected you so much when nobody else seemed to notice it.

These reactions aren't a sign that you're overreacting. Often, they're a sign that your nervous system has linked something in the present to a past experience.

Yes. Some people experience a sense of numbness, detachment or disconnection following trauma.

You might feel as though you're watching life happen from a distance, struggle to connect with your emotions, or feel disconnected from your body and surroundings. Sometimes this can be a way of coping with experiences that felt overwhelming or too much to process at the time.

Whilst these experiences can feel unsettling, they are more common than many people realise and can be gently explored in therapy.

That's okay. Many people find that when they try to talk about traumatic experiences, their mind goes blank, they struggle to find words, feel disconnected or notice they want to avoid the conversation altogether.

If this happens, we don't force our way through it. We slow down, pay attention to what's happening in the moment and work at a pace that feels manageable for you. These reactions are common after trauma, and part of my role is helping you work with them safely.

You don't have to push yourself to talk about anything before you're ready. Therapy moves at your pace, and we work together to help you feel safe enough to explore difficult experiences.

Trauma isn't measured by how long ago something happened. When an experience feels overwhelming, the mind and body don't always process it in the usual way. As a result, reminders, emotions, physical sensations or certain situations can continue to trigger reactions long after the event itself has ended.

It isn't a sign of weakness or that you're failing to move on. Often, it's a sign that part of you is still trying to make sense of something that felt too much at the time.

Yes. Early experiences can continue to affect the way we respond to stress, relationships and the world around us. Some people notice this through anxiety, strong emotional reactions, difficulties feeling safe, or finding that certain experiences continue to affect them long after they happened.

No. You never have to talk about anything you're not ready to talk about.

Whilst our early experiences can sometimes influence how we think, feel, relate to others and respond to challenges in the present, therapy can still be effective without focusing heavily on childhood. Together, we will focus on what feels most helpful and relevant to you.

Yes. I work with adults affected by repeated or long-term trauma, such as childhood abuse, domestic abuse or growing up in an environment that didn’t feel safe. This is sometimes described as complex PTSD.

With complex trauma, we always start by building steadiness and resources, so you feel more grounded before we begin working with difficult memories. This preparation may take a little longer, and that’s okay. Alongside EMDR, I may draw on parts work to help make sense of why different parts of you react the way they do.

We’ll go at a pace that feels right for you, and you’ll always be in control of what we work on and how much you share.