Trauma

“Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you. Trauma is that scarring that makes you less flexible, more rigid, less feeling and more defended." Dr. Gabor Mate.

Major traumatic experiences can result in PTSD symptoms and dissociative experiences, having a severe impact on the individual's life and relationships. EMDR and trauma-focused CBT are the treatments of choice for PTSD and are very effective in alleviating such distress and disturbances. Traumatic experiences that I work with may include sexual or physical assault, childhood abuse, life-threatening experiences, road traffic accidents, severe illness and medical conditions, traumatic surgical procedures, traumatic grief, loss, childbirth trauma and perinatal loss.

Not all traumatic experiences result in PTSD symptoms, yet, they can have significant and long-lasting impact on how the individual relates to themselves and others, and how they process their own emotions. Depression and anxiety is often the result of a series of distressing experiences that have gone on over a long period of time, without the opportunity for repair. Such experiences can happen throughout childhood whilst the brain is still developing.

Developmental or attachment trauma refers to situations when a child's emotional, physical, or social needs, are consistently neglected or unmet. Sometimes, these experiences go unnoticed or dismissed as not important. Such experiences in early life can interfere with normal emotional development and result in a negative sense of self and difficulties regulating and managing difficult feelings. Trauma-focused therapy, attachment-focused EMDR in particular, can be very effective in helping the individual acknowledge these experiences, and repair the  emotions, negative beliefs and unhelpful responses that lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and relationship issues.