We generally associate the word Trauma with abuse, violence and neglect or as the outcome of events like war either as a victim or from serving in the military or any other experiences where something happens to you, or you witness something that's distressing and hard to process. But for many of us Trauma can be the result of what ‘didn’t happen’ as we were developing and growing.
We may have had childhoods where we had a home, two parents, holidays and our practical needs were met, but what we didn't have was support, compassion and encouragement and someone we could go to and talk to when we had emotions that couldn’t manage or understand. When our emotional needs are not met as babies and children it can lead to us becoming adults with with low self esteem, lack of worth and issues with our confidence and struggle to understand why we feel the way we do and this is rooted in the belief that ‘nothing really bad happened to me’.
Gabor Mate says “All of the diagnoses that you deal with – depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar illness, post traumatic stress disorder, even psychosis, are significantly rooted in trauma. They are manifestations of trauma.” Trauma shows up in our bodies as well as our minds, so if you struggle with unexplained pain, have fibromyalgia, ME and many other auto immune conditions, could it be that these have been triggered by the impact of Trauma? If any of this sounds familiar, please don't hesitate to reach out and we can discuss whether trauma therapy would be beneficial for you.
“When your nervous system is well-regulated and synchronized, you’re able to participate in life, to be passionate about your work, to relate deeply and skillfully with others, and even to grow and change after traumatizing experiences.”
— Thomas Hübl, Attuned
“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them.”
— Dr. Gabor Maté
I see my role as supporting clients to really understand and acknowledge the ways in which their experiences have shaped their life. Why it impacted them, why they may struggle with addiction and mental health issues, be diagnosed with anxiety and depression, PTSD or complex PTSD, lack of motivation, why parenting can be challenging, why they struggle to maintain relationship of all kinds, why they self harm, have suicidal thoughts or find it hard to feel anything or talk about what they feel when it feels too much.
I have undertaken numerous Trainings around Trauma over the years and draw on the work of Janina Fisher’s parts work, Peter Levine’s somatic experiencing and others like Bessel Van der Kolk and Richard Swartz, (IFS). However, it has been the work of Gabor Mate that has been my biggest influence. His understanding of Trauma and how it manifests in Addiction, Physical and Mental illness and how it can show up as ADD/ADHD aligns with my own experience of working with Trauma over the last 20yrs.
So in 2023 I undertook Gabor Mates, Compassionate Enquiry year long training and I believe it has helped me become a much better counsellor and be more effective in my work with traumatised clients, the approach aims to help individuals connect with their truth, overcome suffering, and gain insight and clarity towards their behaviour.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you, and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on 07949396451 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential.
Please note: If you decide to send an enquiry and have a Gmail account, please add a phone number if you can, often replies are sent to Junk and I try to send a text just to confirm I have replied, or please check your Junk.