Trauma & My Approach
Whether trauma stems from a single event or develops gradually over time, its effects can be profound. The good news is that trauma is highly treatable.
How trauma affects the present
Difficult or overwhelming experiences can leave a lasting impact on the nervous system, emotional regulation, relationships, and sense of self. Trauma may present through symptoms such as anxiety, panic, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, intrusive memories, flashbacks, shame, low self-worth, or persistent patterns of avoidance and control.
Sometimes the source of trauma is clear and identifiable. In other cases, the impact develops more gradually through repeated experiences of criticism, emotional neglect, instability, rejection, or chronic stress.
I work with both acute trauma ("big T" trauma) and more cumulative or relational forms of trauma ("small t" trauma). Both can have a profound psychological impact, and both are treatable.
Trauma I work with
Regardless of how trauma manifests itself, therapy can help restore a greater sense of safety, stability, emotional freedom, and self-trust.
Don't see your situation listed?
Feel free to get in touch. My approach may also be suitable for other forms of trauma and psychological difficulties.
Trauma-focused treatment
Trauma treatment is not about simply reducing symptoms. It is about helping people process difficult experiences, make sense of what happened, and develop a greater sense of safety, flexibility, and self-trust in the present.
Treatment always takes place at a pace that feels manageable and respectful to the individual. Together, we develop a shared understanding of the difficulties involved and work collaboratively toward meaningful change.
Depending on the nature of the difficulties involved, I draw from a range of evidence-based trauma-focused approaches.
Primary method
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most extensively researched and effective treatments for trauma and PTSD. Using bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps the brain process and integrate distressing experiences that continue to influence the present.
Confronting Avoidance
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy involves gradually approaching memories, emotions, situations, or triggers that have become associated with fear and avoidance. Through repeated and structured exposure, the nervous system learns that these experiences can be tolerated, reducing fear and creating space for new learning.
Gentle Trauma Processing
Flash Technique
The Flash Technique offers a more ‘gentle’ way of reducing the emotional intensity of traumatic memories without requiring detailed discussion of the experience itself. It can be particularly helpful when memories feel overwhelming or with strong dissociation.
Memory reworking
Imagery Rescripting
Imagery Rescripting helps people revisit distressing memories and change their emotional meaning. By introducing new experiences, perspectives, or responses within the memory, it can reduce shame, helplessness, fear, and self-criticism.
Integrative
Somatic Approaches
Emotions, stress, and trauma are often experienced not only in our thoughts, but also in the body. Where relevant, I incorporate body awareness, nervous system regulation, and attention to physical sensations as part of the therapeutic process.
EMDR is not only about the past
EMDR is widely known as a treatment for painful memories and trauma from the past. However, it can also be highly effective in treating intense fears, catastrophic future scenarios, and intrusive "flashforward" images that keep people stuck in anxiety and avoidance.
When these fears become emotionally charged and repetitive, they can strongly shape a person's daily life and sense of freedom. Through EMDR (and potentially supported by other interventions), these patterns are often very treatable.
Fear of Panic Attacks
Focused on the fear of having another panic attack and the avoidance patterns that often follow.
Health anxiety
Persistent fear about health, illness, or physical symptoms.
Fear of losing control
Fear of losing control, becoming overwhelmed by emotions, or no longer being able to cope.
Future-oriented anxiety
Catastrophic images of what might go wrong that continue to fuel anxiety and avoidance.
Why I specialize in trauma treatment
I have a strong affinity for trauma-focused work because trauma often lies at the core of longstanding psychological suffering. When unresolved experiences begin to process and integrate, meaningful shifts can occur — not only in symptoms, but also in the way people relate to themselves, others, and life more broadly.
One of the reasons I value trauma-focused therapy is that treatment can often be both structured and effective. Over the years, I have repeatedly seen how reducing traumatic stress can create space for greater emotional freedom, self-understanding, resilience, and connection.
Trauma therapy is ultimately about helping people move from survival-based patterns toward a greater sense of safety, flexibility, and trust — both in themselves and in life.
Meaningful recovery is possible
Trauma can deeply affect the way a person experiences themselves, others, and the world around them. At the same time, meaningful recovery and psychological change are possible. Therapy offers the possibility to process unresolved experiences, reduce the grip of fear and avoidance, and create more space for emotional freedom and stability.