Counselling for Trauma & Complex PTSD in Potton, Bedfordshire
Understanding Trauma & Complex PTSD
Trauma can affect people in many different ways. Sometimes the impact of a difficult experience is immediately clear. At other times, you may have spent years coping, carrying on or putting other people's needs first without fully recognising how much your experiences have affected you.
You might find yourself feeling constantly on alert, easily overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself.
You may struggle to trust other people, find relationships difficult, or experience a strong sense of shame or self-doubt without always understanding where it comes from.
When difficult or overwhelming experiences happen repeatedly, particularly within important relationships or during childhood, their effects can continue long after the experiences themselves have ended.
Counselling can offer a supportive space to begin making sense of these experiences and their impact on you, at a pace that feels manageable.
You Might Recognise...
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Feeling constantly on alert or unable to fully relax
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Becoming overwhelmed by emotions, or feeling shut down or numb
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Finding it difficult to trust other people or feel safe in relationships
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Being very sensitive to criticism, conflict or changes in someone's mood
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Putting other people's needs first and finding it difficult to set boundaries
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Experiencing shame, self-blame or feeling that you're somehow not good enough
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Feeling disconnected from yourself, your feelings or your body
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Difficult memories, feelings or physical reactions appearing unexpectedly
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Finding yourself repeating relationship patterns that you don't fully understand
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Struggling to feel safe even when you know, logically, that you are
When Difficult Experiences Have a Lasting Impact
Trauma isn't always the result of one particular event. Sometimes it develops through experiences that happened repeatedly or over a long period of time, especially when there was little opportunity to feel safe, supported or understood.
You may have grown up around criticism, conflict, emotional unpredictability, neglect or relationships where your needs and feelings had little space.
You may also have experienced controlling or abusive relationships later in life, bereavement, loss or other experiences that felt overwhelming or difficult to process.
When adapting to difficult circumstances, we often find ways of coping that help us get through them. Staying alert to other people's moods, keeping the peace, shutting down feelings or putting your own needs aside may once have helped you feel safer.
These ways of coping can sometimes continue long after the circumstances have changed. What once helped you manage may now leave you feeling anxious, disconnected, exhausted or unsure of your own needs and feelings.
Relationships & Your Sense of Self
Difficult experiences can shape not only how you feel, but also how you relate to yourself and other people.
You may find yourself worrying about upsetting others, finding it hard to say no or feeling responsible for how other people feel. You might long for closeness while also finding it difficult to trust, relax or feel completely safe with someone.
Over time, these experiences can also affect how you see yourself. You may question your feelings, doubt your own judgement or carry a sense of shame or not being good enough, even when part of you knows these beliefs may not be fair.
Counselling can provide space to begin noticing and understanding these patterns with compassion, while gradually developing a stronger sense of your own needs, boundaries and sense of self.
Working Together with Trauma
My approach to trauma counselling is trauma-informed, with safety, choice, trust and working at your pace at the heart of our work together.
You will not be expected to talk about traumatic experiences or revisit difficult memories before you feel ready.
I hold a Level 5 Diploma in Somatic Trauma Therapy, a specialist post-qualifying training in working with single-event trauma, developmental and transgenerational trauma, PTSD and Complex PTSD.
My training brings together psychodynamic trauma theory and somatic psychology. This means we can explore not only your thoughts, emotions and relationships, but also how difficult experiences may continue to be felt and responded to within the body.
Depending on what feels helpful for you, our work may include grounding and breathwork, alongside gently paying attention to what you notice in your body. This can help us explore experiences such as feeling constantly on alert, becoming overwhelmed, shutting down or feeling disconnected from yourself.
We can also explore how earlier relationships and experiences may have shaped your sense of self, your boundaries and the way you relate to other people today.
There is no one way to work with trauma. Our work is collaborative and we decide together what feels appropriate and manageable for you.
We go at your pace.
Thinking about counselling for trauma?
If difficult experiences from the past are still affecting how you feel, your relationships or the way you see yourself, you’re very welcome to get in touch.
You don’t need to know whether what you experienced was “traumatic enough”, have a diagnosis, or know where to begin.
We can start with what is happening for you now and take things at a pace that feels manageable.