Trauma and Phobias

I offer trauma counselling to those seeking help after suffering trauma in their childhood, or subsequently, or both. These may be childhood traumas such as domestic violence and abuse, and/or traumatic events experienced as an adult. As well as this private practice I am a counsellor for SAND - Surviving Abuse North Devon - who offer support for those who have experienced sexual abuse. 

I have worked with victims of violent crimes, survivors of boat and train disasters, survivors and witnesses of suicides, road and other accidents. I work with both individuals and organisations, for example after bank and store robberies or incidents. 

Trauma upsets the human regulatory systems, affecting our concentration, feelings, sleep, heart and breathing rates, digestion, thinking and sense of ourselves. Resetting the bodymind's regulatory mechanisms, and finding safety are the important goals of trauma treatment. We will also look at support, and finding normality again.

Recovering from trauma can be very different for different people. Many people are surprised at how strongly they are affected and how long it takes to return to their usual self after trauma. By exploring the impact and allowing your feelings, fears and emotional swings to be heard, and linking up events with thoughts and reactions we begin to allow the body to find a new balance after the trauma. 

I have received training in trauma work, and incorporate recent research in neuroscience as well as mindfulness techniques to address the physical, emotional, cognitive aspects of recovery. 

I offer EMDR for trauma as part of my wider trauma treatment. EMDR sessions are recommended to be 90 minutes, and can be effective in treating trauma and other conditions. EMDR sessions can be considered after a thorough assessment process.

Trauma can undermine a person's view of themselves and the world, and lead to the necessity to create a new understanding of life's meaning and direction. It can be a time of change and opportunity as well as of challenge. 

I can also help you if you suffer from phobias, obsessions and compulsions. These symptoms are in themselves a solution to a deeper problem, so I can help you to discover what the underlying fears are and then devise less harmful and more direct ways of meeting those fears. This gives you greater understanding of yourself as well as better control over your life.

Fees: - I charge £50 per hour.

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