Understanding Trauma: How the Freeze Response Affects Healing and Recovery

Understanding Trauma: How the Freeze Response Affects Healing and Recovery

by | Sep 12, 2024 | Healing, Body-centred, Burnout, Chronic Pain, Depression, Digestive disorders, Dysregulation, Embodiment, Nervous System, Polyvagal, Psychotherapist, Regulation, Trauma

When your survival brain interprets your experience as too much; when you can’t communicate or take action, this is known as the freeze state. Your survival responses (fight/flight/freeze) happen below the level of your conscious awareness, so in that moment you don’t...
Trauma and How to Handle Panic Attacks

Trauma and How to Handle Panic Attacks

by | Feb 12, 2024 | Trauma, Anxiety, Body-centred, Breathwork, Dysregulation, Embodiment, Healing, Nervous System, Psychotherapist, Psychotherapy, Regulation, Self-Care, Somatic, Stress, Stress Relief, Therapy, Vagus Nerve

It’s all about the nervous system. Our nervous system is designed to help us survive and keep us alive. That is its whole purpose.    It has certain built in mechanisms to respond to danger and it triggers the release of...
What is Medical Trauma?

What is Medical Trauma?

by | Jan 12, 2024 | Trauma, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Compassion, Depression, Dysregulation, Healing, Nervous System, Psychotherapist, Psychotherapy, Self Compassion, Self-Care, Self-Esteem, Stress, Stress Relief, Therapy, Wellbeing

Medical trauma can have lasting effects on the body and mind. Many years ago, before training to be a Psychotherapist, I worked as a Medical Secretary supporting various Consultants around the world and as a Fitness Professional helping people to rehab and recover...
4 Breath-Work Exercises to Support Your Nervous System

4 Breath-Work Exercises to Support Your Nervous System

by | Oct 12, 2023 | Trauma, Anxiety, Body-centred, Breathwork, Burnout, Depression, Dysregulation, Embodiment, Healing, Nervous System, Polyvagal, Psychotherapist, Regulation, Self-Care, Sensorimotor, Somatic, Somatic Therapy, Stress, Stress Relief, Therapy, Vagus Nerve, Wellbeing

Trauma is physiological. It is a highly activated incomplete biological response (fight, flight, freeze). Anxiety signals that your nervous system is lacking safety and we constrict. This impacts our nervous system, muscles and tissues.  Constriction in the body...
Why Trauma Makes Certain Sounds Unbearable: Understanding Sound Sensitivity After Trauma

Why Trauma Makes Certain Sounds Unbearable: Understanding Sound Sensitivity After Trauma

by | Sep 12, 2023 | Trauma, Anxiety, Body-centred, Compassion, Dysregulation, Healing, Nervous System, Polyvagal, Psychotherapist, Regulation, Self-Care, Self-Esteem, Sensorimotor, Somatic, Stress, Stress Relief, Therapy, Vagus Nerve, Wellbeing

Have you ever noticed that when you are distressed you don’t hear properly and can easily misinterpret someone’s tone of voice? Or you become more sensitive to certain sounds or noise? Or you may startle more easily when you hear a noise? Did you know that...
Part 3 ~ Setting Boundaries in Close Relationships: How to Establish Healthy Limits

Part 3 ~ Setting Boundaries in Close Relationships: How to Establish Healthy Limits

by | Aug 12, 2023 | Anxiety, Body-centred, Boundaries, Confidence, Healing, Nervous System, Psychotherapist, Self-Care, Self-Esteem, Somatic, Stress, Stress Relief, Therapy, Trauma, Vagus Nerve, Wellbeing

When you need to set boundaries with someone close to you, use calm, assertive language to discuss the boundary clearly and in advance, to give the person a head’s up that things will be changing.  Practice and rehearse what you are going to say and how you are...