If you’ve found yourself stuck in cycles of emotional pain, anxiety, or self-doubt; often rooted in past trauma, you’re not alone.
Many people carry the weight of early life experiences well into adulthood. Please know that it’s absolutely possible for you to heal from those experiences.
One powerful, practical approach to emotional recovery is redecision therapy: a warm, collaborative style of therapy that blends experiential insight with action.
Here, I share a bit about what redecision therapy is, what you can expect, and how it could help you.
What is redecision therapy?
Redecision therapy is a form of psychotherapy developed in the 1970s by Bob and Mary Goulding, who both trained in Transactional Analysis and Gestalt therapy. It combines the best of both: the clarity of understanding your life scripts (the unconscious rules you live by) with the emotional depth of experiential therapy.
Redecision therapy helps you rewrite old stories and take charge of your life with intention and clarity. It enables you to recognise your limiting beliefs and emotional patterns formed in childhood, giving you the permission and power to live the life you truly want, free from the constraints of the past.
Unlike some traditional talk therapies, redecision work is:
- Active and engaging: You and I explore both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of your struggles.
- Rooted in the present with an eye on the past: Together, we revisit the origin of beliefs, but the focus is on what you can change in the here and now.
- Empowering: You’re not seen as broken, but as someone with agency; capable of redefining your future.
How can redecision therapy help you?
Trauma can create deep internal patterns that affect how you think, feel, and relate to others. Redecision therapy offers a space to identify and change those patterns you hold, especially the ones you adopted to survive painful or overwhelming experiences.
Here’s how redecision therapy can support trauma recovery:
1. Uncover and understand your life script
- Many people operate from invisible “scripts” formed during early childhood.
- These scripts may include beliefs like “I’m not good enough,” “I have to earn love,” or “I can’t trust anyone.”
- Redecision therapy helps you identify where these messages came from, and how they shaped your view of yourself and the world.
2. Release old emotions in a safe environment
Trauma often involves unfinished emotional experiences. Using Gestalt experiential techniques (like guided imagery or empty chair work), you’ll have the chance to express what was never said, and begin to release the emotional charge tied to old events and memories.
3. Make new, empowering decisions
Once you unravel the source of your beliefs, you’re guided to make new, conscious and intentional decisions, that reflect your adult self, not your wounded child.
Examples might include:
- “I am allowed to say no.”
- “I don’t need to please everyone to be loved.”
- “I can trust myself.”
4. Build healthier relationships
Redecision therapy also looks at how trauma shows up in your relationships, often in the form of people-pleasing, avoidance, or codependency. If this is something you’re struggling with, you can learn how to feel okay with setting boundaries, expressing your needs, and recognising unhealthy relationship dynamics.
What to expect
Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before, or if previous experiences didn’t feel helpful. If you choose redecision therapy with me, here’s a little of what you can expect;
- A collaborative relationship: As your therapist, Im not here to be an authority figure, but a guide and partner.
- Sessions that feel both reflective and dynamic: Together with me, you may explore memories, emotions, or engage in therapeutic exercises that help uncover key moments from your past.
- Emotional safety: You are in control. Nothing is forced. The pace and depth are always guided by what feels right for you, and supported therapeutically by me. We work collaboratively. Together.
We will identify areas in your life you would like to change, where you feel stuck, overwhelmed or held back, and together we will trace these feelings back to early experiences. This is where you may have made unconscious decisions about yourself or the world (eg. “Im not safe” or “I have to handle everything on my own”).
In a safe and supported session, you will be guided through revisiting key moments where these beliefs developed, and help your younger self express their feelings and needs. This gives you an opportunity to ‘re-decide’ what you believe, and how you want to move forward. For example, instead of believing “I’m not enough”, you might choose “I am worthy of love and kindness”.
This new decision is made with the strength, understanding and resources you have now, as an adult in the present.
What does it cost?
The standard rate for redecision therapy sessions is £80 per hour. Longer sessions are available if we agree that will be helpful for you (e.g. 1 ½ hours £120, or 2 hours £160). Redecision therapy can elicit powerful internal change in short periods of time.
What makes this approach different?
There are many forms of therapy, so why choose redecision therapy for trauma?
- It brings together the analytical insight of Transactional Analysis with the emotional depth of Gestalt work.
- It’s experiential: You won’t just talk about your problems, you’ll experience healing moments in the room.
- It focuses on agency: You are always seen as capable of change. Redecision therapy believes in your inner strength, even if trauma has made you forget it.
Many people say redecision therapy helped them connect the dots faster than more passive approaches.
Is this for you?
You might connect with redecision therapy if:
- You feel stuck in patterns you don’t fully understand.
- You’ve been in therapy before but didn’t go very deep.
- You’re ready to explore the past: not just to revisit it, but to change its hold on you.
- You want an approach that balances warmth with structure.
You don’t need to have experienced a single traumatic “event”, as trauma is personal. If your past still feels present, this therapy may be worth considering.
Common worries about starting redecision therapy
It’s normal to have doubts or fears about beginning any therapy process. Here are a few common questions, and some reassuring truths:
What if I can’t remember my past clearly?
That’s okay. You don’t need perfect memory; your feelings and sensations are also a doorway to insight and change. We can work with what you bring.
What if it’s too intense?
You’re in control. The process is designed to support your nervous system, not to overwhelm you. I will support you to remain present and for your feelings not to become intolerable. You can also learn ways to regulate and soothe yourself when feelings become more intense, and we can practice this together.
Does this really work?
It does. By connecting to those younger parts of yourself, and paying attention to your needs, you can experience significant internal changes in how you feel and respond to things.
Why now?
There’s no perfect time to begin healing. But if trauma is affecting your work, your relationships, your sleep, or just your sense of peace, then now is a good time. One of the most powerful messages in redecision therapy is: ‘you are not your past’. And while we can’t change what happened, we can change how it lives in you today.
Quick FAQ
How long does redecision therapy take?
It depends on your goals, and how much you feel you want to work on. Some clients work for a few months; others stay longer. If you are wanting to work on a single specific difficulty, short term work of a few weeks may be enough.
Do I have to relive traumatic events?
No. You’ll never be forced to revisit anything that feels too unsafe. The work is collaborative and paced with care.
Can I do this alongside other therapies?
Yes, though it’s best to discuss this with your therapist to avoid conflicting methods.
Next steps
Have you connected with something in this blog? If you’re tired of managing your distress on your own, and you feel ready to explore a new way forward, consider reaching out to me for an initial session or introductory call.
Redecision therapy may not be for everyone. But for many, it’s been the doorway to lasting change, deeper self-understanding, and true emotional freedom. You have the right to heal; and the power to choose how.
