PTSD

When the past still feels present.

Many people expect trauma to stay in the past; something you move on from once the event is over. But for those living with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), the past can feel painfully alive in the present.

It can reappear in your emotions, body sensations, and vivid memories, as though the trauma is happening to you all over again.

If you’ve ever felt suddenly overwhelmed by a smell, sound, or image; if you find yourself avoiding certain situations; or if your body reacts before your mind catches up, you’re not alone.

PTSD is not a sign of weakness. It is a human response to experiences that were too much, too fast, or too frightening for the mind and body to process at the time. Ironically although it feels horrible and really inconvenient, its actually your nervous system trying to protect you from future harm.

What is PTSD?

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a trauma related condition that can develop after you experience or witness overwhelming or life-threatening events.

These experiences might include:

Childhood trauma or emotional neglect
Domestic abuse or coercive relationships
Medical trauma
Bereavement or sudden loss
Accidents, violence, or repeated exposure to danger

Importantly, PTSD isn’t defined by the event itself, it’s defined by your nervous system’s response to it. When the brain cannot fully process a traumatic experience, the memory of the event may become “stuck,” returning in vivid, intrusive ways when you least want it to.

PTSD does not look the same for everyone. You may notice:

You experience flashbacks or distressing dreams
You feel constantly “on edge” or easily startled
You avoid reminders of the trauma
You experience feelings of guilt, shame, numbness, sadness, or irritability
You notice difficulties with memory, concentration, or emotional connection
You feel disconnected from yourself or others, or “shut down”

These responses are not failures, they are protective survival mechanisms. Your mind and body learned to respond this way because, at one time, these responses helped you survive or cope with difficult things.

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Understanding complex PTSD (CPTSD)

Complex PTSD, can develop after prolonged or repeated trauma, particularly when the trauma occurs in childhood or in situations where escape wasn’t possible.

If you have complex PTSD, you may also experience:

Difficulty managing or calming your intense emotions (called affect dysregulation
Deep feelings of shame, guilt, or worthlessness (negative self-concept)
Struggles with trust, closeness, or feeling safe with others (interpersonal difficulties)

People with CPTSD often feel confused about why they react so strongly or why relationships feel difficult. But when trauma is experienced repeatedly or in the long-term, it shapes both how you feel, and how you understand yourself and the world.

None of this is your fault

PTSD develops because your trauma wasn’t fully processed when it happened. Instead of being stored as a normal memory (“This happened, and now it’s over”), the experience remains raw, and filled with intense sensations, emotions, and images.

This explains why triggers can be so powerful. A voice tone, a smell, a facial expression, the way light shifts in a room – even small cues can activate your unprocessed trauma memory, making the danger feel immediate and real.

Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect you. It simply hasn’t yet learned that the danger has passed.

How therapy can help

You do not need to retell every detail of your trauma to benefit from therapy. I can support you to feel safer, steadier, and more in control by working gently with both your mind and body. This can be both individually and in group therapy.

Therapy for PTSD and CPTSD can help you:

Understand your experiences and triggers
Build on skills to help you stay in the present, and to soothe yourself when feeling lots of emotion
Process trauma memories safely and at your own pace, to tell your nervous system ‘its over, Im safe’
Reconnect with your emotions and your body
Reduce avoidance and increase your sense of safety
Develop healthier, more secure relationships
Restore trust in yourself and others

Approaches such as EMDR, the Rewind Technique, and Somatic Therapy, help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they can settle in the past, rather than intruding into your present.

Many people describe feeling clearer, more connected, and more grounded as they heal – not because the past disappears, but because it stops controlling their life.

Next steps

You don’t need to have it all worked out, reaching out is a strong and hopeful first step. You don’t have to do this alone.

So, if this has made some sense of your experiences, and you want to read more, you might like to look at these too:

Get in touch

If you’d like to explore working together, you’re very welcome to contact me using the form on this page. If you'd prefer, you can send me an email, or, if you'd rather speak, we can arrange a short call.