ED Counselling
Emma Duncan
Trauma Therapy Explained
Trauma changes the way we experience safety, relationships, trust, emotions, memory, identity and even how we experience our own bodies. Its impact can be felt long after a single event, or multiple events, and it is not something we can consign to ‘the past’ easily. It can continue to shape our everyday life in ways that feel exhausting, confusing, isolating and overwhelming.
I offer trauma-informed counselling for adults experiencing the impact of:
Complex trauma (CPTSD)
Childhood trauma and neglect
Relational trauma
Domestic abuse or coercive relationships
Emotional abuse
Religious trauma
Grief and bereavement
Complex grief and traumatic loss
Shame, dissociation and emotional overwhelm
Long-term anxiety rooted in trauma experiences.
My approach to trauma is deeply influenced by the writing and work of Judith Herman. Herman’s 3-stage model of recovery remains one of the most respected in the field. It also fits with my belief that humans are relational, and many (if not most) of our difficulties with living happen in relationship to others, which could mean individuals, or be as broad as the relationship we have with the systemic structures that surround us.
Working with complex trauma
(CPTSD)
Herman describes recovery as moving through three broad stages:
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establishing safety
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remembrance and mourning
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reconnecting with life and relationships.
In practice, this means not rushing towards a painful retelling before someone feels emotionally safe enough to do so; safe in their body and safe in the knowledge that together we are able to manage the pacing of sessions to avoid overwhelm and dissociation. Trauma work is not about forcing disclosure, it is about helping people slowly rebuild a sense of safety within themselves, their relationships, and their lives.
Therapy will usually focus first on grounding, nervous-system regulation, boundaries, stabilisation and understanding our own trauma responses. This then moves on towards processing the grief, loss, memories, or long-term impact of the trauma experiences. There is something deeply healing about having another human you feel safe with witness your story, as much as you can bring, and mourn with you. And finally, the rebuilding of a wider sense of identity, safety and trust.
Trauma work is not linear, it needs to go at a pace that feels manageable and collaborative.
Complex grief
Responding to the unfathomable
Sometimes loss is sudden, traumatic or unresolved. It can be tangled with complicated relationships, abuse, estrangement or experiences that have never been fully processed. Complex grief can keep us stuck between mourning, survival, anger, numbness, guilt and longing. Therapy is a space where these experiences are approached gently, without pressure or judgement.
As a trauma-informed therapist I aim to offer a relationship that feels steady, collaborative, compassionate and grounded. Research consistently shows that healing from trauma happens within safe and empowering relationships. My strong roots in the person-centred approach mean that therapy honours your autonomy, your pace, your lived experience.
I do not see people as “broken”, rather they are responding to unfathomable, overwhelming experiences with understandable and necessary adaptations. And I believe firmly that recovery is possible.