Trauma and PTSD Treatment

Trauma is an experience of threat to life, safety or dignity that overwhelmed your resources at that moment. It may be a single shocking event (accident, assault, loss), repeated violence/war, or complex developmental trauma. What matters is not whether it was “big enough,” but that your nervous system had to switch to survival.

Clinically, PTSD symptoms are grouped into four clusters:

If these symptoms last longer than 4 weeks and interfere with life — it’s PTSD territory.

Trauma changes how the brain and body work:

Because of this people react “too strongly” or “out of the blue” — but this is physiology, not character.

Suffering grows when the event was prolonged/severe, there was no support, there is shame or self-blame, and the person keeps being re-traumatised. What helps — and what we build in therapy — is predictability, safety, supportive relationships, emotion-regulation skills, and a clear plan of action.

I work in a trauma-informed logic: safety and stabilisation first, then processing. We use grounding, breathing, and body-based skills; psychoeducation so you understand what is happening; trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT); elements of EMDR/narrative work when appropriate; and we always keep the pace that your nervous system can tolerate.

1. Assessment and plan — event history, current symptoms, risks, support.

2. Stabilisation — sleep, routines, crisis plan, safe people, grounding.

3. Processing — we carefully go through traumatic material using agreed methods.

4. Integration — we return to current roles, relationships and future plans.

5. Relapse prevention — how to notice triggers early and what to do in the first 24–72 hours.

I explain each step in simple language — just enough terms to make it clear.

Symptoms are often “masked” as behavioural problems, somatic complaints, or regression. Work is built family-oriented: TF-CBT, play and art approaches, strengthening attachment, teaching adults supportive responses and stabilisation rules at home and at school.

Seek trauma-specialist help if symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, get worse, or make it hard to work/study/care for yourself; if there are flashbacks, dissociation, nightmares, panic attacks, persistent insomnia; if you use alcohol/drugs to cope; or if there are self-harm or suicidal thoughts. In these cases early professional support greatly reduces the risk of chronic PTSD.

1. PTSD is treatable.

2. Symptoms fall into four clusters — and they can be reduced.

3. The brain and body are trainable: with proper work, stable improvements appear.

4. Early, gentle therapy and support from the environment speed up recovery.

5. CBT-based approaches, exposure and EMDR are the gold standard for PTSD.

Individual sessions 50–55 minutes, online/offline. Usually once a week; less often after stabilisation. First noticeable shifts — around 6–8 sessions; deeper processing and integration — longer. We assemble the route for your situation, without overload.

If you are in danger or have thoughts of suicide — seek emergency/urgent help immediately: call emergency services in your region or the nearest crisis line. Online/regular therapy is not enough in acute risk.

Ready for careful work? Write — and we will gently assemble a plan that brings back predictability, strength and the freedom to choose.