TRAUMA & PTSD
What is Trauma?
When we hear the word trauma, we often think of big, dramatic events- car accidents, war zones, major disasters.
Films and TV tend to show trauma as something loud, violent, or life-threatening.
But in reality, trauma isn’t defined by the event itself- it’s defined by how your mind and body experience it.
Trauma is anything that overwhelms your ability to cope at the time. It can come from experiences that might not seem dramatic on the outside, but that felt frightening, shaming, unsafe, or simply too much to handle.
Different Forms of Trauma
Trauma doesn’t have to look a certain way. Some experiences are sudden and recognisable, such as accidents, assaults, or natural disasters. Others are subtle and ongoing, like years of criticism, bullying, medical procedures, emotional neglect, or growing up in an environment where you felt unseen or unsafe.
Both kinds of experiences can have a deep and lasting impact. The body and mind may respond with symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness- all ways the nervous system tries to protect you.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), trauma responses can arise from “any distressing event or series of events” that a person experiences as threatening, overwhelming, or emotionally harmful — not just single, life-threatening incidents."
As Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, describes:
“Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then, it’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”
Why This Matters
- You don’t need to prove that something was “traumatic enough.”
If something happened and you’re struggling to move past it, that’s valid.
Your body and nervous system remember even when your mind tries to brush it off or minimise it.
Trauma isn’t about weakness; it’s about what was too much for your system to handle at the time.
The Rewind Technique can help your brain process and store that memory differently, reducing the emotional and physical impact — without needing to talk through every detail or relive the event.
Rewind Technique
For some clients, I use the Rewind Technique- a gentle yet powerful way to help the brain process traumatic memories without needing to relive or retell them in detail. I’ve completed specialist training in this method so I can offer it safely and confidently as part of my trauma-informed work.
Developed by Dr David Muss, a medical doctor and psychotherapist, the Rewind Technique has been used for decades to support people living with PTSD, phobias, and anxiety linked to trauma. It works by guiding you into a deeply relaxed state, then using visual imagery to “rewind” the memory, allowing the brain to reprocess it in a calmer, safer way and reduce its emotional intensity.
You remain in control at all times, and you never have to share the details of what happened. For many people, this makes it a much more accessible and empowering way to process painful memories.
Alongside this, I provide space to talk at your own pace.
Whether you’ve experienced something major or are carrying memories that others might not recognise as trauma, your experience is valid and we can explore it gently, together.
My aim is always to walk beside you, helping you make sense of what’s holding you back and supporting you as you begin to feel more grounded, safe, and in control of your life.
If you’d like to learn more about the Rewind Technique, or explore whether this approach might be right for you, please feel free to get in touch. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with- there’s no pressure and no need to go into detail.
Together, we can take things at your pace and find the right support for where you are right now.
