The word "trauma" has become fashionable in recent years. People talk about it on Instagram, in podcasts, at workshops. On one hand this is good - themes long invisible are finally coming into the light of day. On the other hand - trauma treated superficially can be addressed not only ineffectively, but downright harmfully.
Trauma is not an event. Trauma is what happened within us as a result of an event. Two people can experience the same situation - one will leave relatively untouched, the other will carry it for decades. It depends on how many resources we had at the time of the event, how much support, how much regulation skill.
Contemporary trauma-informed therapy - based among others on the work of Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Stephen Porges (polyvagal theory) and Bessel van der Kolk - has taught us one fundamental thing: trauma does not disappear through intense reliving. Quite the opposite - retraumatisation, falling again into the same reaction without resources to integrate it, deepens the imprint in the nervous system.
That is why good trauma work is slow. First we build resources. We check whether there is a place in the body that feels safe - even just a hand, even just the feet. We learn to recognise signals when the nervous system begins to activate. We work in the window of tolerance - that delicate space where you feel enough to process, but not so intensely that you lose contact with yourself.
In my practice I draw here on The Journey® method, somatic work, breath and - to a lesser extent - elements of NLP. Sometimes constellations, if the theme has systemic roots (and most do). A longer 90-minute Holistic Session provides the space that trauma work requires - because shortened formats often activate the system without time for integration. It is like opening a wound without dressing it.
Very important: I am not a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. If you experience strong PTSD symptoms - flashbacks, dissociation, suicidal thoughts - the first step should be consultation with a doctor or psychotherapist specialising in trauma. My work can be a valuable complement to traditional therapy. Many clients tell me that only the combination - psychotherapy + somatic work - brought real change.
Trauma is not a verdict. It is an imprint stored in the nervous system that - with appropriate care, at appropriate pace - can be dissolved. Not entirely as if it never was. But enough that it stops ruling your life.
For whom: for women who know or sense they carry difficult experiences. For those who want to work gently and slowly - because fast methods have so far tended to wound them. For all who seek support complementing classical psychotherapy.