Trauma does not only live in memories. It lives in the nervous system. You may feel constantly on edge, emotionally shut down, overly self-reliant, or struggling with trust and intimacy, even when life appears stable on the surface.

Developmental and attachment trauma often form through prolonged stress, neglect, or repeated relational wounds, particularly in childhood or long-term abusive relationships. These early experiences shape patterns that continue to influence how you relate to yourself and others.

In therapy, we work at a pace that respects your nervous system and capacity for change. Alongside careful exploration of your experiences, we include somatic awareness to help you notice and process trauma responses held in the body. The aim is steady integration rather than dramatic release, supporting a greater sense of safety, stability, and agency.

Anxiety & Chronic Stress

Anxiety often presents as constant overthinking, physical tension, difficulty relaxing, or a persistent sense that something is about to go wrong. For many adults, chronic anxiety is not simply a present-day problem but a nervous system shaped by earlier relational or developmental stress.

When early environments required vigilance, self-reliance, or emotional suppression, the body can remain organised around survival long after the original conditions have passed.

In therapy, we explore the underlying patterns that maintain anxiety while working somatically to regulate the nervous system. Rather than managing symptoms alone, the aim is to reduce the deeper drivers of chronic stress and restore a steadier internal baseline.

Trauma, mental health problems, lack of social support, inability to get our needs met, and other factors can cause us to become addicted to substances such as drugs and alcohol or behaviours such as gambling and shopping. Recovery enables us to reclaim ourselves and put our lives back together.

I provide a non-threatening and compassionate setting where people, who have been in recovery for more than 12 months, can build awareness of their connection to their higher selves and eliminate survival defence mechanisms that keep them disconnected from their authenticity.

Many relational struggles are not simply about communication. They are often rooted in early attachment experiences that shaped how safe closeness, dependence, and vulnerability feel.

You may find yourself withdrawing when intimacy deepens, becoming overly accommodating, fearing abandonment, or repeating familiar but painful dynamics. These patterns are rarely conscious choices; they are organised responses that once protected you.

In therapy, we explore how early relational templates continue to influence present relationships. Through psychodynamic understanding and somatic awareness, the aim is to increase capacity for secure attachment, clearer boundaries, and more stable intimacy.

Difficulties with self-esteem often develop in environments where emotional needs were inconsistently met, minimised, or criticised. Over time, this can lead to persistent self-doubt, harsh self-judgement, or a fragile sense of identity.

Low self-worth is rarely just a belief problem. It is frequently rooted in relational experiences that shaped how you learned to value yourself.

In therapy, we work to understand the origins of these internalised patterns while building a more stable and embodied sense of self. The focus is not on positive thinking, but on developing a grounded internal foundation that supports confidence and autonomy.