Online trauma therapy, in EnglishSo the past no longer defines your present.

A traumatic experience is one that overwhelms our ability to cope at the time: an accident, an assault, a sudden loss, a medical emergency, a natural disaster, or prolonged experiences of abuse, neglect or threat. Trauma is not defined only by the event itself but also by how it was experienced and what support followed.

After such experiences, many people notice reactions that ease over the following weeks. For some, they persist or appear later. The WHO describes three main groups of post-traumatic stress symptoms: re-experiencing the event through intrusive memories, nightmares or flashbacks; avoiding reminders; and hyperarousal, such as heightened vigilance or being easily startled (WHO). The NHS adds that people may also have negative beliefs about themselves, feel disconnected, struggle with emotions, sleep poorly, or have unexplained pains and headaches, and that symptoms can start straight away or months or years later (NHS).

When difficulties follow long-term or repeated experiences, such as ongoing abuse or violence, the NHS describes this as complex PTSD, which shares many symptoms with PTSD but has different causes (NHS).

Exposure to traumatic events is widespread. Surveys of 68,894 people in 24 countries found that 70.4% had experienced at least one lifetime trauma, with experiences involving interpersonal violence carrying the highest risk of PTSD (Kessler et al., 2017). The WHO notes that only a minority of people exposed to potentially traumatic events go on to develop PTSD (WHO).

For those who do, the WHO describes evidence-based psychological interventions as the first-choice treatment, delivered individually or in groups, face to face or online (WHO). The UK's NICE guideline on post-traumatic stress disorder likewise recommends trauma-focused psychological therapies (NICE). Recovery is possible for many people, although the path differs from person to person, and the NHS notes that PTSD usually improves for most people, while for some symptoms can be more severe and longer-lasting (NHS).

Our therapists take an evidence-informed, integrative approach, guided by what the research supports and by what feels manageable for you. We do not apply a single fixed protocol, and we never rush the process. Work often moves through overlapping phases:

Consider reaching out if, a month or more after a distressing experience:

• memories, nightmares or flashbacks keep intruding;
• you are avoiding people, places or activities because they remind you of what happened;
• you feel constantly on edge, irritable or unable to sleep;
• you feel numb, detached or unlike yourself;
• you are using alcohol or other substances to cope.

You do not need to wait a month if you are struggling now. If you are in immediate danger, or have thoughts of harming yourself, seek emergency help straight away. Online therapy is not an emergency service.