Living with C-PTSD can feel like you are always on high alert, braced for something bad, even when nothing obvious is happening. It can also feel like you are somehow “too much” and “not enough” all at the same time. Many people describe a deep sense of shame, loneliness and confusion about why they seem to react so strongly when others appear to cope.

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If any of this feels familiar, you are not broken or beyond help. Your mind and body have adapted to long term stress and threat. Therapy is about helping those systems stand down, reconnecting you with a steadier sense of self and building a life that feels safer and more meaningful.

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I work with C-PTSD using evidence based approaches including EMDR, DBT, CBT, ACT, Compassion Focused Therapy and polyvagal informed therapy. We move at your pace, with a strong emphasis on safety, stabilisation and self compassion, not forcing you to re-live every detail of what happened.

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What Is C-PTSD?

Complex PTSD is a term used when someone has experienced repeated or long term trauma, often in relationships that were supposed to be safe. This might include:

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• Ongoing emotional, physical or sexual abuse

• Childhood neglect or growing up with caregivers who were frightening, unavailable or very unpredictable

• Domestic abuse or coercive control

• Long term bullying or harassment

• Living in situations of chronic threat, instability or discrimination

 

Rather than one single event, C-PTSD develops in environments where you had limited power to escape or protect yourself.

Common experiences can include:

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• Feeling constantly on edge, watchful or easily startled

• Strong emotional reactions that feel out of proportion to what is happening

• Deep shame, self criticism and a sense of being “faulty”

• Difficulties trusting others or feeling close to people

• Feeling empty, numb, disconnected or unreal

• Struggles with identity, not knowing who you are or where you belong

• Relationship patterns that feel stuck, chaotic or unsafe

• Physical symptoms such as pain, exhaustion, tummy problems or headaches with no clear medical explanation

 

People with C-PTSD are often very resilient, highly sensitive to others and extremely resourceful. The problem is not that you are weak. It is that your nervous system has had to work far too hard for far too long.

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How C-PTSD Affects The Brain And Body

When you live with ongoing threat, your nervous system learns to prioritise survival. The body stays in states of fight, flight, freeze or shut down much more often than it should. Over time this can affect:

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• How quickly you move into panic, anger, shame or collapse

• Your ability to calm down after stress

• Your sleep, concentration and memory

• How safe or unsafe you feel in your own body

• How easy it is to connect with other people

 

Therapy for C-PTSD is not simply about “talking it through”. It is about helping your brain and body learn that it is safe enough now to respond differently. This is why I draw on trauma focused approaches that work with thoughts, emotions, the body and relationships together.​

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Working Safely And At Your Pace

If you have C-PTSD, it is very common to worry that therapy will mean “digging everything up” or being pushed to talk about things you do not feel ready to share. My approach is different.

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When we work together, we will:

• Spend time getting to know you as a whole person, not just your trauma history

• Focus first on stabilisation, safety and coping in the present

• Build skills for calming your nervous system and managing big emotions

• Agree together when and how to approach any trauma processing

• Regularly review the pace of therapy so that it feels challenging but not overwhelming

 

You remain in control of what you share. You do not have to tell me everything for therapy to be effective.

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Managing Risk And Working With Other Services

C-PTSD can sometimes be linked with self harm, suicidal thoughts, substance use, eating difficulties or other behaviours that carry risk. I take your safety seriously, and we will talk openly about any risks that are present.

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I do not provide a crisis or emergency service and I cannot manage high levels of risk on my own. If we decide to work together, we may need to involve other professionals or services. 

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How I Work With C-PTSD

Every person is different, so the shape of therapy will be tailored to you. Below is an outline of the kinds of work we might do together.

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Phase 1: Stabilisation, understanding and resourcing

In the early stages we focus on helping you feel steadier in daily life. This might include:

• Mapping your triggers and patterns of reaction

• Understanding how your history has shaped the way your nervous system responds now

• Learning grounding, breathing and body based techniques to reduce overwhelm

• Building emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, often drawing on DBT

• Exploring self compassion and beginning to soften harsh self criticism

 

This phase is not “just preparation”. It is important healing in its own right and often brings significant relief.

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Phase 2: Trauma processing

When you feel ready, we may use EMDR or other trauma focused approaches to work on painful memories, beliefs and body sensations that remain “stuck”. With EMDR, we identify key memories or themes and process them in a structured way that does not require you to describe every detail.

 

People often notice that:

• The memories feel more distant and less overwhelming

• Shame and self blame begin to loosen

• Emotional and physical reactions to reminders of the past become less intense

 

We will continue to use grounding and stabilisation skills throughout, so that processing happens at a pace that feels tolerable.

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Phase 3: Rebuilding life, identity and relationships

​C-PTSD is not only about what happened. It is also about what has been limited or lost along the way. In this phase we might:

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• Clarify your values and what matters to you now, using ACT based work

• Explore identity, roles and the kind of life you want to build going forward

• Work on boundaries, communication and trust in relationships

• Support you to move towards goals in small, manageable steps

• Continue to strengthen self compassion and a kinder internal voice

 

The emphasis is on helping you move from simply surviving to feeling more grounded, connected and alive.

 

Approaches I Draw On

In our work together I may integrate:

• EMDR to process traumatic memories and the beliefs and sensations linked with them

• DBT skills to support emotional regulation, distress tolerance and relationship patterns

• CBT to explore links between thoughts, feelings, behaviour and physical sensations, and to experiment with new choices

• ACT to help you live in line with your values, even when difficult feelings show up

• Compassion Focused Therapy to address deep shame and develop a warmer, more supportive inner stance

• Polyvagal informed and body based strategies to work with the nervous system and sense of safety

 

You do not need to know anything about these models before we start. I will explain what I am suggesting and why, and we will decide together what feels like a good fit for you.

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What It Is Like To Work Together

People with C-PTSD are often very sensitive to power dynamics, criticism and feeling dismissed or misunderstood. I take this seriously. My aim is that you experience therapy as a space where you are believed, respected and treated with genuine warmth.

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You can expect:

• A collaborative approach where your knowledge of yourself is central

• Clear information about the options available

• Space to ask questions or say if something is not working for you

• A balance of compassion and gentle encouragement to try new ways of responding

 

If you recognise yourself in any of what you have read and would like to explore whether we might work well together, you are welcome to get in touch to arrange an initial consultation or to ask any questions. We can think together about your experiences, your current level of risk and what you hope therapy might offer, and decide whether this is the right next step for you.