Trauma & CPTSD Therapy for Adults
Trauma is not just what happened to you. It is what happened inside you as a result. The way your mind and body adapted to survive is real, and it makes sense. With the right support, it can change.
What Is Trauma and CPTSD?
Trauma occurs when an experience overwhelms your ability to cope, leaving an imprint on your nervous system that shapes how you feel, think and respond long after the event has passed.
Complex PTSD (CPTSD) develops when trauma is repeated or prolonged, often beginning in childhood. It goes beyond the symptoms of PTSD to affect your sense of identity, your relationships and your ability to regulate emotions. Many adults living with CPTSD have never had it named, and spend years wondering why everyday life feels so much harder than it should.
Signs You May Be Living with Trauma or CPTSD
Trauma and CPTSD show up differently in every person. Some common experiences include:
Feeling on edge, hypervigilant or unable to relax
Emotional flashbacks or sudden overwhelming feelings
Numbness, disconnection or feeling detached from life
Difficulty trusting people or feeling safe in relationships
Shame, self-blame or a persistent sense of being broken
Panic, anger or freezing that feels out of proportion
Difficulty sleeping, concentrating or making decisions
Feeling like you have to manage everything alone
How Trauma Therapy Works
Trauma therapy does not require you to relive every detail of what happened. In fact, retelling traumatic events in depth can sometimes be retraumatising. Instead, we work gently and at your pace, using approaches that address both the mind and the body.
As a specialist in attachment trauma and integrative psychotherapy, I draw on somatic techniques, polyvagal theory, and grounding practices to help your nervous system find safety. Over time, the aim is to expand your window of tolerance, reduce the intensity of trauma responses, and help you feel more present and grounded in your daily life.
Childhood Trauma in Adults
Many of the adults I work with experienced trauma early in life, through neglect, emotional unavailability, loss, or chaotic family environments. These early experiences shape the nervous system in lasting ways. What looks like anxiety, depression or relationship difficulty in adulthood is often the legacy of childhood trauma finding its way to the surface.
Understanding this is not about blame. It is about making sense of patterns that have never quite made sense before, and finding a way through them.
Trauma therapy does not have to mean reliving what happened.
Specialist trauma & CPTSD therapy, online across the UK
Book a free consultationWorking with Cheryl
I bring over 20 years of direct experience with trauma, having worked as a specialist foster carer and children's lawyer before training as a psychotherapist. I understand trauma from the inside as well as the clinical perspective, and I bring both to every session.
Sessions are available face to face at the Pioneering Care Centre, Newton Aycliffe, and online via secure video link across the UK, including London and County Durham. Online trauma therapy is available Monday to Friday 11am - 8pm and Saturday 11am - 1pm.
Ready to take the first step? I offer a free initial consultation, a relaxed conversation to talk through what you're experiencing and see if working together feels right.
No pressure, no obligation. Online across the UK or face to face in Newton Aycliffe.
Book your free consultation
