Trauma

Trauma involves experiencing a deeply distressing, frightening or stressful event, or series of events, over which we have little control.

Examples of traumatic experiences include:

  • being the victim of crime, especially violent crime
  • child abuse 
  • sexual assault
  • traffic accidents
  • war
  • natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis
  • witnessing or experiencing violence

A one-off event can be traumatic, as can repeated incidents over a long time. What is traumatic to one person might not be to another. Anyone can experience trauma, regardless of age, gender or culture.

It’s not the objective facts that determine whether an experience is traumatic, but the subjective emotional response of the person experiencing the event.

The symptoms of trauma can begin immediately following a traumatic experience or may surface much later. It can be very unsettling and confusing to suddenly experience symptoms years after the trauma.

What happens to us following traumatic experiences?

Traumatic experiences can leave us feeling overwhelmed, confused and afraid. In a state of trauma, our bodies can respond in ways they didn’t before. This can be unsettling and very frightening.

The symptoms of trauma include:

  • rage
  • flashbacks
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • nightmares or insomnia
  • panic attacks
  • disturbing thoughts
  • emotional detachment.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be diagnosed if symptoms are intense, sustained and affecting daily functioning. Most people who experience trauma don’t go on to suffer from PTSD.

Our clients have reported great results!

Mr K
“I was attending sessions at One Therapy practice for about 1 1/2 years. I am very happy with the result, sessions there really helped me. I am really grateful to my therapist. Someone recommended him to me as a high professional and it proved right, thank you.”
Mrs M
“I can only provide positive comments on my sessions with (my therapist). This was my first experience with a therapist, and she managed to make me feel comfortable. And I must say that the sessions were helpful and efficient.”
Mrs E
“My therapist was extremely helpful, considerate and understanding. I felt she properly understood what the issues I had were, and their underlying causes, and I feel I benefited considerably from the sessions with her.”
Mrs N
“I immediately felt completely at ease as they were very professional while showing genuine care and interest in helping me. I was able to confront many issues which I had so far chosen to ignore despite their negative effects on my personal relationships and happiness. I would have no hesitation in recommending (One Therapy) to anyone looking to improve their relationships and self-esteem.”
Mrs L
“I learned a lot about myself and about the relationships I make with other people. I was able to see where I was going wrong and I now make better personal choices. Thank you, again.”
Mrs R
“I can’t thank you enough for the help and support I got from my appointments. I would highly recommend therapy to anyone now. Therapy helped me in more ways than I could have imagined. Please tell (my therapist) how grateful I am for her help.”

Trauma counselling can help

Some trauma survivors feel they have lost their sense of security. The world may feel more frightening or more dangerous than it did before. They may have problems trusting themselves or others and they may feel unsafe even in places that felt safe before.

Counselling can help untangle the complex emotions that trauma survivors often describe and help them to feel safe in the world again.

For many survivors, the thought of therapy can be daunting. They may fear that discussing their trauma will be like reliving the original experience, or that it might trigger feelings they have been keeping at bay. 

Our competent, experienced therapists support trauma survivors with great care and compassion. We don’t push our clients to discuss anything they are not ready to. We facilitate a process that helps restore a sense of safety and control in the trauma survivor’s life.

If you think that could be helpful, book an initial consultation or contact us to start the process.

What to expect in counselling

When I trained as a psychotherapist, me and my fellow students were given the assignment of doing something we’d never done before. The course tutors wanted us to get in touch with how scary it can be to do something new, to feel the fear of the unknown. I chose to …

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What do I talk about in counselling?

One of the most common worries I hear expressed by people starting counselling is that they won’t know what to talk about. Some people think their problems aren’t significant enough. Others fear they have too much to say, that they might overwhelm the therapist…

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Counselling for individuals

Personal counselling can be about anything that is on your mind.

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Couples counselling

Couples counselling provides space for couples to discuss problems in their relationship and find solutions.

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Our therapists

We have over 30 qualified and experienced therapists to choose from.

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One Therapy London

Counselling, psychotherapy, couples counselling in London since 2006

Geraldine Abberton - Therapist
Geraldine Abberton

Geraldine is an integrative therapist who draws on a range of therapeutic approaches including person-centred, CBT and psychodynamic modalities, to meet each client’s unique needs She believes in her clients’ innate resilience and capacity for growth, and helps them make sense of current challenges and past experiences, to gain the insight and self-understanding...

Oxford Circus

Annabelle Hird - Therapist
Annabelle Hird

Annabelle is a skilled and compassionate therapist offering support for individuals and couples in Kensington/Notting Hill Her approach is centred around creating a non-judgemental space for clients to explore their thoughts, feelings and relationships It is her belief that with greater understanding comes agency, and this is when powerful change occurs Annabelle works...

Kensington / Notting Hill

Annabel Lear - Therapist
Annabel Lear

Annabel is an integrative therapist offering both short- and long-term therapy Acknowledging that beginning therapy can feel daunting, Annabel establishes a secure and collaborative therapeutic relationship grounded in trust, empathy and genuine understanding Working from a humanistic-integrative perspective, Annabel believes every person has an innate capacity for...

Oxford Circus

Melinda Shalet - Therapist
Melinda Shalet

Melinda offers both short-term and long-term therapy in a calm, attuned environment where clients can speak freely, make meaningful connections and gently explore the areas of life that feel stuck With a warm, collaborative approach, she encourages clients to slow down, listen inwardly and begin the process of healing Drawing from humanistic, Gestalt and psychodynamic...

Oxford Circus

Prachi Vij - Therapist
Prachi Vij

As a psychodynamic therapist, Prachi provides a warm and secure space for her clients to explore their world She works collaboratively with clients to uncover the unconscious patterns that shape their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours By making connections between past experiences and current life, clients can gain valuable insights and develop more authentic ways of...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Yussef Ferguson
Yussef Ferguson

Yussef offers a warm and confidential space to explore life’s challenges He is a psychodynamic therapist and works in a way that explores how past experiences and hidden patterns may shape your present thoughts, feelings and relationships In meetings with Yussef, you can speak freely about whatever feelings, memories or experiences are important to you You will begin...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Stamatia Lorentzou
Stamatia Lorentzou

A senior therapist, Stamatia has been with One Therapy London for many years She holds a doctorate in counselling psychology and is a registered psychotherapist Stamatia knows it can be difficult to understand or cope with the strong feelings that life’s experiences can sometimes bring Talking with an experienced therapist is a way of thinking things through and...

Bloomsbury

James Eve - Therapist
James Eve

James is a psychosexual and relationship therapist who has been in private practice for five years He works with individuals and couples on sexual and relationship difficulties, understanding that these can be significant causes of distress in one's life Prior to working in private practice, James worked for the psychosexual team at Croydon University Hospital He is a...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard

Tom works with both couples and individuals  His approach integrates different styles of therapy to help find the best way to assist you  Therapy is often a self-exploration, with the therapist supporting you in seeking to reach a better understanding of and connection to your needs, feelings and behaviour and the ways in which they affect your relationships and...

Oxford Circus

Damla Ciftcioglu - Therapist
Berrak Damla Çiftcioğlu

Damla offers a warm, supportive and confidential space where you can talk openly — perhaps for the first time — about the thoughts, emotions and challenges shaping your life She provides psychodynamic psychotherapy, gently exploring the deeper, often unconscious, roots of emotional difficulties Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, stuck in unhelpful patterns, or...

Oxford Circus