tracydixoncounselling@gmail.com
07818 421861
TRACY DIXON
BACP ACCREDITED COUNSELLOR
Counselling for Trauma and Abuse
Experiencing trauma and abuse can leave deep, lasting scars that affect every aspect of your life. At Tracy Dixon Counselling, I offer specialised support to help you heal and regain control. With a compassionate and trauma-informed approach, I provide a safe space for you to explore your feelings and work through your experiences. Together, we can navigate the path towards recovery and resilience, ensuring you receive the care and support you need to move forward.
Understanding Trauma and Its Impact
Trauma can arise from a single incident such as an assault, accident, bereavement, relationship issue, or violence.
Complex trauma, on the other hand, results from multiple or repeated events like abuse, domestic violence, war, or neglect. These events may involve experiencing, witnessing or even hearing about something overwhelming or life-threatening.
While some people may be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to their trauma, others may not receive a formal diagnosis, yet still experience profound impacts on their lives.
Trauma happens as a result of these events. It can impact our sense of safety and our ability to cope with daily life. Our nervous systems can find these events challenging and difficult to process. Instead, our bodies and minds may continue to react as if the danger is still continuing. This is what leads to trauma symptoms.
What are the Symptoms of Trauma?
Trauma responses can become visible immediately after a traumatic event or they may not reveal themselves until much later. It is quite common for people to enter into therapy for another reason but it can become clear that unresolved trauma is involved.
Trauma can present with the following symptoms:
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Hypervigilance – always looking out for danger
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Panic attacks
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Feeling easily overwhelmed
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Depression
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Anxiety
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Stress
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Flashbacks
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Anger
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Dissociation (feeling disconnected from yourself, almost as if you are separate from your body or mind)
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Physical symptoms – such as digestive issues or headaches
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Relationship difficulties
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Suicidal thoughts
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Sleep problems
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Addiction problems
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Self-harm
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, especially if they are persistent, then you may wish to consider reaching out for help.
Understanding the Impact of Trauma
Trauma can have a huge impact on our wellbeing. The follow points highlight areas of our lives that may be affected:
Trauma and Relationships
The psychological scars from trauma can influence the types of relationships we pursue, the behaviours we accept from others, and how we may act in a relationship. We may find it difficult to trust others or we may have a false belief that we are not worthy of someone’s love.
Trauma Triggers
Trauma can lead to stress responses becoming ‘overactive’. We can feel like we are constantly in danger so small things can happen that are too much for us to handle. These are ‘triggers’. It can be something that somebody says or does, it could be a smell, a memory, or something that you have seen or heard. This can flood us with additional danger signals that are hard to understand and can worsen existing symptoms.
Avoiding People or Situations
It is not uncommon for people who have experienced trauma to significantly change their lives in order to cope with the ongoing sense of danger and threat. Avoiding anything that can be a potential trigger can result in problems such as social anxiety and isolation.
Mood swings
Emotions can become unpredictable, and we may find ourselves swinging from being happy one minute, to very angry or sad the next. Some people may feel an underlying sense of irritability that never quite allows them to relax. These emotions can be so difficult to manage that people sometimes resort to various types of self-harm in order to cope with their feelings.
Low Self Esteem
In addition to the initial symptoms of trauma can be an underlying sense of low self-worth. This can often be attributed to the isolation, fear and helplessness experienced by many after trauma. If you have been abused there may be feelings of shame or worthlessness. It can be difficult to unravel these feelings and have a more realistic view of who you are. Counselling can help with this.
Recovery from Trauma and Abuse
Working with trauma requires specialist training and experience. At Tracy Dixon Counselling, I work with every client in a Trauma Informed way. This means that I will be sensitive to your unique needs and will keep your safety at the core of our work. We will always work at your pace and you will always be in control.
Trauma counselling helps you to develop coping skills in order to manage any trauma triggers and to rebuild your internal alarm system that may always be on high alert. Together we will come to an understanding of why your mind and body react in the way that they do and to help you to change this process.
What Are The Benefits Of Counselling For Trauma And Abuse?
The benefits will be different for everyone but they can include:
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Increased knowledge of yourself - by understanding trauma and its effects, you may start to identify why you experience certain thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
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Healthier relationships – by becoming more empowered and confident you may start to move away from toxic relationships and towards healthier ones.
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Improved coping strategies – these can help you to become less overwhelmed and more able to cope with life’s challenges.
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Improved physical health – this could mean sleeping better, fewer headaches, better digestion etc as you start to process the trauma.
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Learning to trust again – this could be trusting others more but also trusting yourself and your own instincts.
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Re-establish a sense of safety – this starts with developing a safe and trusting relationship with your counsellor, at a pace that you are comfortable with.
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Increased self-esteem – counselling can help you to challenge negative beliefs, to validate your feelings, develop self-compassion and ultimately to change how you view yourself.
Getting Started with Counselling for Trauma or Abuse.
Taking the first step towards counselling can be daunting. I am here to support you every step of the way.
Contact Me: Feel free to reach out via phone or email to schedule an initial consultation.
During this 15-minute call, we can discuss how my counselling services can best support you.
Phone: 07818 421861