Trauma therapy
When we hear the word trauma, we often think of major, life-altering events: an accident, violence, abuse, or loss. But trauma isn't just about what happened. It's primarily about what was happening inside you at the time you were trapped.
Trauma arises when an experience is too intense to process. This could be something that happened too quickly, too overwhelmingly, or too long. And if you couldn't fight, flee, or get support at that moment, your system switches to survival mode. It essentially freezes the experience, so you can't get through it.
That frozen reaction doesn't simply resolve itself. Even after the situation is over, your body can continue to react as if you're still in danger. You might notice this, for example, in tension, stress reactions, depression, anxiety, a feeling of being cut off, or patterns in relationships that you can't quite explain.
Trauma therapy helps to release what has been stuck, step by step.
What exactly is trauma
Trauma isn't a flaw in you. It's a protective mechanism of your nervous system, doing its best to keep you safe.
When you experience something traumatic that you can't respond to adequately or get help for, the event remains stuck in your system. The event is over, but your internal alarm button remains sensitive, sometimes even constantly on.
Trauma shows up in how you feel, think, and react, long after the actual situation has passed.
Big T and small T trauma
Trauma takes many forms. This isn't meant to compare severity, but to acknowledge that trauma is broader than just the "typical" examples.
Big T trauma
These are clearly major events such as:
physical or sexual violence
serious accidents
abuse
a major threat
unexpected loss
These experiences are often visible and recognizable.
Small T trauma
This is about long-term or recurring experiences that you could not cope with as a child or adult, such as:
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emotional rejection or unpredictability
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growing up without emotional support
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a parent who couldn't be there for you
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bullying
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embarrassing or critical comments
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always feeling like you weren't good enough
These events may seem "minor," but your system reacts to them as if there was a constant sense of unsafety. And that leaves a mark.
Both forms can lead to the same symptoms: a hypervigilant nervous system, difficulty establishing boundaries, a need to survive instead of live, and a feeling of being stuck. Trauma therapy can help with this.
How trauma stays in your system
When you had no way out of a difficult situation, your body essentially interrupted the experience. The stress response never fully resolves.
This can manifest itself in:
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chronic tension or anxiety
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fear or panic
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dissociation or overstimulation
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difficulty with connection or intimacy
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quickly become overwhelmed
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pleasing behavior, adapting or losing yourself
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physical complaints without a clear cause
These aren't "strange" reactions. They're logical signals from a system that couldn't complete what it wanted to do at the time: flee, fight, or receive support.
What we do in trauma therapy
In trauma therapy, we don't look for drama or reliving. We focus on your safety, here and now. We work with what you feel right now—in your body, your emotions, and your thoughts.
Together, we'll make the once - blocked reactions accessible again. Not by forcing them, but by slowing down and exploring. We'll look at what your body needs to release, what your system is trying to communicate, and which parts of you have been protective but may now need to relax.
We can use EMDR, mindfulness and IFS parts work.
The goal is for your nervous system to process the experiences. So that you no longer live from a survival perspective, but from within yourself again.
You are welcome
You don't have to know exactly what you've been through to seek help.
Many people come because they feel tense, stuck or overwhelmed, without being able to pinpoint exactly why.
I'm Tessa , a psychologist with 10 years of experience. I work with body awareness and care, addressing issues like trauma, anxiety , and depression . Your safety is always paramount in my guidance . We work step by step, at your pace, focusing on what your system can handle. You don't have to force anything or relive the trauma.
In an initial (no-obligation) consultation , we'll explore together what's going on and what challenges you're facing. From there, we'll discuss how we can work step by step towards more rest, movement, and recovery. This will help you reconnect with yourself, experience space in your body and mind, and gradually regain your energy and direction in life.
