Trauma Therapy Adelaide
Psychologists aren't allowed to call themselves specialists
(so I'll just say I really know trauma)
Highly trained trauma psychologist.
Any trauma therapy issue.
Whether it's childhood trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, or a one-off incident that's stuck with you.
Looking for trauma therapy in Adelaide?
It's a no brainer.
Trauma happens when
memories get stuck
Signs of unprocessed trauma
Trauma gets stuck in your brain and body, sitting there as raw, unprocessed material. Symptoms of unprocessed trauma or stuck memories can vary, but common signs include:
-
Physical sensations such as a tight chest, racing heart, or a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
-
Nightmares or vivid, intrusive memories that interrupt daily life.
-
Strong emotional responses like anger, panic, sadness, guilt, or regret.
-
Negative beliefs related to the trauma, such as "I’m not good enough," "I should have done more," or "I am powerless."
It's not about the event
Many people associate trauma with major life events, like accidents or violent crimes. But trauma occurs when our mind and body can't properly process what happened because it was so emotionally overwhelming. This means that a wide range of experiences can be processed by our brain as traumatic, even if they don’t fit typical ideas of trauma. I frequently see clients who are experiencing symptoms of trauma without having gone through stereotypically traumatic events.
Common life experiences can cause trauma
Sometimes trauma arises from situations we might not initially recognise as traumatic, such as:
-
Childbirth (even when things technically go well)
-
Breakups in relationships
-
Experiencing betrayal
-
Public shaming or intense embarrassment
-
Feeling extremely threatened or scared (like being yelled at, or aggressively confronted)
-
Relationships with unpredictable or volatile people
-
Death of loved ones, even when not in tragic or extreme circumstances
Frequently asked questions
What about complex trauma?
Technically, PTSD refers to a single incident; but in my experience, many people who have experienced trauma have not just experienced a single event. This is where complex trauma (or C-PTSD) enters the chat, and it's a whole other kettle of fish. As a general definition, c-PTSD refers to the broad range of psychological and physiological symptoms that can occur after experiencing a range of repeated traumatic experiences over a long period of time.
What does complex trauma look like?
Some examples of c-PTSD symptoms include:
-
Fawning: People-pleasing tendencies or difficulty saying “no” to others
-
Challenges with anger management: Feeling as though you go from calm to intense anger (zero to 100) despite efforts to control it.
-
A sense of disconnection from your true self: You might feel like you don’t know who you truly are or that you’re not living authentically.
-
Feeling like there are dramatically different sides to you: Some people describe having a Jekyll and Hyde type experience where moods shift dramatically.
-
Difficulty with emotional connection: Either struggling to feel emotions or feeling emotionally overwhelmed on a regular basis.
-
Constant feelings of worthlessness: A persistent sense of “not being good enough” or lacking value.
-
High empathy for others but little self-compassion: You may have deep compassion for others but struggle to give the same to yourself.
-
Frequent self-criticism: Harshly judging yourself or calling yourself negative names when you make mistakes.
-
Invalidating your own emotions: Frequently telling yourself that your feelings are dramatic or invalid.
Where does childhood trauma fit?
The short version? Childhood trauma can show up in all the ways above — and then some. It might lead to PTSD, complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, emotional reactivity, or just a lingering sense that something’s wrong with you or not quite right.
Think of your experiences like tree roots. If there’s something tangled down there, you’ll see it in the leaves — but there are hundreds of ways that might show up.
The good news? Trauma therapy works. And EMDR (my favourite, obviously) is an effective trauma therapy, no matter what your childhood looked like or how your symptoms are showing up today. Learn more about how EMDR can help beyond PTSD here.
How can you help?
I provide trauma therapy tailored to your specific needs. If it suits your presentation, I'll often recommend eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), a gold-standard trauma therapy endorsed by the World Health Organisation and Australian Federal Government. Learn more about EMDR here.
For clients with more complex trauma, I usually combine EMDR with other therapeutic approaches. These help us work with the whole picture — especially when things feel layered or tangled. These might include:
-
Schema therapy
-
Mindfulness
-
Internal family systems therapy (and other 'parts' approaches)
-
Acceptance and commitment therapy
-
Compassion-focused therapy
-
Cognitive-behavioural therapy
-
Dialectical behaviour therapy
EMDR therapy and other trauma approaches are well supported by research — they can help you process traumatic experiences and release them for good so you can actually move forward. What is EMDR?
I understand the challenges that come with trauma and complex trauma symptoms.
Learn more about me and how I work here.
Or, get in touch, and let's get started.