Sexual trauma counselling and EMDR therapy for survivors of sexual abuse and violence
Sexual trauma therapy - overcome traumatic events & regain control of your life using EMDR techniques
Sexual trauma
If you have experienced any form of sexual trauma, know that you are not alone. You have not done anything wrong, it is not your fault. Sexual abuse and sexual violence is not normal and it’s never okay. Abusive relationships and experiences can happen to anyone. We are here to help. We can help you work through your trauma. We offer a safe space where you can be yourself without judgement or fear.
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Trauma therapy explained
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event, whether experienced or witnessed. Everyone will respond to trauma in their own way.
Immediately after the event, you may experience shock and denial; these are typical initial responses. Longer term reactions may include unpredictable emotions, strained relationships, flashbacks, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.
Trauma can be described as experiencing an event or multiple events which overwhelm your ability to cope. Examples of trauma are the sudden death of a loved one, a distressing experience or humiliating occurrence. Trauma can often be the outcome of physical harm. However, any situation that limits your ability to cope can be traumatic. Some traumatic events are sudden, giving you no time to prepare yourself emotionally. This can leave you feeling powerless to regain control.
There are situations where a traumatic event that happens in your childhood can often be suppressed and problems arise later. Trauma therapy can help you combat these traumatic events and guide you towards regaining control of your emotions.
What is PTSD and how is it different from trauma?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event – either by experiencing it or witnessing it. Whilst it is not an inevitable response to trauma it can have a significant impact on your life.
PTSD is a longer-term condition where the person continues to have flashbacks and re-experiences the traumatic event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Trauma therapy is effective in overcoming Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
How to tell if you are suffering from PTSD
There are many symptoms that can be ascribed to trauma. These symptoms can be emotional, or physical and can determine the severity of the issues.
The most common emotional symptoms are feelings of anxiety and fear in situations that are neither scary or stressful. You may also suffer from mood swings or have difficulty concentrating on everyday tasks. The more common physical symptoms are the inability to sleep or erratic sleeping patterns, including feeling lethargic or fatigue.
If you notice any of these symptoms after experiencing a traumatic event you or someone you know has suffered, you may be in need of counselling.
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Our approach to sexual trauma therapy
Our sexual trauma therapy is based around building a rapport with you. Our highly trained sexual trauma therapists will work with you to really understand how you are feeling. We’ll give you the opportunity to express your emotions freely. We know that showing an accepting nature is vital to helping you overcome negative feelings and to come to terms with your trauma.
It is our goal to make sure that you receive the right approach to your trauma counselling. Our objective is that you see yourself as a person who has the power and ability to change your life.
Using EMDR therapy for sexual trauma counselling
We know that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ and that each of our clients is different and has their own set of unique needs and circumstances. When working with someone who has experienced sexual trauma we mainly use a therapy called Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR). We may also call on other complementary treatments such Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy alongside talking therapies such as counselling and psychotherapy.
“EMDR therapy is a way of helping your brain process negative events and overwhelming situations as memory. We use it a lot and the results can be relatively quick and really powerful. When you use talking therapy (e.g. counselling) to treat sexual abuse trauma you are dealing with the rational part of the mind, and it can be effective. For some people though this won’t be enough. EMDR helps you treat the irrational part of the mind as well, which you also need to treat, through guiding someone’s internal experience”
Richard Reid - CEO, Therapist & Coaching Psychologist
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) therapy was originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorders, including experiences of war. It is highly effective for those who have experienced sexual trauma and has since been found to have far reaching applications for many different types of disorders.
How does EMDR sexual therapy help?
Some people don’t want to talk about what is troubling them, particularly those suffering from sexual abuse trauma; it can be difficult to ’open up’ and explore why they are feeling this way. Some people don’t fully know how to express their emotions but that’s not a problem with EMDR because it enables us to work blind to the actual issue: sometimes we work with people and treat them without needing to discuss any of the specifics.
EMDR in more detail
Imagine watching a film back in your mind of an incident or trigger which made you anxious, and then pausing it at the worst moment: the part that really encapsulates the trauma you felt. That’s what we get our patients to do, replaying it in their mind. We ask them to notice something in the past, and then notice something in the present. We call it bilateral stimulation.
We do this because the part of our brain that processes that event, the reptilian part of our brain, doesn’t know how to handle the incident and can’t store it as a memory. EMDR helps to change that.
What can you expect from a sexual trauma counselling session?
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