My journey of healing chronic nervous system dysregulation

My healing journey started in my early twenties after experiencing intense anxiety and panic attacks.. I didn’t know at the time but my nervous system was chronically dysregulated, I had a harsh inner critic and was really disconnected from my emotions.

I wanted to understand why I felt so bad so began reading books focussed on self healing, mindset work, positive psychology and methods to improve your life based on CBT. I started to realise the importance of my thoughts and pay attention to them. Over time I grew in self awareness and understanding but the anxiety remained. Eventually I found a therapist trained in inner child and somatic work who I felt connected to from the beginning and that’s when I started to see real progress. Within a few months I stopped having panic attacks and generally felt more regulated in my body because the safe attachment I had formed with my therapist had a calming effect on my nervous system. It was from this that I discovered the power of co-regulation in healing from chronic anxiety.

My healing journey has been an ongoing spiral of deepening into my authentic self. It has been painful, scary even overwhelming but I’ve always kept faith in the process even when at times it seemed like all hope was lost. I firmly believe in the power of consistency, commitment and patience when it comes to deep inner work. It can’t be rushed, I’ve had to slow down and attune to the rhythm of my body time and time again. Healing trauma is a personal evolution, a transformation and alignment with your true self, it’s no small undertaking but probably the most important journey you will ever take.

My clients are my teachers

I’m profoundly grateful and honoured to have worked with many people on their journey of healing from childhood trauma. The process of healing has certain universal features that are common to everyone (the importance of developing self compassion for example) but the way to get there is unique for each person. My client’s have taught me how to be present in the moment and to have faith in whatever is arising. I’ve learned that the nervous system and emotions have a deep intelligence of their own, aligning with them is much more fruitful that trying to control or fight them.

Although the depth of our psyche is unknown because its exists mostly in our subconscious, there are patterns, maps and signposts along the way. A good therapist knows how to interpret the signs, when to hold space, when to challenge, when to bring empathy or containment. The ability to intuit and feel into what is happening is vital, my clients have taught me how do this by being themselves and being willing to be vulnerable in the space we’ve created together. Depth Psychotherapy is a mysterious process in many ways, difficult and beautiful, a profound opening to a life that transmutes pain and suffering into clarity, compassion, truth and authenticity.

My philosophy on therapy and healing

Psychological and emotional difficulties, trauma responses and the resulting maladaptive coping mechanisms that arise are not mental illness. They are your psyche and body trying to help you survive the trauma resulting from your childhood experiences.. After years of my own inner work and guiding my client’s through the depths of their psyche it is clear to me that our unhelpful feelings, thoughts and behaviours are for the most part caused by subconscious nervous system trauma responses. These patterns are no longer required but at one point kept us alive and are our best attempts to stay safe and navigate the world.. Our inner child is not going to give them up easily and so the emphasis is on creating inner safety through empathy, compassion and the willingness to understand the perspective of our wounded self.

I believe in the power of removing shame and judgment from mental and emotional struggle and instead seeing it for what it is - our natural and in built physiological and emotional responses to the things that happened to us.

Psychotherapy, somatic therapy and inner child work are potent and effective methods to heal at depth and process subconscious emotional wounds. I believe we must address the issues present on all levels to see lasting positive change. This type of work can create deep and profound identity levels shifts. The relationship I have with my clients is the foundation for the work and is the safe container required for this depth of work.