Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Hi, I’m Dr Lorna Kerr. I’m glad you’re here. If you’re struggling with difficulties related to past trauma or difficult life experiences, you’re in the right place. I provide online consultations and online help for PTSD, throughout the UK and beyond.
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Traumatic events can happen at any age and can cause long-lasting harm. You may not think of yourself as having suffered from trauma, but trauma doesn’t always look like large and horrific events. Trauma can be caused by a single event, or it can be cumulative or caused by exposure to chronic stress. Trauma can be caused by any negative experience that overwhelmed your capacity to cope or to process what was happening. By adulthood, the majority of us have experienced some kind of trauma.
Adverse childhood experiences are one potential cause of trauma. Maybe you grew up with parents who were emotionally inconsistent or neglectful, or unable to meet your needs. Perhaps you experienced the loss of a parent. Maybe you survived abuse or abandonment. Or perhaps in adulthood, you have experienced trauma, chronic stress, or loss.
Whatever the case may be, trauma creates changes in your brain by increasing your fight, flight, freeze or submit response. Your brain becomes wired to perceive more danger in your environment. When you’re on high alert for danger, you might feel chronically anxious or overwhelmed. You might strive for success or validation, yet be convinced that nothing you do is ever good enough. Trauma can sometimes lead to symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.
But the psychological impact of trauma doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Just as your brain became wired to perceive more danger in your environment, it can become wired for safe, healthy, connection again. I can help you to to heal from the past, regulate your nervous system, find peace, and live the fulfilling life that you deserve.
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Maybe you have been coping with the impact of past trauma in ways that leave you feeling worse in the longer term. Or perhaps your self-confidence is low and you struggle to let your true self shine through for fear of rejection and judgment. Whatever your challenges are, there’s nothing wrong with you. I’ve seen firsthand how trauma can negatively impact relationships, happiness, and self-worth. But you don’t have to keep living this way.
My mission is to help people struggling with the legacy of trauma learn to truly accept and love themselves, develop healthy relationships, and experience more ease and balance in their lives. I believe that creating a sense of safety within the therapeutic relationship is an essential part of effective therapy. I will never judge or shame you for what you’re going through or what you’ve been through. Instead, I aim to help each person I work with feel seen, heard, and understood.
Therapy should be tailored to each individual’s needs, so I integrate a variety of modalities in my practice. These include Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Trauma Sensitive Yoga and integrative somatic (mind-body) approaches to healing from trauma.
I am committed to helping people create deep and lasting change in their lives. I offer a safe, non-judgmental space for individuals to explore their feelings, thoughts, and experiences in order to gain insight into their current challenges. Together, we can work to uncover and heal the root causes of distress, develop new coping skills, and create a life that is more meaningful and fulfilling for you.
I believe in providing my clients with evidence-based treatments that are proven to be effective in helping them find relief from suffering. I strive to empower my clients by helping them develop their own inner resources, and foster the self-compassion, resiliency, and strength that can lead to lasting positive change.
Online Treatment for PTSD
As an experienced Clinical Psychologist, I am trained to doctoral level and I have been providing therapy for trauma for over a decade. I’ll help you to overcome distress and process your feelings at a pace that feels right for you. I’ll share advanced therapeutic techniques to help calm and regulate your nervous system. I specialise in providing online therapy for trauma and anxiety. In many ways, online therapy is similar to traditional face-to-face therapy, yet offers more flexibility and accessibility.
Many people feel more at ease talking to a therapist from the comfort of their own home. With the help of online therapy, you can now access treatment from anywhere across the country. It is especially helpful for those who are unable to travel due to medical conditions, job obligations, or family commitments. An added bonus is the ability to have flexible appointment times and the convenience of not having to travel to an appointment.
Book Your Session
Let’s help you to break free and heal from trauma, so that you can experience more safety, connection and freedom in the present. To take the next step, click on the button below to schedule a session.
What causes PTSD?
When we experience trauma, or are exposed to chronic stress for a prolonged period, we automatically go into a survival or threat response – fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Sometimes a person’s threat response may become chronically activated as a result of trauma, triggering ongoing feelings anxiety, dread, or shame. You may feel self-destructive impulses when you are triggered or under stress, or find it difficult to voice your needs and hold boundaries in relationships. Being in a chronic threat response can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, low, and may even lead to chronic pain or illness. But healing is always possible. You can learn to calm your threat response, regulate your nervous system, and experience more peace, inner-confidence, and freedom in the present.
Experiencing trauma means going through an experience that overwhelmed your capacity to cope, process, or respond to what was happening. Survivors of trauma often experience intense responses and symptoms as a result. These include: anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event, hypervigilance, sleep disturbances, nightmares, emotional reactivity, and irritability. Isolated experiences of trauma can sometimes lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Experiencing prolonged or multiple experiences of trauma, especially if these experiences began in childhood, sometimes leads to Complex PTSD (CPTSD). I specialise in providing online PTSD therapy and treatment for Complex PTSD, as well as support for other trauma-related issues.
Signs of PTSD
If the following difficulties or distress persist for more than a few weeks following a traumatic experience, a person may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Re-experiencing the trauma in the present (e.g., flashbacks, intrusive memories)
Deliberately avoiding reminders of the traumatic experience/s
Feeling as if you are currently under threat e.g., feeling jumpy or easily startled, or on “high alert”
Dissociative symptoms e.g., feeling disconnected from the world around you or from your own feelings and experiences
Somatic complaints e.g., fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, joint or muscle pain, headaches, and palpitations
Suicidal ideation and behaviour
Social withdrawal
Excessive alcohol or drug use (e.g., to cope with re-experiencing symptoms or overwhelming emotions)
Anxiety (including panic)
Emotions such as anger, shame, sadness, humiliation, or guilt
Signs of Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Complex PTSD usually results from experiencing repeated, severe, ongoing, or multiple traumatic experiences, especially if these experiences began in childhood. Individuals with Complex PTSD will experience many of the same symptoms as those with PTSD (see above), but in addition, the following symptoms may be present:
Problems with emotional regulation e.g., heightened emotional reactivity to minor stressors, violent outbursts, reckless or self-destructive behaviour, dissociative symptoms when under stress, and emotional numbing, particularly the inability to experience pleasure or positive emotions.
Negative self-beliefs e.g., “I am worthless” or “I am unlovable”
Relationship difficulties - persistent difficulties in sustaining relationships and in feeling close to others.
Emotional flashbacks during which intense feelings or emotions are triggered, which tell the story of the traumatic past, without words, and without the knowledge or awareness that we are remembering experiences from the past. Emotional flashbacks are a defining feature of Complex PTSD and can have subtle triggers (i.e., time of day, seasons). Others may not recognise what has happened and think that the person is simply “overreacting” to situations in the present, when actually they are having an emotional flashback to the past.
Treatment for PTSD and Complex PTSD
If you relate to some of the signs of trauma described above, you’re not alone. Healing from trauma always possible, with the right support. Evidence-based trauma therapies such as EMDR are an effective treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and I use this frequently in my work. Somatic (mind-body) therapies and therapies that focus on healing younger ‘parts’ and attachment-repair are often helpful for Complex PTSD. The timing and pacing of each phase of trauma therapy is important, to prevent feelings of overwhelm and re-traumatisation. I use a three phase model of trauma therapy so that the work is done safely and at a pace that does not feel overwhelming.
PHASE 1: SAFETY AND STABILISATION
During this phase, I help you to understand how trauma impacts the mind and the body. This phase can be validating, as people start to realise that their trauma-related difficulties are not a negative reflection of their character or personality, but a sign that their nervous system has had an understandable and human response to a traumatic experience. During this phase of therapy we’ll likely explore what helps you to feel calm, safe, or soothed, and work towards increasing your skills and resources in this area. I will share various tools and advanced trauma therapy techniques with you and be led by your feedback on what feels helpful or not. During this phase of therapy, we may also start to work on attachment repair. For example, if you experienced childhood emotional neglect, you might find being kind to yourself or soothing your own distress difficult, and trauma-informed therapy can help with this.
PHASE 2: COMING TO TERMS WITH TRAUMATIC MEMORY
Some individuals feel a need to tell their story in therapy, and I fully support this, if it feels important and helpful for you. However, some people prefer to share less details of traumatic experiences, and this is absolutely okay too. people feel it is important for their healing to tell their story and share the details of their trauma, and I support this, if it feels important and helpful for you. The field of psychology has advanced in recent years and trauma-informed therapists are now mindful that remembering or talking about the trauma is not the same as recovering from it. It is not actually necessary to share all the details of the trauma in order for healing to take place - some clients are relieved to hear this. If we decide that trauma processing would be helpful for you, we may use some EMDR therapy at this stage, which can be an empowering process and help you to process and release negative feelings or beliefs held in the body and mind.
PHASE 3: INTEGRATION
While we cannot erase the past traumatic events, in this phase of therapy, the trauma starts to feel further away, like it’s truly over. During this stage of recovery, some individuals experience post-traumatic growth. Positive changes in this phase may include improved relationships, new possibilities for one's life, a deeper appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal strength and a renewed sense of purpose or meaning.
Book an appointment.
If you’d like to schedule an initial consultation, you can book this online today. Alternatively, send me a message through my contact page and I’ll respond by email. Looking forward to connecting with you!
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