My first traumatic medical experience was at the dentist. I was having four healthy teeth removed so I could have braces fitted. This was standard practice in the UK then, but not now. I remember the taste of the injections, …
Category: Psychotherapy
Post Traumatic Growth
Have you ever heard the phrase – ‘breakdown to breakthrough?’ We often talk about the pain of trauma and a breakdown, but not enough about what can emerge on the other side, a breakthrough. 🌱 Post-Traumatic Growth is about what …
TRAUMA Processing and SECURE ATTACHMENT with a Therapist
Therapy offers a unique opportunity to foster inner secure attachment, especially for those who didn't experience it growing up. Through a supportive, trusting environment, individuals can explore and heal from trauma, creating a nurturing relationship with themselves. This transformative process …
Secure Relationships and Conflict
Like many of us, I was raised to fear conflict or avoid it altogether. It took me years to learn and embody that conflict is an opportunity for connection, growth, and healing. It’s not about never arguing—it’s about how you …
Conflict Doesn’t Have to Mean Crisis
Secure couples know how to repair and come back. They don’t get it right all the time, but they keep working on it and learning about themselves and each other through the process. Be gentle with each other. Love, Jen
The Three Steps to Communicating a Need
Communicating your needs is part of secure attachment. If you want to hear more about this 🎧 listen to the full episode to explore what secure attachment looks, feels, and sounds like—and why it matters. YouTube: Spotify: Love, Jen
Aiming for Secure Attachment
If you didn’t grow up with secure attachment, it can feel like chasing something that you don’t have a clear idea of. So, let’s make it real. This is the felt sense of secure attachment. It’s calm. It’s steady. And …
What Secure Attachment Feels Like
In a secure relationship, your nervous system’s resting place is in the ventral vagal state—a branch of the parasympathetic nervous system associated with social engagement, safety, and calmness. The goal isn’t to stay in this state all the time. It’s …
Integrating Traumatic Experiences
When we experience trauma, our thoughts, emotions, and body can feel fragmented—like they’re speaking different languages. We might notice flashbacks, racing thoughts, numbness, dissociation, or a pounding heart. These reactions come from different parts of the brain: Neocortex = thoughtMammalian …
The Top Down Approach to Trauma
When we work with trauma from a top-down perspective, we start with the brain—specifically the neocortex, the part responsible for thinking, meaning-making, and language. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), recommended by the American Psychiatric Association to treat PTSD, helps us reframe …