Complex PTSD develops when the nervous system has been shaped by prolonged or repeated threat rather than a single traumatic event. Over time, the body learns to live in survival mode, cycling between hypervigilance, anxiety and emotional reactivity, or collapse, shutdown and disconnection. These patterns are not choices or personality traits; they are adaptive responses that once protected the system. Healing begins by understanding this, and by working in a way that restores safety at every level rather than pushing the mind to relive or override what the body still perceives as dangerous.

My work with complex trauma is grounded in a multi-level, integrative approach. Alongside my formal training in CBT for PTSD, I draw on functional medicine, nutritional genomics, nervous system regulation, shadow work and natural medicine. This allows me to support both the psychological and biological dimensions of trauma, recognising that for many people insight alone is not enough if the body remains locked in stress physiology.

The tools I use can be a powerful in trauma recovery when used with sensitivity and timing. In complex PTSD, thoughts such as hyper-self-blame, paranoia, catastrophic thinking or emotional numbing are often driven by an overactive threat system rather than distorted logic alone. I work carefully to help clients recognise how these patterns developed, separating past danger from present reality, and gently updating beliefs and responses only when the nervous system is sufficiently regulated. This prevents cognitive work from becoming overwhelming or reinforcing shutdown, which can happen when trauma is approached too aggressively.

At the same time, I address the underlying physiological factors that commonly maintain trauma responses. Chronic stress alters cortisol rhythms, increases inflammation, disrupts gut-brain signalling and affects neurotransmitters involved in mood, motivation and emotional regulation. Through functional testing and advanced DNA analysis, I explore how individual genetic variations influence stress tolerance, methylation, detoxification, inflammation, neuroplasticity and emotional processing. Variants in pathways such as MTHFR, COMT, MAOA and BDNF can significantly affect how someone processes trauma, handles emotional intensity or recovers from stress, and these differences are often overlooked in conventional trauma treatment.

By supporting these pathways with personalised nutrition, targeted supplementation and natural medicine, the nervous system can begin to settle. Sleep improves, emotional reactivity reduces, and the body becomes more capable of engaging in therapeutic work without tipping into overwhelm or collapse. For many clients, this biological stabilisation is the missing piece that allows psychological healing to finally take hold.

Attachment trauma is another core focus of my work with complex PTSD. Many individuals have grown up in environments where safety, consistency or emotional attunement were absent, leading to deep patterns of hyper-independence, people-pleasing, emotional volatility or trauma bonding. Healing here is not about analysing relationships in abstraction, but about experiencing a different quality of connection. Through clear boundaries, consistent presence and careful pacing, therapy itself becomes a reparative space where the nervous system can learn that closeness does not have to equal danger.

I also draw on homeopathy and symbolic understanding to support layers of trauma that sit beyond language. Trauma is often held in sensation, imagery and pattern rather than narrative memory, and these approaches can help shift long-standing emotional imprints that are difficult to reach through talking alone. Used alongside psychological and biological support, this work can gently reorganise the system at depth.

Throughout the process, I prioritise containment and regulation over catharsis. Trauma is not forced to the surface; it is allowed to unwind gradually as safety increases. Sessions are paced according to the individual’s capacity, with close attention to signs of dissociation, shutdown or escalation. This protects against re-traumatisation and supports long-term, sustainable change.

Over time, healing complex PTSD becomes about more than reducing symptoms. As the nervous system stabilises and the body no longer expects constant threat, people often experience a profound shift in identity. There is more access to choice, rest, creativity and connection. Life becomes less about managing survival responses and more about inhabiting a self that feels grounded, present and alive.

I am right here.