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The Trauma Release Centre?

 

DO YOU TREAT CLIENTS WITH SEVERE HEALTH PROBLEMS?

Yes, we do. We don’t pathologise health problems; instead, we view them as symptoms that need to be explored further. Together, we work to uncover the root cause of your health issues, understanding how trauma and emotional experiences may be contributing. Through Internal Family Systems (IFS) and The Advancing Heart Protocol®, we address both the mind and body, helping you find the right solutions to restore balance and move toward optimal well-being. Each client is unique, and our approach is tailored to meet your specific needs.

 

WHY DOES TRAUMA AFFECT MY BODY?

In simple terms it's a protection mechanism.
A traumatic event that is too much for a person to handle overloads the central nervous system, stopping the trauma from processing. This overload activates the body's instinctive fight or flight response, causing the traumatic energy to be stored in the surrounding muscles, organs and connective tissue. Whenever we store trauma in our tissue, our brain disconnects from that part of the body to block the experience, preventing the recall of the traumatic memory. Any area of our body that our brain is disconnected from won’t be able stay healthy or heal itself. The predictable effect of stored trauma is degeneration and disease.

 

HOW CAN TRAUMA BE RELEASED FROM MY MIND AND MY BODY?

What we know from neuroscience to date there are at least three elements necessary for the body to release stored trauma:
 

  1. Access the inner resources to handle the experience that were not present when the experience occurred (Mind)

  2. To create space for the traumatic energy to move is essential for its release (Energetic body)  

  3. Connecting the heart and brain to create coherence and release the trauma from the body at a cellular level (Spirit)

 

WHY NARRATIVE THERAPY ALONE WILL NOT WORK?

People have worked with a talking therapist for years and still not released trauma from the body. For some people talking therapy is more traumatic than no therapy at all.  If you don’t address your body not much will happen for you. When something traumatic happens, the brain functions in an entirely different way. When we are not under stress, the brain encodes whatever it needs to encode, sends it down the pathway, it is processed, stored or disposed of, and life goes on, memories intact. This is a completely different process when trauma is experienced. This is why movement and somatic approaches are critical for releasing trauma. 

 

WILL I RE-EXPERIENCE THE TRAUMA?

No is the short answer. You may go through a process of reviewing it, but it is impossible to relive it as The Advancing Heart Protocol® does not focus on the trauma itself. We focus on connecting the mind and body and releasing the trauma. Trauma release is NOT traumatic.

 

WHAT TECHNIQUES DOES THE CENTRE USE?

We use a number of techniques, methods, and protocols as we know our clients are unique, and no one method fits all. We use The Advancing Heart Protocol®, Somatic Healing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Breath Work, and Movement. We also encourage yoga, meditation, and journaling practices.

 

WHAT WILL MY FIRST SESSION BE LIKE?

In your first session, we'll take some time to get to know you and your history. We'll explore the experiences that have brought you here, and begin connecting with your body to understand how it may be holding onto trauma. This initial session is about creating a safe, compassionate space for you to share your story, while also beginning to engage with your internal system through Internal Family Systems (IFS) and body awareness. It's the first step in your healing journey, where we gently start the process of uncovering and working with the parts of you that need attention and care.

 

HOW LONG ARE THE SESSIONS?

Our sessions are 90 minutes long. We believe that trauma is best addressed over this time frame because it allows for a deeper exploration and integration of the work. Internal Family Systems (IFS)  require time to unfold and gently guide you through the healing process, ensuring we can work effectively with the parts of you that need attention.

 

HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED AND HOW OFTEN?

The number of sessions you'll need varies from person to person because healing is a unique journey. There is no set timeline, as the process unfolds at your own pace. We offer sessions every two weeks to allow time for integration and for the work to take root between sessions. Our 90-minute sessions provide the space needed to work deeply with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and The Advancing Heart Protocol®, ensuring that we address trauma in a way that honours your body’s natural healing process.

 

WHAT ARE YOU QUALIFICATIONS?

I have over 30 years of experience as a registered family therapist and social worker, specialising in trauma recovery. My qualifications include extensive training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 2, Somatic Practices, and the development of The Advancing Heart Protocol®, a method designed to integrate the mind, body, and spirit for holistic healing. Additionally, I have trained in various therapeutic modalities such as hypnotherapy, CBT, breath work, HeartMath, and mindfulness, all of which contribute to my comprehensive approach to trauma therapy. I completed my trauma training through Bessel van de Kolk at the Trauma Research Foundation. My background in systems analysis and programming also gives me a unique perspective on how interconnected systems—like our mind and body—work together, which I apply to my therapeutic practice.