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Learn more about trauma
Trauma is the lasting emotional and physiological response to an experience that overwhelmed your ability to cope, such as an accident, assault, loss, or prolonged adversity. Trauma is not the event itself but the imprint it leaves on the nervous system, which can persist long after the danger has passed. Trauma is not a diagnosis, and many people who go through distressing experiences recover without lasting effects, while others develop responses that interfere with daily life, sometimes including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Trauma responses are treatable, and trauma-focused therapy helps many people recover fully.
Trauma responses describe how the aftermath of an overwhelming experience shows up in the present, sometimes years later and sometimes without an obvious link to the original event.
Common signs include:
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
- Avoiding places, people, or topics that act as reminders
- Feeling constantly on guard, jumpy, or unable to relax
- Emotional numbness, or feeling cut off from yourself and others
- Difficulty trusting people, even those who are reliable
- Strong reactions that seem out of proportion to the trigger
- Persistent shame, guilt, or a sense that something is wrong with you
Trauma work benefits from approaches designed specifically for how trauma affects the brain and body. Where symptoms are severe, these work best alongside appropriate clinical care.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional intensity. It's one of the most researched trauma treatments.
Trauma informed care shapes the whole therapeutic relationship around safety, trust, and choice, so therapy never repeats the dynamics of the original experience. It underpins good trauma practice across other approaches.
Somatic experiencing works directly with the body's stress responses, helping release the physical patterns trauma leaves behind. It can help when trauma shows up as tension, hypervigilance, or feeling unsafe in your own body.
IFS (Internal Family Systems) approaches the parts of you that developed to survive with curiosity rather than judgement. It suits people whose trauma is tangled with self-criticism or inner conflict.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) in its trauma-focused form addresses the beliefs and avoidance patterns that keep responses in place. It has strong evidence for trauma-related difficulties.
Choosing an approach isn't something you have to do alone. IC's matching can pair you with a therapist whose approach suits your situation. Get matched.
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally, in over 60 languages. The platform is free to use, with over 2,500 vetted therapists offering in-person sessions in cities including Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Vienna, alongside online sessions worldwide.
After trauma, the relationship with your therapist isn't just the container for the work; it's part of the work. Our matching service is built around that. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a therapist who specialises in trauma, or browse all trauma therapists in the directory.
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