I am a trauma expert, research psychologist, writer and spiritual-warrior, committed to recovery and on a mission to help as many people as I can join the dots. That might sound a bit hocus-pocus, but it really sums up what I do – I help people figure out how their past is negatively affecting their lives today so they can live the life they want.
I was drawn to study trauma, pulled to it by an invisible thread. Even before I began my academic research, I could feel the magnitude of the topic. I could sense its power. I looked at the world, saw the unnecessary destruction that trauma caused, and knew I would dedicate my life to helping people heal.
I'm a researcher with my own recovery story.
The researcher in me pushes me to keep asking questions and find better solutions. The writer in me propels me to find better ways to communicate my knowledge and ideas. The human part of me, who has experienced and recovered from trauma firsthand, keeps me honest and grounded. The recovered part of me also brings the hope, the shared experience, the deep understanding and wisdom. I don’t just know what I’m talking about, I know what I’m talking about.
Well, one kind of psychologist would say I recovered from anorexia and generalised anxiety. A different type of therapist would call it a complete disconnection from body and spirit. Someone from the twelve-step fellowships, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), would call it addiction (to under-eating) and spiritual bankruptcy.
Honestly, it’s all of these things and more. But what do I say I recovered from? I say I recovered from trauma, and I say you can too.
As well as researching and writing about trauma, I’m creating programs and resources (like online courses, books, videos, tutorials, exercises and articles) to help people heal. Yes, my work is research-led, but more fundamentally it’s about taking responsibility and honouring our ability to heal. Because once you learn how trauma shows up in your life, you can create radical changes
Understanding how your past interferes with your life today is the springboard to your greatest transformation.
Big words right!? Well, take this list of common issues…
Trauma can explain all these scenarios and reactions. It sits at the base of so much human dysfunction.
it’s anxiety, shame, low self-esteem, over-eating, under-eating, addiction, depression, confusion, people pleasing, under earning, low-mood, negative thinking, social anxiety, anger, brain-fog, ill health and more.
If you take nothing else from me, take this. Be open to the idea that the repetitive problems and issues in your life are part of your trauma. They’re part of your reaction to something that happened before, something that frightened you. If you can open up to this idea, I believe you can find true freedom like I have.
Before I became a researcher I worked in editorial and political jobs in London. In my twenties, I had fire in my belly. I was determined to make a difference and help save the world.
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I love talking about trauma in an empowering way, and showing how we can all grow from it. Please get in touch if you want to find out how I could work for you.