Harley Therapy™ Blog

Harley Therapy™ Blog

  • Therapy Services
  • Therapist Bios
  • About Us
  • Topics
Menu
Find a Therapist
  • Addiction
  • ADHD
  • Anger
  • Anxiety & Stress
  • Bereavement
  • Cognitive Therapy
  • Depression
  • Eating Issues
  • Mindfulness
  • Parenting
  • Personality Disorders
  • Relationships
  • Self Esteem
  • Sexual Problems
  • Theory & Training
  • Types of Therapy
  • Work Life

Test Quiz



  • Book Therapy Online

  • Top Posts

    • ways to self-harm 9 Lesser-Known Ways to Self-Harm – More Than Just a Bad Habit?
    • fear of losing loved ones Fear of Losing Loved Ones – Can’t Stop Worrying?
    • am i a good person “Am I a Good Person?” What to Ask if You Aren’t Sure
    • depression symptoms 12 Depression Symptoms You Might Be Overlooking
    • feeling of fear Often Afraid? When a Feeling of Fear is a Red Flag
  • stressed or depressed?

  • LOOKING FOR SOMETHING? Search our hundreds of articles here, we love to help!

  • Latest Tweet

    Tweets by @harleytherapy
    Follow @harleytherapy
  • WANT TO FEEL BETTER, FAST? Join our community to receive new article alerts and your FREE "Wellbeing Guide and Workbook".

  • Topics

    • Abuse
    • Addiction
    • ADHD
    • Anger
    • Anxiety & stress
    • Bereavement
    • Cognitive therapy
    • Counselling
    • Depression
    • Eating issues
    • Mindfulness
    • Parenting
    • Personality disorders
    • Relationships
    • Self Esteem
    • Sexual issues
    • Theory & training
    • Types of Therapy
    • Work life

  • Instagram Feed

    harleytherapy

    Harley Therapy
    EMDR - This type of therapy works best when you ha EMDR - This type of therapy works best when you have had one strong traumatic event that has given you post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and flashbacks. It might work for complex PTSD, made of consistent trauma over time, but it depends on the individual. CBT - Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on retraining your brain away from negative thoughts and ‘cognitive distortions’. And trauma tends to make your brain think in just these dramatic extremes (the world is dangerous, I can’t do anything right) that CBT excels at neutralising. A cognitive behavioural therapist can also help you start to take control of your behaviours, so you are not always hiding from life or sabotaging yourself. Schema therapy - Schema therapy focuses on helping you recognise and change behavioural patterns. More importantly, for those who suffered childhood trauma, it shows you how to have trusting relationships. Schema therapy is particularly recommended for those who suffered sexual abuse as a child and now have borderline personality disorder. DBT - This is another form of therapy that helps those who suffered sexual abuse, and now have complex trauma, and/or borderline personality disorder. The creator of this type of therapy suffered BPD herself. She wanted to create a therapy that could help those with impulsivity and emotional dysregulation to create a life they felt good being in. DBT combines things like mindfulness and behavioural interventions. It is often done using a combination of group work and then one-on-one sessions. Body-based psychotherapy - Body psychotherapy is a licensed form of psychotherapy. It combines talking about and processing the past with listening to the body itself, and might use body movements to release emotions. Some body psychotherapists use a tool called ‘somatic therapy’ or ‘somatic processing’. It is a technique designed just to help clients who have gone through traumatic experiences. But note that used on its own, by someone who is not a registered therapist, it is considered an alternative treatment. What therapy have you tried for trauma? Which worked best for you? #traumatherapy #traumatherapist #traumarecovery
    Historical trauma is a form of transgenerational t Historical trauma is a form of transgenerational trauma. Whereas transgenerational trauma is within a family, historical trauma affects many people or even an entire generation, where it might also be referred to as ‘collective trauma’. Commonly cited examples of historical trauma include the Holocaust and the displacement of Native American children in the United States and Canada. Other kinds of trauma that cause historical trauma could include: - slavery - famine - natural disaster - war - terrorism - displacement Now we are facing a new collective trauma with COVID 19 - Molly S. Castelloe, Ph.D - “This is a public health catastrophe, a failure of democracy and its ideals. The deaths of so many — the elderly, the infirm, local healthcare workers and first responders — is already everyday a shared trauma among us.” Time will tell just how this collective trauma pans out and affects us... If you need support during this time, know that we have therapy available from £25, DM us for more details. #covid19 #collectivetrauma #historicaltrauma #therapyhelps #transgenerationaltrauma
    Trauma affects the way someone parents because it Trauma affects the way someone parents because it affects things like: - the parent’s ability to offer a child proper attachment - the activities a parent decides to do or not do with their child - the stories a parent tells a child - the perspective, personal values and core beliefs a parent teaches the child Obviously, someone can not pass along the trauma itself – no one else can experience what another has uniquely gone through. What they do pass on is the symptoms of surviving trauma, which looks like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and anxiety disorders. Therapy can help with overcoming trauma, whether your parent was affected by trauma, or you are a parent and know that past trauma is affecting the way you can show up as a parent. Therapy can help you make positive changes to your life. #therapyhelps #trauma #parenting #traumaandparenting #attachmentparenting
    Attachment theory states that for a child to gro Attachment theory states that for a child to grow up into an adult who can confidently form healthy relationships with others, they need a strong and reliable bond with a caregiver for the first few years of their life. This means that when, as a child, you cried or gestured, or otherwise tried to express your needs, an adult responded in an appropriate way. If these healthy interactions did not take place — if the person taking care of you was unreliable, unable to love and care for you, or not well — it means these neural pathways may not form as strongly, meaning your mental and emotional health may be impaired as an adult. Perhaps they picked you up and held you, or spoke to you, or otherwise let you know that your needs would be met and you were safe. This kind of supportive back-and-forth between a child and an adult is called ‘serve and return interaction’ and is not just important for your psychological development as an infant – it is crucial for the healthy development of your brain. Each time a positive interaction takes place between a child and adult neural connections are built. If these healthy interactions did not take place — if the person taking care of you was unreliable, unable to love and care for you, or not well — it means these neural pathways may not form as strongly, meaning your mental and emotional health may be impaired as adult. No parent is perfect, and some research shows that a child needs a variation in the response he or she receives from adults in order to realise they are a separate human and to move towards learning how to problem solve and be independent. Some stress is part of healthy development. It’s only when the stress response is triggered too often, or rarely has a chance to shut off, that the physiological reactions of the body can become a threat to brain development. In summary, children don’t need a ‘perfect childhood’. Children do, however, need to feel loved and accepted no matter their behaviour, and they do need support to deal with stress. They also require routines, play, healthy social connection, and good role models. #parenting #attachmenttheory #attachmentstyles #parentinglife #therapyhelps
    What actually matters is recognising and dealing w What actually matters is recognising and dealing with your symptoms. This might be anxiety, edginess, sexual acting out, self harm, the list goes on.  Such symptoms get better when your process your emotions and upset, regardless of exact facts. One of the worst things you can do if you suspect you were abused is to ignore your symptoms. Or not seek support because you are too busy ‘figuring out exactly what happened’. Constantly focussing on details can mean you are re-traumatising yourself. And it can mean you engage with other people when you are emotionally vulnerable in ways that can also further traumatise you. It’s far better for your wellbeing to accept what memories you have, exact and ‘real’ or not. Then work on processing these memories and the feelings they involve in a safe, supportive environment like a therapy room. #traumarecovery #recoverfromtrauma #traumatherapy #therapyhelps #childhoodtrauma
    The most common question we get asked is, “How c The most common question we get asked is, “How can I remember childhood trauma and abuse?” The bad news about how to remember childhood trauma - Until someone creates a time machine, you can never know exactly what happened in your childhood. Any technique or alternative therapist who claims they can ‘help you remember’ is not a good idea. There is too much of a risk they will influence what you ‘remember’ and traumatise you even more. This is not to say anyone was not abused if he or she remembers being abused!  Sadly, statistics show that many of us were sexually abused. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) estimates that almost one in four children in the UK experience sexual abuse. But it is to say that exact details can be hard to pinpoint, so obsessing over them can be more harmful than helpful. It’s true that the therapy room creates an environment where new memories, thoughts, and feelings quickly surface. It is a safe space, and the power of someone intently listening to you can have this affect. But there is no guarantee therapy will help you remember things. In fact its entirely possible to experience the opposite. Some people go to therapy worried they were abused, but discover it was some other childhood trauma altogether. The best thing to do is to deal with the symptoms of your trauma with a professional who has experience with helping others overcome trauma. Read our therapist reviews on harleytherapy.com to find a therapist who can help you. #traumatherapy #childhoodtrauma #traumasurvivor #traumarecovery #therapyhelps
    Not everyone reacts to trauma in the same way. Som Not everyone reacts to trauma in the same way. Some people remember all details of what happened, many blank everything entirely from their mind and lose all memory of the experience. Some people develop many symptoms from childhood onwards, and others have no symptoms of trauma but then suddenly, as an adult, something triggers them. This could be a stressful new job, a new relationship, or another life trauma like a bereavement or breakup. If you need help to overcome some kind of trauma, please reach out to a professional. We have hundreds of qualified therapists on harleytherapy.com who can help you. #traumatherapy #traumarecovery #traumacanbehealed #childhoodtrauma #childhoodtraumaawareness
    Are all my problems down to childhood trauma? No, Are all my problems down to childhood trauma? No, DNA is also a factor. You are born with certain brain circuits. But the way these circuits develop does depend on the serve and return interactions you experienced. What can I do if I think my brain has been affected? behaviours and skills, but whether or not and how these skills develop for you is dependent on how you are nurtured and what your childhood experiences are. So it’s part your experiences, part your genetic inheritance. This might be why two children can experience the same trauma but one will manage to be resilient while the other suffers symptoms throughout their life. What can I do if I think my brain has been effected? If you recognise the issues and symptoms and the types of experiences that register in the brain as trauma, it’s important to seek professional support. Psychotherapy and counselling can help you manage the effects of childhood trauma on your adult life, meaning you have better relationships, your moods improve, and you feel more in control of your life. And it seems that therapy can even rewire your brain. A 2017 study done by London’s King College, for example, used brain imaging to show that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) increased brain connectivity long-term. #traumatherapy #trauma #adhd #anxiety #depression #dissociation
    Complex trauma does share the same symptoms as PTS Complex trauma does share the same symptoms as PTSD. The difference is that it also involves a set of other emotional symptoms. COMPLEX TRAUMA VS PTSD So how exactly is complex trauma different than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? - it is a product of ongoing, chronic trauma or traumas instead of one big trauma - the victim could not escape the trauma (a child can’t go live on his or her own) - often the trauma was in childhood - the perpetrator is in many cases known to the victim or someone they were close to The biggest issues here is a misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The two share many symptoms such as low self-worth, suicidal thinking, and out of control emotional responses. And both can be linked to child sexual abuse. It is possible to have both borderline personality disorder and c-PTSD. If you feel your treatment for BPD, focussing on the ways you relate and regulate your emotions, is not working, and you know you experienced trauma, it’s worth looking into treatments for trauma as well. #Traumatherapy #CPTSD #BPD #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #complexptsd
    Post-traumatic shock disorder - A diagnosis that Post-traumatic shock disorder - A diagnosis that only emerged as late as 1980, it originally only applied to a stressor so horrible that, as the DSM stated, it was ‘generally outside the range of human experience’. It wasn’t until 1987 that the definition of PTSD was changed to include things like child sexual abuse or having a serious illness. Nowadays psychological trauma also includes witnessing violent events happening to others. ‘Delayed-onset PTSD’ is defined as having PTSD symptoms starting more than six months after the traumatic event. It is a diagnosis that is debated in psychological communities. Some disagree on its prevalence, and others disagree on if it even exists, especially in cases where there were no symptoms at all before the PTSD surfaces. Psychological trauma and its treatment is a field of psychology that is really only starting to come into its own. There is still a lot to understand, and there is ongoing controversy. Complex trauma is currently one of these controversies. It is not yet fully accepted by all medical communities that those who suffered ongoing trauma or traumas, usually in childhood, would have symptoms different than those who experienced a single trauma. #PTSD #CPTSD #complexptsd #ptsdrecovery #ptsdawareness #therapyhelps
    Trauma is subjective – your personal reaction Trauma is subjective – your personal reaction to something. Just because you experience trauma from something does not mean someone else who was at the same event will experience trauma. The argument has been over whether it is the event that should count most when looking at psychological trauma, or if it is a person’s response to an event that should define trauma. The official diagnosis for psychological trauma is post-traumatic shock disorder (PTSD). But other forms of psychological shock that are recognised (if not official mental health “diagnoses”) include emotional shock and intergenerational trauma. Trauma is complex. Often we experience many traumas across our life, or come from a family replete with trauma. New ways of looking at trauma have been surfacing. If you have the symptoms of trauma but don’t qualify for an official diagnosis of PTSD, do not give up on finding support. Trauma can leave many struggling with work and day-to-day life, which can also affect their finances. Psychological trauma is treatable, and the right support can mean you finally start to feel yourself again. A good counsellor or psychotherapist works with you to alleviate the symptoms and get to the root of your trauma. If any therapist belittles your sense of being traumatised, or claims that your trauma was not ‘serious enough’, it’s likely time to seek a better therapist. #findatherapist #traumathrapy #traumatherapist #therapistsofinstagram #trauma
    In everyday language, we can call many things ‘t In everyday language, we can call many things ‘traumatic’. A breakup, our boss being in a bad mood, or having to give a presentation. But what is psychological trauma? And not everyone agrees on what should and shouldn’t count as psychological trauma.  Symptoms of psychological trauma are both emotional and physical. They include things like anxiety, depression, foggy thinking, and edginess, as well as insomnia, muscle tension, and an upset stomach. #psychologicaltrauma #trauma #overcomingtrauma #traumarecovery
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

About Harley Therapy

Founded in 2006, we are an award-winning group connecting you to highly experienced therapists in our London rooms and online worldwide. Our mission is to improve emotional wellbeing through therapy and psycho-education. Content is produced by editor and lead writer Andrea Blundell, trained in person-centred counselling, and overseen by Dr Sheri Jacobson, clinical director, retired BACP senior therapist & host of TherapyLab.

Videos

What is Psychotherapy?  
What to Expect in a Session?  
Intro to Harley Therapy

TherapyLab Podcast


A podcast dedicated to therapy, thought and the art of wellbeing!

Host Dr Sheri speaks to distinguished guests about their childhoods, psychological health challenges and their experiences of therapy, good and bad.

Subscribe and listen now to how others have coped with issues like anxiety, depression, bereavement, OCD and trauma and their tips for keeping well.

Book an Appointment

Call 0345 474 1724

Book Online Now

 

Opening hours (BST)

Monday – Friday 7am-10pm
Saturday & Sunday 8am-8pm

London locations

Harley Street
City of London
London Bridge

UK Wide

International

Online sessions

Harley Therapy™ Blog Copyright © 2020. Website Terms 🍪Cookies