Escaping the cycle of pain, physical symptoms, and unresolved trauma
Many people arrive here not because they are looking for “another therapy”, but because they are looking for understanding.
They’ve tried treatments.
They’ve followed protocols.
They’ve been told tests are “normal” - yet their body keeps calling for attention.
Pain persists.
Digestion feels unpredictable.
Fatigue, anxiety, inflammation, or autoimmune symptoms come and go.
And somewhere beneath it all, there’s a quiet sense that something unresolved is still driving the system.
You’re not imagining it, and you’re not broken.
When the body becomes the messenger
Modern neuroscience and trauma research show that ongoing physical symptoms can be maintained by the nervous system, long after an original injury, illness, or stressful life period has passed.
This doesn’t mean “it’s all in your head” – although I was told this in 2009!
It means your nervous system learned to protect you, and hasn’t yet learned that it’s safe to stop. I learnt this during the 2 weeks of ‘rehabilitation’ prescribed to me by the NHS. I could perform all the activities requested, yet my body and nervous system still screamed at me.
Experiences such as:
Prolonged stress
Emotionally unsafe or controlling relationships
Childhood adversity
Chronic overwhelm
Feeling unable to speak, leave, or choose freely
These can leave lasting imprints on how the brain, gut, immune system and pain pathways function.
Over time, the body may express this through:
Chronic pain or tension
IBS and digestive distress
Fatigue, burnout, or brain fog
Inflammation or autoimmune flares
Anxiety, panic, or emotional shutdown
These are not failures; they are intelligent survival responses that have become outdated.
Why willpower and “positive thinking” don’t work
Many people blame themselves for not being able to think or meditate their way out of symptoms.
But trauma and chronic stress are not stored in logical thought; they are stored in automatic nervous system responses. This answered why CBT didn’t work for me. Although I learnt why my body was imprinted with intelligent self-protective mechanisms, it didn’t give me the tools I needed to reprogramme them.
Until those responses are updated, the body will continue to scan for threat, even when life looks “fine” on the surface.
That’s why truly lasting change requires more than insight alone.
It requires working with:
How the nervous system learned to respond
How emotional and identity imprints were formed
How the body and gut became part of the story
This is where a trauma‑informed, mind–body–gut approach becomes transformational.
A trauma‑informed mind–body–gut pathway
Trauma‑informed work is not about retelling painful stories or reliving the past.
It’s about:
Restoring safety
Re‑educating the nervous system
Updating outdated emotional and physical patterns
Giving your system permission to settle, regulate, and heal
My work brings together evidence‑informed approaches that support change without overwhelm or retraumatisation.
These may include:
Understanding your symptoms
Gentle, empowering education around pain, stress, and the gut–brain connection can reduce fear and shame, often the first step toward relief.
Psychological and behavioural tools
Trauma‑aware, NLP, CBT, healing, parts work, and inner child approaches help you understand why certain patterns formed and how to change them, without judgment.
Hypnotherapy and subconscious work
Ericksonian and conversational hypnotherapy allows change at a deeper level, without force or emotional flooding.
Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT)
IEMT works with emotional and identity imprints, patterns such as “I’m unsafe”, “I have no voice”, or “my body can’t be trusted”- without needing detailed recall of past events.
This can be particularly helpful where symptoms are automatic, physical, or triggered “out of the blue”.
Somatic and body‑led awareness
When words aren’t enough, the body often shows the way. Gentle somatic approaches support regulation, boundaries, and reconnection with physical cues.
Nutrition and inflammation awareness
Where appropriate, we also consider how nutrition, inflammation, and gut health interact with the nervous system, especially in IBS, fatigue, and autoimmune patterns.
Healing is not about going back, It’s about moving forward safely.
Many people worry that addressing the emotional or trauma side of symptoms means reopening wounds.
In reality, trauma‑informed work moves at the pace of safety and choice.
You remain in control.
We work with what your system is ready for.
And change often happens far more gently and quickly than people expect.
Clients are often surprised that:
Insight doesn’t have to be painful
The body can soften once it feels heard
Symptoms begin to shift when the nervous system is no longer on constant alert
You are not too sensitive.
You are highly adapted.
If your body has been trying to protect you, it deserves curiosity, not criticism.
Healing doesn’t come from fighting your symptoms.
It comes from understanding them, updating them, and learning to trust your body again.
If you’re ready to step out of the cycle of pain, physical symptoms, and unresolved stress, and into a way of working that respects your whole system, you’re in the right place.
Next Steps
You’re welcome to explore:
1:1 therapy and coaching
Trauma‑informed recovery packages
Mind–body–gut support for pain, IBS, fatigue, and autoimmune symptoms
Professional training and workshops
Follow this link to book a no obligation chat about how I can help you.
