Trauma is defined as a uniquely individual experience triggered by a sudden, external overwhelming event or of persistent overwhelming conditions in which one’s ability to cope is compromised, as one experiences a real or perceived threat to his/her life, bodily integrity, or that of a significant other (Saakvitne, K. et al, 2000).

Trauma impacts internal and external psychological functioning, and therefore requires treatment which addresses internal processes, as well as structured and problem-oriented intervention.

We provide a caring, supportive and non-judgmental environment to help you find a way through any difficulties you may be facing in your relationship. Together we will first help you to identify the issues or problems you are facing in your relationship. If you decide couple counselling is the way forward for both of you, you will embark on a series of short-term counselling sessions – anything between six and twelve sessions is normal, but it will depend on the issues you are experiencing. For some couples, counselling is the start of a longer process of discovery while for others, a few sessions of counselling may be all they need to move through a rough patch. You will be able to discuss your expectations with your counsellor.

With the help of an addiction counsellor, you can explore what caused you to use drugs or alcohol, share and process feelings, increase awareness of negative thought and behaviour patterns, learn healthy coping skills, identify potential triggers, and create a long-term plan to sustain your sobriety. Christian counselling has a very high success rate in assisting clients with their addiction problems. There is a perfect reason for that.

Most people experience stress and anxiety from time to time. Stress is any demand placed on your brain or physical body. People can report feeling stressed when multiple competing demands are placed on them. The feeling of being stressed can be triggered by an event that makes you feel frustrated or nervous. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. It can be a reaction to stress, or it can occur in people who are unable to identify significant stressors in their life.

Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or a dangerous situation. Examples of everyday stress and anxiety include worrying about finding a job, feeling nervous before a big test, or being embarrassed in certain social situations.

The normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical (such as a death), social (such as divorce), or occupational (such as a job). Emotional reactions of grief can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair. Physical reactions of grief can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness.

Having a traumatic experience or witnessing extraordinarily stressful events can have a profound impact on our psychological and emotional well-being. If you’ve ever felt that your life or safety has been put at risk, it can shatter your sense of security and make you feel helpless.

The important thing to remember is that there are many different causes of trauma. It’s not the circumstance or event in itself that signals trauma, but what your emotional experience was of the event. Not everyone will react to the same event in the same way – for example, some people would find falling from a height traumatic, while others choose to jump out of planes for fun. The more frightened or helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatised.

Trauma affects people in different ways and, for some, the symptoms take weeks, months or even years to surface. Regardless of its source, an emotional trauma contains three common elements:

• it was unexpected
• the person was unprepared

There was nothing the person could do to prevent it from happening

You’re up. You’re down. And you’re soon up again. It seems like you spend your days riding an emotional roller coaster.

Are these changes normal? The answer is “maybe” — so long as they don’t disrupt your life or the lives of people around you.

Many things can affect how your mood shifts throughout the day. For example, because of body rhythms, most people feel upbeat and energetic around noon but tend to have more negative feelings during the early afternoon or evening.

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, impulses or mental images that often cause significant anxiety, stress and impairment within an individual’s ability to function. These thoughts may surround the fear of committing an act one consider to be harmful, violent, immoral, sexually inappropriate, or sacrilegious. There is no intent to act on these thoughts (although your OCD may attempt to persuade you that there is that chance) and these thoughts bring no pleasure, causing extreme distress.