Trauma therapy essentials: safety and stabilization
Safety: the foundation of effective trauma therapy
One of the things I wish I’d known at the start of my journey with trauma therapy as a client, long before I was a therapist is that “the body remembers” Babette Rothschild, who is responsible for this quote, also says “don’t hit the gas peddle until you can hit the breaks”. This understanding is the foundation of my work as a trauma therapist.
If you’re new here I’m Laura, a counsellor, nature therapist, and a somatic therapist. My offerings are all about supporting you to connect with yourself and the world around you and I do a lot of work with clients who are exploring trauma in therapy. I work with anyone who feels aligned with my approach but I specalise in working with neurodivergent people (I’m Audhd - autistic and ADHD - myself, so I work from a place of lived experience) and anyone who is exploring the aspects of their identity that have led to oppression and marginalisation.
As a counsellor and therapist, I’m a huge believer in the power of talking therapies. I work in an integrative way and the talking-therapies aspects of my work including psychodynamic approaches, Gestalt, humanistic approaches and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). I also place a lot of importance on working with the body, to resource us and create safety when working with trauma.
Talk-based therapy can support us to understand ourselves better, understand and process our past experiences and become more away of our patterns and processes. While this is incredibly powerful, there is a growing understanding that our trauma and the painful experiences of our past don’t only exist in our thoughts and memories. This means if we take a deep dive into our traumatic experiences without looking at what’s happening in our bodies, there’s a possibility that the things we’re struggling with will feel worse.
Because of this, a huge part of my approach as a counsellor and therapist is working with my clients to help them to connect with their present moment experience, including supporting them to become aware of what’s going in their bodies and nervous systems. The idea of feeling “safe” might feel completely out of reach for many of us, we can use different tools and approaches, that are rooted in somatics and neuroscience, to show our body, brain and nervous system that we’re ok in the present moment.
What is trauma-informed therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is a form of therapy that recognises how trauma affects the body, mind and nervous system, and helps clients process and integrate their experiences safely. Unlike general therapy, trauma informed therapy prioritises safety, pacing, and choice, recognising that trauma responses often live in both the mind and the body.
Whether trauma comes from a single event, chronic stress, or systemic oppression, a trauma therapist aims to restore a sense of connection, agency and stability so that healing can happen in a sustainable, embodied way.
Working in a trauma informed way means recognising that trauma doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s is often caused by or compounded by systemic oppression and marginalisation. People with marginalised identities may experience chronic stress, discrimination or microaggressions alongside personal and/or intergenerational-trauma, which can amplify nervous system dysregulation and feelings of disconnection or hypervigilance. Working with a therapist who understands the social and structural contexts of oppression ensures that your experiences are seen and validated, and that healing strategies are culturally sensitive and empowering. This awareness also helps prevent re-traumatisation and creates a therapeutic space where both your identity and your trauma are respected. If you’d like to explore my commitments to equity and social justice in my therapy practice, head here.
Why safety comes before processing
Trauma is stored not only in our memories but also in our nervous system. This means that when we attempt to process trauma too quickly, it can trigger intense physiological responses, like hyperarousal (feeling constantly on edge) or hypoarousal (feeling numb or disconnected). In trauma work, safety is not just a concept it’s a felt experience in the body. Creating safety involves helping the nervous system regulate, feel grounded, and reconnect to the present moment, either as a way of pacing as we explore past experiences or as a foundation before we start exploring your history.
The Window of Tolerance
One useful way to understand this is through the Window of Tolerance, a model that describes the range of arousal in which we can function effectively. Trauma often narrows this window, making it hard to stay present. Trauma informed therapyhelps expand this window gradually, so that you can process your experiences without becoming overwhelmed.
This work has been a huge part of my own healing journey. I’m neurodivergent which means that my nervous system is already prone to dysregulation and I spent a lot of years in and out of therapy that left me feeling worse instead of better. Trauma informed therapy practices are relatively new and understanding trauma responses and the role the nervous system plays isn’t currently a standard part of counsellor trainings (which blows my mind a bit!). I’m glad the therapy world has a better understanding of this now, although it’s still a fairly specialist area.
The role of the therapeutic relationship
The therapeutic relationship itself is a powerful tool in trauma healing. A trauma-informed therapist offers relational safety, providing consistency, attunement, and co-regulation.
Co-regulation: the therapist’s calm presence can help soothe the client’s nervous system.
Trust and consent: therapy works best when clients feel they have agency and choice.
Relational repair: for many, trauma stems from relational harm. Experiencing safety and connection in the therapeutic relationship is part of the healing journey.
Working somatically: the body remembers
While talking therapies like psychodynamic, Gestalt, humanistic, and ACT help us make sense of experiences, trauma also lives in the body. Somatic and nervous system based approaches help us to tune into bodily sensations, notice what arises and learn how to regulate responses safely.
Somatic approaches often include:
Exploring interoception: awareness of internal body sensations
Pendulation: moving gently between states of comfort and discomfort
Titration: exploring trauma in small, manageable doses
Resourcing: identifying and cultivating supports, like memories, sensations, or objects that help us to feel safe, grounded and able to manage nervous system activation.
Integrating somatic practices with talking therapy helps clients develop a felt sense of safety, so that processing trauma doesn’t overwhelm the nervous system. If you’d like to explore the somatic aspects of therapy in more detail, head here.
The three-stage model of trauma work
Many trauma-informed therapists follow Judith Herman’s three-stage model for structured healing:
Safety and Stabilisation
Focuses on building emotional and bodily regulation, trust and stability in daily life.Processing and Remembrance
Trauma memories and patterns are explored gradually, with support and containment.Integration and Reconnection
Healing is woven into daily life, so you can regain a sense of self, connection and empowerment.
These stages are fluid and you might move backwards and forward, but having a structured framework helps prevent overwhelm and supports sustainable recovery.
My own journey with trauma work
I’ve experienced firsthand how therapy can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially as someone who is AuDHD and who has experienced trauma. Before discovering trauma-informed and somatic approaches, I often left sessions feeling worse rather than better.
Learning to prioritise safety, pacing, and body-based awareness was transformative. In fact I still work with my own somatic therapist, as part of my ongoing work to be more grounded and present, particularly so that I can offer the same to my clients. It’s why I now approach therapy with a focus on nervous system regulation, somatic practices and relational safety, so that my clients can feel truly supported from the very start.
Beginning your trauma therapy journey
If you’re considering working with a trauma informed therapist
Look for a therapist who prioritises safety, consent and pacing
Consider whether they incorporate somatic tools, grounding practices and an understanding of the nervous system
Remember that healing is a process. Your nervous system may take time to adjust, and that’s okay.
If you’d like to explore therapy in a supportive setting, you can learn more, you can find out about my approach as a therapist here and you can head here if you’d like to work with me in person, or here if you’d like to work with me online.
