I focus on a holistic approach, with careful attention to nutrition and physical work that might be needed, not just easing symptoms.

Overwhelm from events, circumstances or unrelenting stress, even if not traumatic, can leave the brain with anxiety, high alert and survival patterns that are necessary at the time, but not useful any more.  This can create generalised anxiety, overwhelm, fear or panic, or the feeling of being stuck or cut off and isolated. Symptoms such as being stuck in freeze, shutting ourselves off from reality or losing our sense of self are very common.  Whatever you are suffering, you need to know that this is not your fault, and that we can do something about it.  

In cases of trauma and traumatic stress, the self-regulation capacity of our autonomic nervous system and physiology is disturbed, preventing us from regaining a ‘relaxed normal’ state. Otherwise benign events or triggers may have an adverse effect on our nervous system, where distorted ‘normal’ settings are hypersensitive, unresponsive or erratic. Over time, this can result in symptoms such as the following:

• Racing heart, palpitations, breathing problems
• Anxiety, including chronic low level anxiety
• Being on ‘red alert’, or hypervigilant
• Panic attacks
• Fears and terrors
• Phobias, specific overwhelming fears
• Flashbacks and intrusive memories or images
• Overwhelming emotional responses such as shame, anger, depression
• Extreme sensitivity to light, sound or touch
• Insomnia, nightmares, night terrors
• Physical, mental or emotional exhaustion
• Mental ‘blankness’ or spaced-out feelings

There may also be behavioural symptoms such as:

• Attraction to dangerous situations or people
• Addictive behaviours
• Avoidance behaviour, avoiding places, activities, memories, situations or people

Physical symptoms and pain conditions often accompany traumatic stress:

• Psychosomatic illnesses, particularly some headaches, migraines, neck and back problems
• Muscle weakness, muscle pain
• Digestive problems, e.g. IBS
• Immune system problems
• Skin disorders
• Environmental sensitivities

Syndromes such as the following are often symptomatic of overwhelm or traumatic stress:

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Inexplicable myofascial pain 
• Irritable bowel syndrome