Trauma counselling in Bath
BACP-Registered Therapist & Rewind Technique Practitioner
Trauma can shape the way you think, feel, and respond to the world, often without you realising it is even happening.
You might find yourself reacting in ways that feel out of proportion, or confusing. You might feel constantly on edge, or find yourself shutting down when things get difficult. You might be carrying something you have never fully been able to put into words.
These are not signs that something is wrong with you. They are signs that your nervous system has been doing its job, protecting you.
I am Paul James, a BACP-registered therapist based in Bath with many years of experience working with trauma. As well as my training and qualifications, I bring lived experience of my own. I understand what it feels like to carry something difficult, and what it takes to begin moving through it. In our work together, we can start to make sense of what is happening and gently move towards a calmer, more grounded way of living.
What trauma actually is and what it does to you
The word trauma tends to conjure images of dramatic events. But trauma is not only about what happened. It is about what it left behind in your body and nervous system.
You can carry trauma from a single event: an accident, a bereavement, an assault. This is sometimes referred to as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and it can show up as flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, or a persistent sense of threat even when you are safe.
PTSD and CPTSD: what is the difference?
PTSD typically relates to a specific traumatic event or series of events. CPTSD, or complex post-traumatic stress disorder, tends to develop from prolonged or repeated experiences, often from earlier in life: an unstable or unsafe childhood, emotional neglect, years in a difficult relationship, or growing up in an environment where you did not feel secure.
CPTSD can be harder to identify precisely because the experiences that caused it often felt like the background noise of everyday life rather than a single dramatic moment. You might not think of yourself as someone who has been through real trauma, but the impact on how you feel about yourself and how you move through the world can be just as significant.
Both PTSD and CPTSD are things we can work with. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis, or any certainty about what has happened to you. We work it out together.
The four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze and fawn
When we go through something overwhelming, our nervous system finds ways to keep us safe. These responses, often known as the four Fs, are automatic. They happen below conscious thought.
Fight
You may feel easily triggered, irritable, or defensive. Arguments flare up quickly. You feel like you are constantly braced for something, even when nothing is actually wrong.
Flight
You feel restless, anxious, always looking for an exit. This can show up as overworking, constantly staying busy, or avoiding situations that feel unsafe, even ordinary ones.
Freeze
On the outside, things may look calm. But inside, you feel stuck. Numb. Unable to make decisions or move forward. There is fear underneath, but it has nowhere to go.
Fawn
You find yourself constantly trying to manage other people’s feelings. Saying yes when you mean no. Losing your own sense of what you want in order to keep the peace. This is a survival response, and one that many people do not immediately recognise as being connected to trauma at all.
These responses were not character flaws. They were the best tools your nervous system had at the time. Part of our work is recognising them, understanding where they came from, and building new ways of responding that serve you better now.
Emotional flashbacks
Trauma is not always remembered as a clear visual memory. Often it comes back as feeling: sudden waves of fear, shame, helplessness, or overwhelm that seem to appear from nowhere.
You might not know why you feel the way you do. Something small happens and you are suddenly flooded with an emotion that feels completely out of proportion to the moment. That is often an emotional flashback: your nervous system responding to a present trigger as if the original experience were happening again.
Understanding what is actually happening in those moments can be a significant turning point. When you can name it, it begins to lose some of its power.
The Rewind Technique
Alongside talking therapy, I offer a specific trauma processing approach known as the Rewind Technique.
Many people find the idea of revisiting traumatic memories deeply uncomfortable, and understandably so. The Rewind Technique is different. It allows us to work with a traumatic memory without you having to relive it in detail or retell the story at length. Using guided relaxation and a visualisation process, the technique helps your mind safely reprocess the memory so that it no longer holds the same emotional charge.
The aim is not to erase what happened. It is to take the distress out of the memory, so you can move forward without being pulled back into it.
Many clients find a significant reduction in symptoms after Rewind work, including:
It is a gentle approach, and we will only use it when it feels right for you.
How I work and what to expect
My Bath practice offers individual trauma counselling on a one-to-one basis. Sessions are available in person at my Bath location, and online via Zoom for clients who find that easier.
Our work together will be led by you, at a pace that feels right. There is no pressure to go anywhere you are not ready to go.
Together we may work on:
I combine counselling with practical tools, so you leave sessions with something you can actually use in your day-to-day life. Not just insight, but real ways to feel better.
What can change
People come to trauma counselling for many different reasons and at many different stages. What they often share is a sense of being stuck: in patterns, in reactions, in a version of themselves they would like to move beyond.
Over time, working together, many clients begin to:
These are not small things. They can change the quality of a life.
Taking the first step
It is not always easy to reach out, especially when it comes to trauma. But you do not have to carry this on your own.
If you are based in Bath or the surrounding area and feel ready to start, I would be glad to hear from you. We can take things at whatever pace feels right. There is no rush, and no pressure to have everything figured out before we begin.
Sessions are available in person in Bath and online via Zoom.