For veterans and their families:
find calm, connection, and control again.
Life after military service can feel like unfamiliar territory.
I saw my father go through it, and my sister and brother-in-law. Many veterans and those close to them struggle with anger, anxiety, emotional shutdown, hypervigilance and feeling cut off from the people and purpose that once defined them. If you’ve tried talking therapies, medication, support groups or even just pushing through — and nothing seems to shift — you’re not alone.
You already have remarkable resilience and self-discipline. But you don’t need to fight this on your own. My trauma-sensitive, embodied approach helps you reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and regain a sense of safety, control, and connection — without needing to talk about your experiences or relive them.
“Body treatment is somewhere, like, way on the periphery of the world. Instead, we sit in a chair and we talk to people, somehow trying to magically make people safe in their body.
I did the first National Institutes of Health-funded study on Yoga. It is more effective for chronic PTSD than any drug with people I've ever studied. If you learn how to really inhabit your body and learn to feel comfortable moving your body and being in your body, something starts shifting.”
Dr Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist, author and trauma researcher.
Why Work With Me?
You don’t need to explain yourself to me.
I understand how hard it can feel to reach out — especially when you’re used to handling things on your own. I’ve worked with veterans and their families who were skeptical at first, but discovered that this work gave them real, practical results.
Here’s why people choose to work with me:
I get the military world. I grew up in a family of veterans, so I understand the culture and the challenges of life after service — for you and those close to you.
You don’t need to talk about your experiences. This approach is body-based and doesn’t require you to relive or explain what happened.
It’s structured and practical. I know how important clarity and discipline are — I’ll give you a clear, tailored plan that fits your needs.
It actually works. The methods I use, including Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), have been clinically proven to help reduce symptoms of PTSD and improve quality of life — especially in veterans.
You’re in charge. I’ll guide you, but you decide what feels right for you each step of the way. You’ve already proven you can handle hard things. This isn’t about adding to your burden — it’s about giving you a practical way forward.
"The trauma that started 'out there' is now played out on the battlefield of their own bodies, usually without a conscious connection between what happened back then and what is going on right now inside." "
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Trauma center, trauma sensitive yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically validated clinical intervention for complex (relational) post traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) or chronic, treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both of which profoundly change our relationship with our body.
Developed at Center for Trauma & Embodiment in Massachusetts, USA, it is supported by more than 10 original, randomised, peer reviewed studies, numerous led by Dr Bessel van der Kolk, international trauma expert and author of The Body Keeps the Score, and his research team, and many more independent analyses. You can read more about the profound potential of this intervention here.
This modality can be delivered one-to-one in private sessions, or in small group sessions, for example for a charity or other service provider. They can be attended either in person (if it make sense geographically) or online via Zoom. Below I outline the steps involved in this option.
We start with a conversation.
We begin with a conversation about what’s going on for you, what you’re struggling with, and what you want to achieve, and I will tell your more about TCTSY and a session is like practically. This initial call is free and you are under no obligation to subsequently work with me.
2. INTAKE QUESTIONNAIRE.
If we decide it’s a good fit to work together, I will send you my TCTSY intake questionnaire. It asks a series of questions, the answers to which help me understand how best to work with and support you. The more information I have the better, however, you are also free to choose not to answer a question/s.
3. WE PLAN A FIRST SESSION.
The sessions are usually an hour long and we decide whether to do them in person or online. You can then decide if you want to book further sessions with me.
4. We work together at your pace.
You can book further sessions with me as you go, according to your needs, or you can book a block of sessions. I will do my best to fit these in with your schedule.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If what you’ve read resonates, let’s have a conversation. No commitment, no pressure — just a chance to talk through where you are, what you need, and whether this approach is right for you.
Is This Right for Me?
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Trauma - and PTSD in particular - is characterised by an inability to be present with and tolerate intense emotions and sensations playing out in the body whenever old emotional wounds are triggered. Because these sensations are similar to the terror of the original wounding experience, the nervous system reacts as though it is happening all over again and goes into emergency mode, releasing torrents of stress hormones preparing us to escape or defend ourselves, or the response may be to freeze or shut down ‘until it’s over.’ A body in these conditions is very difficult to be in, which is why so many people will reach for something to numb or distract them, whether substances or other kinds of self-harm, mindless scrolling or a response like workaholism.
Anything but be present.
Yoga is a practice that, on the other hand, that develops the capacity to be with uncomfortable or challenging sensations and use body tools like the breath to support staying present and tone down the nervous system’s reaction.
Trauma sensitive yoga is not just about stretching or fancy poses. It’s about helping our nervous system reset so we can feel more calm and in control. The movements are simple and accessible to everyone.
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Exercise is so important for fitness and therefore overall wellbeing, but it involves stimulating our nervous system, which is why we get hot and sweaty and our heart and breathing rates soar.
In people who have endured traumatising experiences, and who may be experiencing the symptoms of PTSD, their nervous system is already over-stimulated - chronically over-stimulated, since it is hyper-alert and constantly perceiving threats.
As a counterbalance, it is important to develop the capacity to down-regulate our nervous system - to learn tools that enable us to tell our brain that we are no longer in the past and in danger, but present in the now and safe, tools that can also slow our heart and breathing rates and induce a more restful state of being. Being able to induce this ‘relaxation response’ is vital for switching back on functions like digestion, sleep/rest, bodily repairs of damaged tissues and capacities for social communication and bonding - all the things that get dialled down when our nervous system is stressed but that we need to have a healthy body and fulfilling relationships.
Mindful embodied practice like yoga supports this.
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No. This work is entirely body-based. You never have to say anything you don’t want to. As your guide I will talk to offer shapes for you to explore and alternative ways of approaching or adjusting them, but otherwise there need not be any further talking. The offering with this practice is to be curious about what you are noticing in your body in the present, just as I will be, practicing along with you, about what is happening in my body in the present. The aim, bit by bit, is to teach your nervous system that you are no longer in the past in whatever situation/s hurt you, by re-connecting to your body and being in the now and letting it know that you are safe and that you have agency over what happens to you. This requires no words, only shapes, movements and making choices about how to approach them in your own way.
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Definitely. In fact, being stiff is probably a better starting point that being too flexible, since we need stability in the system to protect our joints if we stumble or fall. I think and work in terms of healthy range of motion to support daily activities, rather than extreme stretching. Your practice would be developed in close collaboration with you, exploring how each shape and technique feels for your body-mind, and making bespoke adjustments as necessary. In addition, the beauty of having the same practice that is repeated day after day means you have a clear yardstick for observing incremental changes in the range of motion within your body.This is about building awareness and safety, not touching your toes.
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That’s understandable. This approach equips you with tools that can help you feel more able to handle what comes up without being overwhelmed. These tools - body, breath and mindfulness tools that you carry around inside you all the time - can help to increase something called your ‘window of tolerance’ for stress in neuroscience. In other words, they help you to better regulate your nervous system, so that even when something triggers you, you are able to manage your heart and breathing rates and allow intense emotions - which are really nervous energy in motion - to move through you and discharge after a few minutes, rather than feeling helpless or out-of-control, or perhaps knee-jerk reacting in a way that you later regret. You could say that this practice and process is about learning to better feel, rather than just feel better.
How I Support you
I’m Charlotte — I come from a family of veterans, so I know the quiet cost of service — the anger, the silence, the disconnection, and the longing to feel normal again.
I also know what it takes to recover from trauma, because I’ve done that work myself. I’ve trained extensively in body-based, trauma-sensitive approaches that help people feel safe in their own skin — without needing to relive the past.
What I offer combines clinical best practice, ancient wisdom, and deep respect for you and your experience — without dogma or judgment.
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An ancient school of practical psychology emphasising meditation.
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Designed to help people feel safe in their bodies again, and in fact to re-learn what it is to ‘have a body; developed by Western psychiatrists, trauma experts and Yoga teachers working with communities affected by PTSD and complex (developmental) PTSD. Read more about it here.
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An ancient science that developed bodywork and breathwork techniques to ease tension, manage energy and shift conscious states.
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A meditative technique incorporating open, compassionate and non-judgemental noticing of what is in our field of awareness at any given moment, pioneered by Buddhism.
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A floor based practice that targets energetic release within the deeper tissues – the fascia, ligaments and joint capsules - developed in the West over the last half a century though based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
BRINGING THE BODY INTO TREATMENT - Backed by
science & years of research
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THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE
DescripThe effects of trauma can be devastating for sufferers, their families and future generations. In this important book one of the world's foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for treatment, moving away from standard talking and drug therapies and towards an alternative, body-led approach that explores how our nervous system records and carries our past wounds into our present day, and how to approach healing those wounds.
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overcoming trauma through yoga
Survivors of trauma—whether abuse, accidents, or war—can end up profoundly wounded, betrayed by their bodies that failed to get them to safety and that are a source of pain. In order to fully heal from trauma, a connection must be made with oneself, including one’s body. The trauma-sensitive yoga described in this book moves beyond traditional talk therapies that focus on the mind, by bringing the body actively into the healing process.
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Embodied healing
First-hand essays of embodied healing from the Center for Trauma and Embodiment, based in Boston: challenges, triumphs and healing strategies from the front line of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga. Written by yoga facilitators, survivors and therapists, the first-hand accounts in healing with Trauma-Sensitive Yoga examine real-life situations and provide guidance on how to act, react and respond to trauma on the mat.
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WAKING THE TIGER
A new and hopeful vision of healing trauma. It views the human animal as a unique being, endowed with an instinctual capacity. It asks and answers an intriguing question: why are animals in the wild, though threatened routinely, rarely traumatised? By understanding the answer to this, the mystery of human trauma is revealed, symptoms of trauma are normalised and steps needed to heal them are discussed.
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trauma sensitive yoga in therapy
With interpersonal trauma, whether chronic childhood abuse or domestic violence, talk therapy isn’t always the most effective course. The trauma and its effects are so complex that reducing it to symptoms or suggesting a change in cognitive frame or behaviour ignores a very basic but critical player: the body. Reorienting clients to their bodies and building their ‘body sense’ can be the key to unlocking their pain and building a path toward healing.
VETERANS, PTSD & EMBODIED PRACTICE: ACADEMIC PAPERS
bessel van der kolK
The psychiatrist, neuroscientist, co-creator of Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) and leader of the world’s first randomised clinical trial assessing the potential of TSY discusses his early professional experiences with veterans and the observations that led to his paradigm-shifting work on PTSD.
What is the financial investment?
Typically the programme costs £500 per month for a minimum of four months.
This is a long-term investment in your mental, emotional and physical health. It’s not a quick fix. It’s real sustainable change.
Let’s Talk
It can be intimidating to take this first step, I’m grateful you’re here and I hope to work with you.
If you would like to book a free consultation call, please fill in the form below and I will be in touch with you.