PTSD Support Weybridge is for people whose bodies and minds are still living with impact long after the event has ended. You might look “fine” to other people yet carry flashbacks, nightmares, sudden surges of panic, or a constant sense that something bad could happen at any moment. Everyday sounds, smells or phrases can yank you back into moments you would rather forget. In my Weybridge practice I offer PTSD support that is somatic and EMDR-informed, so change is steady, collaborative and designed to be usable in real life, not just in the therapy room.
We begin by listening to your nervous system rather than pushing for details. You do not have to tell me everything in the first session. Instead, we pay attention to what happens in your body right now: how your breath changes when you talk about certain places, whether your shoulders rise when you mention particular people, how your stomach feels when you think about being trapped or watched. These reactions are not failures or “overreactions” – they are the nervous system’s way of trying to keep you safe. PTSD Support Weybridge starts from this information because it tells us where care is most needed.
From there, we build the foundations of safety through grounding. That might look like feeling the weight of your feet on the floor, noticing the support of the chair, or gently orienting to the room – seeing colours, shapes, light and exits so your body knows where it is. We experiment with small adjustments to your breathing and posture and choose a few that actually help you feel a fraction less on edge. These become tiny practices you can carry into your day: pausing before you open an email, taking a brief reset after a difficult interaction, or creating a simple wind-down before bed to reduce the jump from “hyper-vigilant” to “meant to be asleep”.
Regulation becomes our shared base. Post-traumatic stress often pulls people between high activation (fight/flight – panic, anger, jumpiness) and shutdown (freeze – numbness, emptiness, disconnection). Together we work to widen the middle ground. We move gently between mild activation and relative safety: touching a difficult topic for a short time, then returning to something grounding in the present. Over time your system learns that it is possible to feel strong emotion and still come back to a steadier state. This step is essential before we go near more direct trauma processing.
Somatic awareness helps us map your early warning signs so we can intervene before you are overwhelmed. You might notice your jaw clenching when someone walks behind you, your vision narrowing in crowds, your breath vanishing when doors close, or your mind going “blank” in conflict. We treat these as important information rather than something to ignore. Together we design early responses – a pause, a movement, a grounding phrase, stepping closer to an exit, or deciding to leave a situation – so that your nervous system doesn’t have to escalate all the way to flashback or shutdown to be heard.
When there is enough steadiness in the present, we can bring EMDR into the work. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) uses gentle left-right stimulation – eye movements, taps or alternating sounds – to help the brain and body digest traumatic memories differently. Instead of being relived at full intensity, they can gradually become recognised as “something that happened” rather than “something that is happening right now”. In my Weybridge practice EMDR is always titrated and body-aware: we work in short sets, pause often, check how you feel, and return to familiar grounding tools whenever necessary. You are in charge of pace and depth; consent is revisited throughout.
PTSD Support Weybridge is always linked to everyday life. We look at where symptoms hit hardest – around certain doorways, in queues, on public transport, in medical settings, in family homes, at night – and create small, realistic strategies for those places. That might mean a grounding routine before entering a triggering building, a way of sitting in a room that feels safer for your body, a plan for what to do if you feel a flashback starting, or a ritual that helps you leave the day behind before sleep. These are not grand gestures; they are small, repeatable acts that gradually change how survivable your days feel.
Emotional processing is paced carefully. We do not force your system to relive every detail of what happened. Instead, we work in layers: sometimes focusing on a particular image or moment that keeps intruding, other times on a wider sense of threat, shame, grief or anger that has never had space to be felt. Some sessions are quieter and stabilising; others may involve more active EMDR reprocessing. All of them are held within the frame of safety and regulation we build together.
As regulation grows, many people notice small but important shifts. Nightmares may become less frequent, or less intense. The startle response softens slightly. You might find yourself able to stay in your body for a few more seconds during situations that used to feel impossible, or to use a grounding practice to ride out a wave of distress instead of being fully swept away. Over time, this often adds up to more choice: being able to attend appointments, sit in certain rooms, travel, work, rest and connect with others with less fear.
The format of PTSD support is flexible. You can work with me in person in Weybridge, online, or in a blend of both, depending on what feels safest and most practical. Some people appreciate a predictable weekly session; others need a structure that can adapt around shifts, caring responsibilities or health conditions. We decide the rhythm together and adjust as needed so that therapy supports your nervous system rather than overwhelming it.
Throughout, we keep everything as practical and grounded as possible. Tools have to survive busy days, flashback-prone nights, family demands and low-energy mornings, or they are not helpful enough. You don’t need a neat story, a formal PTSD diagnosis or previous therapy experience to begin. We can start from wherever you are now – nightmares, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, numbness, or simply the feeling that your body is still living in yesterday.
If you’re curious about PTSD Support in Weybridge and would like to explore whether this way of working could help, you are very welcome to ask questions first. To enquire or arrange an initial session, please use the contact page: https://www.cherie-james.com/contact
— you can outline what brings you here, which situations are hardest, and what kind of pace feels realistic. From there, we can decide together whether this somatic, EMDR-informed approach is a good next step for you.
FAQ
Q1. How does somatic EMDR support ptsd support effectively?
By stabilising first with grounding and regulation, then processing stuck moments in short bilateral sets with clear consent.
Q2. Will I learn skills that work under pressure?
Yes—portable anchors, doorway pauses, boundary lines and evening wind‑downs you can actually keep.
Q3. Can I mix online and in‑person sessions?
Yes—Weybridge appointments and secure online options can be blended to fit your week.