PTSD & Trauma
I am passionate about helping people to release traumatic memories and reduce the associated distress and symptoms. Because when you have lived through a traumatic experience you shouldn't have to re-live, or be extremely distressed by, that experience for months or years afterwards.
I use a gentle and effective therapy that gets results typically in 3 sessions and people often start to notice the results after just one session.
Based on the extensive research of Dr. Ronald Ruden, who developed Havening Techniques, we now know that the brain processes an experience as traumatic if:
1) you perceive it to be threatening either physically or socially (i.e. your social standing or image can be under threat from others or situations such as verbal bullying at work)
2) you perceive it to be inescapable either physically or socially (e.g. it's not socially acceptable to run out of a business meeting)
3) you are vulnerable in some way (e.g. you are a child, you are unwell, you had a challenging upbringing, you are giving birth etc).
When these three criteria are met fast-moving Gamma brainwaves are triggered, which are the catalyst for chemical reactions that cause all of the sensory information related to that traumatic experience to be hard-wired into the amygdala (the centre of the brain that is responsible for keeping you alive). So the brain essentially locks in all of the detail of that experience so that if any future events look, feel, sound, smell or cause your body to react (e.g. tense or heart rate increase) in the same way as the original traumatising event, then the amygdala will engage by prompting you to freeze, fight or flee.
Consequently, you can develop symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), such as feeling on-edge, anxious, have panic attacks, re-live the memories, have nightmares, avoid people/places/activities that remind you of the trauma, and find it hard to relax or sleep. If left untreated, trauma can trigger: Generalised Anxiety Disorder, OCD, depression, phobias, persistent insomnia or addiction, so it is preferable to seek support sooner rather than later.
Click here to watch a video that explains more of the detail about how trauma is encoded in the brain.
HAVENING TECHNIQUES®
I primarily use Havening Techniques®, a gentle and effective neuroscience-based therapy for major and minor trauma and PTSD.
This trauma therapy works directly with the part of the brain that has stored the traumatic memory and reduces or neutralises the distress associated with it. Havening Techniques is designed to soothe the nervous system and the process is gentle enough to be used immediately after the trauma. It has been extensively clinically trialled with army veterans, 911 survivors and assault victims, and it produces impressive results in short timeframes. It produces impressive results often in just one session. To learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind it visit the Havening website.
Where appropriate I also use, and sometimes combine, the following approaches and techniques:
RAPID TRANSFORMATION THERAPY®
A series of powerful techniques that combine Hypnotherapy with aspects of Psychotherapy. It was honed over 30 years of clinical practice and delivers remarkable results fast. Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy that uses the state of mind of hypnosis, which is a relaxed and focused mindset that’s similar to meditation. Studies have shown that the mind becomes very receptive to change in hypnosis and this state of mind facilitates the brevity and efficacy of this Therapy.
NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING®
A model for understanding people’s thought and behavioural patterns, and a series of techniques to help change those patterns quickly.
UNDERSTANDING YOU
Helping people to feel comfortable, understood and unjudged is a vital part of my work. I use personality and behavioural models, such as Transactional Analysis and the Enneagram, to help me quickly get where you’re coming from.
For information about fees please click here.
BACKGROUND:
I suffered from childbirth trauma after the lengthy and painful birth of my son. It left me feeling anxious, on-edge, panicky, unable to sleep, and just not myself for 18 months. It was a huge relief that thanks to therapy using Havening Techniques, the trauma, anxiety, and insomnia lifted and I began to feel like myself again.
QUALIFICATIONS:
I qualified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist with the London College of Clinical Hypnosis, on one of the UK’s most rigorous Hypnotherapy courses. Additionally, I set out to learn the most rapid and effective therapy techniques from world-renowned therapists. To that end, I trained in Rapid Transformational Therapy® with the method's creator (Marisa Peer) and in Neuro-linguistic Programming® with the co-creator of NLP (Dr. Richard Bandler). I am a Certified Practitioner of Havening Techniques®, a neuroscience-based trauma therapy, of which Paul McKenna is a fellow practitioner.
"I had been diagnosed with PPTSD and had been struggling for almost 2 years with anxiety, insomnia, at times I thought I might have Postnatal Depression, and I just felt like I'd woken up in hospital as someone else. I worked with Patti over Skype, I didn't even have to leave my house. I felt very different straight away after the first session, I felt quite calm, content and like the old me. As the days and weeks rolled on I continued to feel just like the cheerful old me, the anxiety was gone, I've been getting on better with my partner and family, instead of feeling like my whole world had been turned upside down, I just feel like me, but me with a kid, and I feel like a better parent too, somehow parenting just seems easier. I still cannot believe how well this therapy has worked, I can't put into words what an utter relief it is. Patti is a miracle worker, she gave me my life back and I will be forever grateful."
Molly, Bristol.
"In my hour of need, Patti stepped up and cured me. I was suffering from PTSD following a particularly harrowing car crash. Following the accident, I was living a haze of fearful dysfunction. On a scale of 0-10, 10 being the worse case mentally and emotionally, I was a 10. Patti, quickly, using Havening via zoom in three sessions, treated my PTSD. My fear, dysfunction, and inability to cope went from 10 (worse case) to 0 (best case). Patti achieved this with immense skill, care, compassion, and grace. Simply amazing."
Paul, California.
"The birth of my daughter was long, traumatic, and exhausting and ended in a C-Section. I want to have another baby but the thought of my last birth experience was enough to put me off. One session with Patti has helped to fade the memories and made the whole experience feel further away and far less important. I'm now planning to have my second child later this year."
Joy, London.
Click here or on the 'Book a consultation call' button at the bottom of your screen to arrange a free 30-minute call for us to discuss how I might be able to help you and to see if we're a good fit.
If you have a query then feel free to drop me an email: info@pattibuttrick.com.
LOCATION
I work exclusively online (using Skype or Zoom) nationally and internationally.
APPOINTMENT TIMES
Appointments are during the daytime or evenings on select days of the week.