Trauma

TRAUMA & POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

When the past continues to influence the present

Do you sometimes feel like you're constantly on edge?

That certain experiences continue to weigh on you long after the events themselves — in the form of anxiety, emotional hypersensitivity, reactions that are difficult to understand or control, relationship difficulties, fragile sleep, or a diffuse feeling of insecurity that has settled in over time?

Trauma is not only about sudden or exceptional events. It can also develop gradually, when certain difficult situations are repeated over a long period, in contexts where one no longer feels truly safe — neither protected nor supported.

What trauma does to the brain

The neuroscience of trauma now shows that some experiences can exceed the brain's and nervous system's usual capacity for integration. When this happens, the event doesn't simply become a difficult memory: part of the nervous system sometimes continues to function as if the danger were still present, even when the threat is in the past.

The networks involved in alertness, emotional memory, stress regulation, and danger perception can then remain permanently activated. Gradually, the nervous system learns to function in a state of constant alert. This state can manifest as hypervigilance, persistent inner tension, difficulty releasing pressure, or a pervasive feeling of insecurity.

Over time, this state sometimes comes to seem normal. Yet, it remains costly. It continually mobilizes the brain's and body's resources, contributing to emotional exhaustion, relationship difficulties, sleep disorders, or emotional reactions that seem disproportionate or difficult to understand.

Trauma is therefore not just a painful memory. It is often a particular way for the nervous system to continue organizing the perception of the world long after the initial danger has disappeared.

Trauma as a rupture of presence

One dimension of trauma is often underestimated: its impact on our ability to be present — present with ourselves, but also present with others.

Many traumatic experiences occur in situations where the protective presence of others was lacking. In other, even more complex cases, the very presence of a loved one becomes a source of fear, confusion, or danger. The nervous system then registers a profound experience: others are not necessarily a source of security.

This impact doesn't always disappear when the events are over. It can continue to influence relationships, trust, the ability to ask for help, or to feel truly safe around another person. Some people describe feeling like they constantly have to be on their guard. Others find it difficult to accept support, even when surrounded by caring people.

From this perspective, trauma can be understood as a lasting disruption of the relationship to presence. The nervous system has learned that proximity to others is not necessarily synonymous with safety.

This is also why healing often involves the repeated experience of a different kind of presence: one that is stable, predictable, and respectful enough to allow the brain to gradually learn that the other person can become a resource rather than a threat.

How I work

Trauma psychotherapy is not about erasing the past. It aims to gradually allow the brain and nervous system to move out of certain survival states that have become overwhelming, in order to regain greater inner security, emotional flexibility, and freedom in daily life.

My approach integrates EMDR, complex trauma-focused therapies, schema therapy, emotional regulation approaches, and insights from contemporary neuroscience, particularly polyvagal theory. It also emphasizes the therapeutic relationship itself, which is often a crucial element in the healing process.

The pace is always yours. The work is built gradually, respecting your history, your resources, and what you are ready to go through at each stage of the process.

Sessions can take place in person in Marseille or via secure teleconsultation, for people in France as well as internationally.

Related Resources
Depending on your situation, you can also consult

EMDR – Understanding how reprocessing difficult memories can promote psychological healing.

Attachment – Understanding how the brain gradually learns whether it can rely on the presence of others.

Borderline Personality Disorder – Understanding the difficulties of emotional and relational regulation.

Anxiety – Understanding the mechanisms of worry, hypervigilance and panic attacks.

Depression – Exploring the link between mental exhaustion, loss of momentum and feelings of disconnection.

Couple therapy – Understanding relationship dynamics and attachment difficulties in the couple.

Consultations – Practical information on consultations in Marseille or via teleconsultation.

For a more in-depth reflection on the neuroscience of presence, you can also visit the section The Brain of Presence.

CONTACT FORM & APPOINTMENT BOOKING

EMDR EMDR – Understanding how reprocessing difficult memories can promote psychological healing.

Trauma Better understanding the consequences of simple or complex psychological trauma.

BORDERLINEt Understanding the brain gradually learns whether it can rely on the presence of others.

ANXIETY Borderline Personality Disorder – Understanding the difficulties of emotional and relational regulation.

DEPRESSION

ATTACHMENT

COUPLES THERAPY

CONSULTATIONS

RATES