Let the past become the past
Specialist trauma therapy including EMDR and counselling, gentle, evidence-based help to process what happened, at a pace that feels safe.
EMDR, CBT, counselling & hypnotherapy in Fareham, Hampshire, and online
PTSD and trauma therapy, at your pace
When something that happened keeps its hold on you, life becomes exhausting. PTSD is treatable, and recovery is genuinely possible. In person in Fareham or online across the UK.
Fareham, Hampshire, plus online therapy UK wide
Free · Confidential · No obligation · You never have to describe more than you want to
Understanding it
You are not broken, and healing is possible
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after experiencing or witnessing something overwhelming. It is a natural response to an abnormal event, not a weakness and not a flaw in you.
Trauma tends to stay with people through intrusive memories, disturbed sleep, feeling permanently on edge, and a pull to avoid anything that brings it back. If any of that is familiar, it is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It is a sign that something happened.
Whatever you are carrying, it can be eased. With the right treatment, people with PTSD recover, learn to manage their symptoms and go on to live full lives. You also do not need a diagnosis to get in touch, and you do not have to work out which therapy you need. That is our job.
You might recognise this
How trauma tends to show up
You do not need all of these, and you do not need a diagnosis. Read them gently.
- Flashbacks or intrusive memories
- Nightmares and broken sleep
- Feeling constantly on edge
- Startling easily
- Avoiding people, places or reminders
- Feeling numb or detached
- Anger arriving faster than expected
- Guilt, shame or self-blame
- Difficulty trusting people
- Low mood or anxiety alongside it
- Gaps in memory of the event
- Physical tension or unexplained pain
Trauma is not only about single dramatic events. It also follows accidents, medical experiences, bereavement, assault, childhood experiences, and things that went on for years rather than minutes.
What the guidance says
Which therapy works best for PTSD?
PTSD is one of the areas where the guidance is clearest. NICE recommends two psychological therapies for adults with PTSD: trauma-focused CBT, and EMDR. Both are offered here, and one of them is usually where we start.
EMDR is particularly useful because it works on the memory itself rather than requiring you to talk through every detail, which for many people is the barrier to starting at all.
Counselling and hypnotherapy are used here alongside those rather than instead of them. They help a great deal with the anxiety, the sleep, the guilt and the self-blame that travel with trauma, and the research behind them for PTSD specifically is thinner. We would rather say so plainly.
NHS waiting lists for trauma-focused therapy can be long, and provision varies by area. That is a legitimate reason to come privately, and it does not affect any NHS referral you already have.
The approach
How we help you process trauma
There is no single right answer, so we match the approach to you and often blend more than one. Everything moves gently and at your pace.
EMDR · Recommended by NICE
EMDR: process the memory, not just the feelings
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they feel less raw and their emotional charge settles. It is one of the two psychological therapies NICE recommends for PTSD.
Using gentle guided eye movements, it helps move a distressing memory into a more settled, integrated state, easing the fear, anger or sadness tied to it. Crucially, you do not have to describe everything out loud for it to work.
Your therapist will do preparation work with you first, and nothing is rushed.
Trauma-focused CBT & counselling
A safe space to be heard, and practical tools
Trauma-focused CBT is the other approach NICE recommends for PTSD. It works on the thoughts and the avoidance that keep the trauma alive, and builds practical tools such as grounding and relaxation for the moments that are hardest.
Counselling gives you a safe, unhurried space to make sense of what happened and to be properly heard. It also addresses what so often travels with trauma: the anxiety, the low mood, and the guilt or shame that rarely belong to you but attach themselves anyway.
Hypnotherapy
Calming the body while the rest of the work happens
Hypnotherapy works on the constant alertness, the physical tension and the sleep, which are often what make everything else harder to bear.
It uses deep relaxation, gentle visualisation and positive suggestion to restore some sense of calm and control. Here it sits alongside EMDR or trauma-focused CBT rather than replacing them, and we would not present it as a stand-alone PTSD treatment.
The thing people worry about most
You will not be made to relive it
The most common reason people put off trauma therapy is the fear of being asked to go through it all again in detail. That is not how this works.
You are never pushed to share more than feels manageable, and EMDR in particular can process a memory without you describing it out loud. Your therapist does preparation work with you first, checks in as you go, and will slow down or stop whenever you need.
You are in charge of the pace throughout. That is not a nicety, it is how trauma therapy is supposed to work.
No surprises
What happens when you get in touch
- 1
You send a message or call
A line or two is plenty. You do not have to say what happened, now or ever, in more detail than you choose.
- 2
A free 15 minute call
A relaxed, confidential chat with an experienced therapist. Nothing difficult happens on the call itself.
- 3
We match you with the right therapist
We suggest the approach and therapist we think fits, in person in Fareham or online, and you decide whether to start.
EMDR, CBT and hypnotherapy from £90 a session. Counselling from £72. See all fees
Recovery is possible, and you deserve it
People often wait years before doing anything about this, usually because they believe it is too late, or that what happened to them does not count as bad enough. Neither is true. It is never too late, and there is no threshold you need to have crossed first.
Your questions answered
PTSD therapy questions, answered
Will I have to relive my trauma in detail?
No. You are never pushed to share more than feels manageable, and EMDR in particular can help you process a memory without describing it out loud. Your therapist does preparation work first, checks in as you go, and will slow down or stop whenever you need.
Which therapy is best for PTSD?
NICE recommends two psychological therapies for adults with PTSD: trauma-focused CBT and EMDR. We offer both, and one of them is usually where we start. Counselling and hypnotherapy are used alongside them to help with anxiety, sleep and self-blame rather than as stand-alone PTSD treatments.
Can therapy really help my PTSD?
Yes. PTSD is treatable and people genuinely do recover. It is one of the better-evidenced areas in mental health. We would not promise you an outcome, but this is not a case of managing something indefinitely.
Do I need a diagnosis before I come?
No. Plenty of the people we work with have never been formally diagnosed, and some would not meet the criteria for PTSD but are clearly still carrying something. You do not need a label to deserve support.
What if it happened a long time ago?
It makes far less difference than people expect. We regularly work with things that happened years or decades ago, including in childhood. Time passing does not resolve trauma on its own, and it does not make therapy less effective.
What if I do not think it was bad enough to count?
This is one of the most common things people say to us, and it is worth knowing that comparing your experience to someone else's is not a useful measure. If something is still affecting how you sleep, think or live, that is enough.
Should I see my GP as well?
Yes, we would encourage it. PTSD is usually diagnosed by a mental health professional, and your GP can talk through all your options including medication and NHS referral. We work alongside your medical care rather than instead of it.
I am already waiting for NHS therapy. Should I still come?
Many people do both, and waiting lists for trauma-focused therapy can be long. Coming to us does not affect your NHS referral. If we think you need something a specialist NHS service provides, we will say so plainly.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies with what you are working with and how long it has been going on. Trauma from a single event often needs fewer sessions than trauma that ran over years. You will get an honest, realistic idea after the first session or two.
Can I have sessions online?
Yes. You can be seen in person at our Fareham practice or online from anywhere in the UK, including EMDR, which works well over secure video. Many people find starting from home feels safer.
Trauma is a sensitive subject. If you are struggling right now, please contact your GP, or the Samaritans free on 116 123, at any time of day or night.
Whenever you are ready, we are here
Start with a free 15 minute call. A relaxed, confidential conversation with an experienced therapist. You do not have to say what happened, and there is no cost and no obligation.
hello@oliptherapy.co.uk · Samaritans 116 123, free any time