Condition
PTSD — therapy online across the UK
For when a specific event, or events, won't settle into the past.
First-line
trauma-focused CBT / EMDR per NICE
Around 4 in 10
trauma-exposed adults may develop symptoms without support
Structured
recommended treatment format
8-12
typical session range for single-incident PTSD
Understanding it
About PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after experiencing or witnessing a deeply threatening or distressing event. Rather than fading with time, the memory stays 'live' — intruding as flashbacks or nightmares, and driving avoidance, hypervigilance or emotional numbing. Effective, trauma-focused therapies exist and are recommended as the first-line treatment.
Under extreme threat, the brain sometimes struggles to process an experience into an ordinary, settled memory. Instead, fragments of it — images, sounds, body sensations — remain easily triggered, as if the danger is still present. This is a survival response, not a personal failing or sign of weakness.
Avoidance is a core feature: avoiding reminders, places, conversations or even feelings connected to the event can bring short-term relief but tends to keep the memory 'stuck', preventing the natural processing that usually happens after difficult experiences.
PTSD can follow a single incident — an accident, assault or medical emergency — or repeated experiences, such as ongoing abuse or combat exposure, which is sometimes described as complex PTSD and often involves additional difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth and relationships.
Recovery doesn't mean forgetting the event or that it stops mattering. It means the memory becomes something that happened to you, held in the past, rather than something that keeps happening to you in the present.
How it shows up
You might recognise some of this
Nobody has all of it. Most people recognise a handful — and that's enough to start.
In your body
- Being easily startled or constantly on alert
- Sleep disturbance or nightmares
- Physical tension or racing heart when reminded of the event
- Fatigue from chronic hyperarousal
- Physical numbness or feeling disconnected from your body
In your thoughts
- Intrusive images or memories of the event
- Flashbacks where it feels like it's happening again
- Persistent negative beliefs about yourself or the world
- Guilt or self-blame about what happened
- Difficulty concentrating
In daily life
- Avoiding places, people or situations linked to the event
- Emotional numbness or detachment from others
- Irritability or angry outbursts
- Withdrawing from previously enjoyed activities
- Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe
Signals
When this helps
- Flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive memories
- Hypervigilance and being constantly on edge
- Avoidance that's shrinking your life
- Guilt, shame or self-blame connected to the event
- Numbness and disconnection from others
The work
How therapy helps here
Uses NICE-recommended, structured trauma processing methods
Paces the work so you're never overwhelmed without support
Addresses both the memory itself and the beliefs it left behind
The evidence
What the research actually says
Plain-English summaries of the guidance our therapists work from.
Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR are NICE-recommended
NICE guidance recommends trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and EMDR as first-line treatments for PTSD, with strong evidence for meaningful symptom reduction.
Processing, not just talking, drives change
Research suggests the active ingredient in effective PTSD treatments is structured processing of the traumatic memory itself, rather than general supportive conversation alone.
Early intervention can prevent chronic PTSD
Evidence suggests that trauma-focused support offered relatively soon after a traumatic event can reduce the likelihood of symptoms becoming long-term, though routine single-session debriefing is not recommended.
What to expect
How a course of therapy usually unfolds
A guide, not a script — your therapist shapes this around you.
- 1
Safety and stabilisation
Before processing the memory, your therapist ensures you have enough grounding and coping skills to manage distress safely.
- 2
Building the trauma narrative or reprocessing
Using structured methods such as trauma-focused CBT or EMDR to process the memory directly, at a pace you control.
- 3
Addressing unhelpful beliefs
Working with beliefs the trauma left behind, such as self-blame, danger or mistrust.
- 4
Reducing avoidance
Gradually returning to situations and activities that have been avoided since the event.
- 5
Consolidation
Reviewing progress and building a plan for managing any future triggers or setbacks.
Worth saying
Common worries, honestly answered
“You have to talk about every detail of the trauma for therapy to work.”
Effective trauma therapies are carefully paced and structured; you are never forced into detail before you're ready, and some approaches like EMDR need minimal verbal description.
“PTSD only affects soldiers.”
PTSD can follow any event experienced as life-threatening or deeply distressing, including accidents, assaults, medical trauma and abuse.
“If it's been years, it's too late for therapy to help.”
Trauma-focused therapy can be effective regardless of how long ago the event occurred.
Between sessions
Small things that genuinely help
None of these replace therapy — but they're a gentle place to begin today.
- Use grounding techniques (naming things you see, hear, feel) when flashbacks occur
- Keep a consistent sleep routine, even when sleep is disrupted
- Limit alcohol, which can worsen nightmares and avoidance
- Gently note triggers without judging yourself for having them
- Reach out to trusted people rather than isolating after a difficult day
FAQs
Frequently asked
Find the therapist who fits
Answer 10 short questions and we'll match you within 48 hours — no card needed to start.