18/06/2026
I know the might seem like an unusual pairing - a picture of my dogs (again!) and a picture of an amazing book by Bessel Van Der Kolk - but hear me out.
Not everyone always understand the origin of their aches and pains - their endlessly irritable shoulders; nagging headaches or vulnerable lower back. Maybe it's not because of your work or that old injury where you took a tumble but maybe something more deep set and less obvious.
Maybe the symptoms you are experiencing are a testament to how you are processing past experiences and, possibly, how safe you feel. Perhaps you are endlessly in high alert and vigilance or hiding away and keeping yourself unnoticed. The body does keep the score.
This book is an incredible insight into the changing approach to trauma research and treatment. I read it alongside treating someone with a very unhappy history and every page was relevant, if not the most comfortable of reads. I learnt so much.
So, why the dog picture? Well, these are my girls. The black and white one is about a year old. We've had her since a pup and she is full of boundless energy and love for life, everyone and everything. The orange girl is about 9 years old. We've had her since she was 3. She came via a rescue centre in Spain. I wish she could talk. She is the kindest, gentlest soul but she is a bit dysfunctional. It's as if she doesn't quite know how to be happy or be loved. She still cowers and then freezes in certain situations. I wish she could explain her past to us to help us work gently along side this. The tail wags get more frequent and the eye-contact less fleeting but she is still not fully at ease or full of the spaniel joy that we all know and love.
Trauma can present in unexpected ways - the broken narrative; the isolation; the emotional numbness. Patients never actually book in because of these things but usually because of chronic pain and the fatigue that comes with that. Patients who share their dark stories from their past with me perhaps welcome a moment to confidentially offload; to explain themselves; possibly to understand themselves. This is a huge and trusting step. Their body relaxes a little tension as they speak. What a privilege to help with that as a listening ear, an open mind and gentle therapeutic touch.
