Greg James

*NEW * (Why Your Body Speaks and How to Listen)
Available now on Amazon, my new book is a practical guide to reconnecting to your body through digestible science, a host of practical tools as well as stories from the therapy room (with permission) that bring it all to life.  If you know your body has a story to tell and you aren't sure how to access it safely, this is a good starting point. 
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As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner® and psychotherapist, I’ve seen time and again how closely the body and mind are connected. Our bodies often respond in ways that we don't always expect, which can feel frustrating or even frightening. This might show up as acute anxiety, panic attacks, unexplained physical symptoms like back pain, headaches or inflammation, feeling stuck or frozen, struggling with anger, or sensing fear or danger even when you know you’re safe. 

• "Greg is the best therapist I've ever been to. Observant, insightful and knows exactly where to take you."
  Client feedback - trauma survivor 

Talking therapies can be a powerful way for people to speak about painful life experiences, get out of their heads, and process what’s happened with the support of a skilled therapist. For many, this can lead to real change, a sense of clarity, growth, and the ability to move forward.

But we often forget that the body experiences these things too. In fact, it experiences them first as sensations before the mind has a chance to make sense of what is happening, often through whatever filter feels safest at the time. But while we attend to the confusion or distress in our thoughts, the body is not given the chance to process what it has carried. When it isn’t, physical and emotional symptoms can linger leading to things like panic attacks, chronic tension, inflammation, a sense of being stuck, or a feeling that danger is still present even when we know we’re safe.

This is where Somatic Experiencing® comes in. Developed over decades by Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing (SE) works with the body’s natural capacity to heal from trauma. Grounded in neuroscience and the physiology of trauma, it’s used worldwide by psychotherapists, doctors, yoga teachers, neurologists, and others who work with stress and trauma-related conditions. SE practitioners are trained over an intensive three-year period in how to work gently and safely with the body’s responses; its patterns of activation, shutdown, and self-protection so that symptoms can begin to resolve from the inside out.

• "I came to you with a foggy mind, tired and overwhelmed, totally unaware of my own body. The changes I have noticed in myself are enormous. They stand as a reminder of the journey we have been on and the gratitude I have for you."
  Client feedback - trauma survivor

By integrating psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing, I support clients in processing their experiences both top-down and bottom-up. "Top-down" refers to how you think about and make sense of your experience. "Bottom-up" refers to how you physically and emotionally feel it in your body. In our work, we gently build your capacity to notice what’s happening internally - tightness in the chest, a flutter in the belly, a surge of heat, a sense of collapse or stillness - and invite those physical sensations to have as much say in your sessions as your words do.

This attention to your bodily experience isn’t about fixing or forcing anything. Instead, it helps your nervous system to complete responses that may have been interrupted or overwhelmed at the time of the original event. Over time, this allows the body to release what it’s been holding, and for you to feel more grounded, more present, and more whole.

• "These sessions have made a massive impact on my life and I will be forever grateful"
  Client feedback - trauma survivor 
  
  

I have experience working with both men and women on issues including anxiety, childhood trauma, single traumatic events, car accidents, domestic violence, emotional and sexual abuse, rape, bullying, autoimmune diseases, FND, boarding school survivors, suicidal ideation, family/relationship conflict, anger, boundary work and acute shame.

• "Thank you, unendingly, for guiding me along with such skill and compassion"
  Client feedback 

Why I work

Maya Angelou once said: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you." It takes enormous strength to share your story with another human being and it is a rare privilege, as a psychotherapist, to bear witness to it. I hope that in sharing your wounds and journeying towards healing, you will find the peace and understanding you so richly deserve.

• "I feel like I leave every session lighter like I've put something down that I don't need to be carrying." 
  Client feedback - Childhood sexual abuse survivor
  

Next steps

Get in touch for a short no-obligation consult which may help you to decide if I'm the right person for you. You will find further information on my website about psychotherapy and somatic experiencing.

• "There's a peace along with the self-confidence and belief that's continuing to grow session by session." 
  Client feedback - Trauma survivor
  

I look forward to hearing from you.

• Somatic Experiencing® (SE) - A gentle trauma treatment based on the body's natural capacity to restore and resolve symptoms of trauma by getting to the root of it. SE is incredibly versatile and can be used as a tool in everyday life. When applied to trauma it has been shown to significantly reduce or entirely eradicate symptoms of trauma by getting to the root of the issue by being aware of how and why the body is responding in the way that it is, and what to do to help it. It is integrated seamlessly into my talking therapy.

While SE is not limited to working in the following areas, these are examples of common presenting issues that I see:

Car accidents, medical trauma, near drowning, violent/sexual or other physical assault, physical or emotional abuse, childhood trauma (prolonged or single event), bullying, secondary trauma (from being close to someone who has experienced trauma), falls, neglect, grief, dissociation, unexplained medical conditions, experience of war & prolonged stressful workplaces such as paramedics, firefighters and police, surgical procedures.

SE can also be used effectively in a short term way to prepare for surgical procedures including dental work.

Symptoms of trauma or PTSD may include acute anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts about the incident(s), avoidance of things that remind you of the incident, hypervigilance (always being on edge and feeling ready for something), a sense that the world is not safe, chronic numbing of emotions or a feeling of collapse and shutdown.

• Military & Blue Light Services (resolution of trauma and/or resilience training to ensure wellbeing in future stressful situations)
• Boarding School Survivors
• Social workers/Foster parents etc experiencing secondary trauma symptoms

Free 20-30 minute Initial Online Consultation 

My client hours are limited because of teaching and charitable commitments.