Survivors Blog
Empathy Will Save Humanity
Why Feeling Deeply Is Not a Weakness, but Our Greatest Intelligence “The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” — Hannah Arendt We are living through a time where empathy is being dismissed, numbed, and in places actively…
Why Mindfulness Can Be Triggering for Trauma Survivors
This is a personal theory supported by trauma research… Mindfulness, meditation and stillness practices are widely recommended for emotional well-being, anxiety, stress and mental health. They are used in therapy rooms, schools, GP practices, yoga studios and community programmes. And for many…
The Nervous System Isn’t Asking Your Permission
It is almost impossible to fully convey the impact of nervous system activation to someone who has never experienced it. What may look, from the outside, like being “over-sensitive,” “attention-seeking,” or “childish” is, on the inside, a state of terror. The person is not reacting to the present…
What Looked Like Nothing, Felt Like Everything
A reflection on trauma responses people don’t see Years ago, I had just started a new job — I’d only been there about a week. One day, I went off to a meeting elsewhere in the building. When I came back, the office I usually worked in was completely closed. The lights were off, the door was locked,…
Beyond Blame: Understanding Incel Identity Through Attachment, Not Outrage
There is a growing concern in education, safeguarding, and mental health fields about the influence of figures like Andrew Tate and others who appeal to boys and young men. It can feel easy — and even comforting — to say the problem starts with these influencers. But when we place the blame solely…
It’s Not “Attention Seeking.” It’s a Nervous System in Survival.
Across education, social care, healthcare, policing, and even politics, there is still a widespread misunderstanding of trauma. Behaviours rooted in survival are often misinterpreted as: “Attention-seeking” “Manipulative” “Excuses” “Lack of discipline” “Bad attitude” And those of us who respond…
Collaboration and Repair: Learning to Stay in the Room When We Get It Wrong
It’s easy to talk about collaboration when everything is going well. It is much harder to stay in collaboration when discomfort, mistakes, and misunderstandings arise. We don’t often speak about that part — the repair. Recently, I was reminded how important repair is when we work with others from a…
When Collaboration Isn’t Collaboration: On Alignment, Authenticity, and the Quiet Politics of Community Work
I’ve been reflecting on a question I was asked recently during a community ‘collaboration hub’ session: “What stops you from collaborating with others?” Around the table, the responses were mostly: Time Funding Capacity Opportunity I listened. Considered. I understood what they meant — but none…
Trauma-Informed Healing Through Nervous System Awareness
Using embodied nervous system attunement to help people recognise, regulate, and return to themselves with dignity and care. My understanding of nervous system states began very early in my life. After a near-death experience as a young child, my body seemed to pay close attention to the world…
The Bridge Between Chakras, the Vagus Nerve, and Interpersonal Neurobiology
Have you ever sensed that science and spirituality might be describing the same truth in different languages? I’ve often reflected on how the vagus nerve, the chakra system, and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) all seem to meet at the same intersection — where energy, emotion, and connection flow…