Becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.
Michelle Obama
How can I support you?
If you have found your way here, my sense is that you know something of the overwhelm, exhaustion, or lostness of burnout, breakdown, and trauma.
Or perhaps you may also know this to be within the realms of:
- Complex & Developmental Trauma
- Personality / Dissociative Disorder
- Single or Multiple Incident Trauma
- Adult Autism & ADHD based Trauma
- Chronic Depression / Dysthymia
- Anxiety / Panic / Separation Distress
- Overwhelm / Stress / Burnout
- Self-esteem / Self-efficacy
- Pregnancy / Parenting
- Relationships / Friendships
- Personal Growth & Identity
- Or any other Challenging Life Situations
No matter the case, if you have found your way here, my sense is that you know something of the overwhelm, exhaustion, or lostness of burnout, breakdown, and trauma.
I sense you might like to understand a little more about what these phenomena are, and how we might work together toward a life of connected significance and meaning — a life where you are moving toward an integrated sense of Self with an Other in the World.
With this in mind, I here differentiate each of these phenomena, followed by an outline of how, with connection and compassion, we shall discover clarity amid a world of chaos.
Burnout
Burnout arises from a part of us that feels the relentless pressure of doing — the prolonged burden of meeting demands that chronically exceed our system’s capacity. It is the physiological, psychological, and relational consequence of unyielding expectations to do, without space or permission to simply be.
While often culturally associated with the overburdening demands of success, for many, burnout is not just the stress of striving. Rather, it is the exhaustion of constant Self-monitoring and Self-modifying — the morphing and masking required in the ongoing pursuit of a felt sense of safety.
In this light, burnout may be seen as the slowly creeping shadow of inauthenticity — the parts of us that learned, in order to survive, we must continuously reorient and reconfigure to the needs of the Other and the World around us. That, to remain connected, our inner truth must be concealed or sacrificed.
Burnout is the silent cost of attachment over authenticity.
Characterised by exhaustion, anhedonia, depersonalisation, and a pervasive sense of inefficacy, burnout reflects a gradual and systemic collapse. It is not a breakdown of will or want — it is a protective shut-down: an embodied response to the dissonance of lingering hiddenness and aloneness.
This collapse rarely arrives suddenly. It accumulates — quietly, slowly — until the cost of masking and morphing outweighs our capacity to contain it. Burnout is the body’s way of saying what the voice could not: this is not working.
Some of the most piercing expressions of burnout arise in those whose struggle is unseen or unspoken:
- Neurodivergent burnout, shaped by the unrelenting expectations of a neuronormative world
- Carer burnout, born from the ongoing, often invisible, labour of tending to the needs of the Other
- Professional burnout, stemming from intensive, unacknowledged occupational stress and responsibility
No matter the form, burnout is a deep discombobulation — the result of holding too much, too often, for too long.
Yet it cannot be negated: amidst the collapse is a call — a plea from the Self to be met in authenticity, with compassion and curiosity. Burnout does not mark the end of capacity, but the beginning of an invitation: to move from self-sacrifice toward Self-return.
Neurodivergent Burnout
If you identify as neurodivergent in any manner (with or without diagnosis) and are experiencing chronic exhaustion, increased sensory sensitivity, cognitive overload, brain fog, or a lowered sense of Self, you may be experiencing Neurodivergent Burnout.
As eloquently described by Dr Megan Anna Neff, “Neurodivergent burnout happens when our internal resources have been depleted and exhausted.”
Unlike more general forms of burnout, neurodivergent burnout is shaped by the cumulative cost of masking, misunderstood needs, unmet support, sensory overload, and navigating a world designed for neurotypical minds.
Here, you are not expected to fit a mould. This is a slow-paced, compassionate space that honours your rhythm and reclaims your right to rest and recovery.
We explore what has been masked, suppressed, or hidden for survival — gently unearthing your most authentic Self.
Through co-regulation and attuned relational connection, we trace the threads of meaning, grief, and belonging, restoring a sense of Self that feels safe, soothed, and sovereign.
Carer Burnout
If you have spent significant time caring for someone with complex mental, emotional, or physical needs, you may find yourself depleted — physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Carer burnout often unfolds quietly, through the ongoing sacrifice of personal needs, invisibility of effort, and gradual erosion of Self.
In this space, I offer a co-regulated connection where your experience is met with deep respect and attunement.
Together, we gently explore what it has meant to carry so much — for so long. Through compassionate collaboration, we honour your exhaustion, revisit your own needs, and begin the work of returning to a more stable, embodied sense of Self.
This is a place to reconnect with who you are beneath the role of carer — a space for restoration, renewal, and remembering what it means to be held.
Professional Burnout
Professional burnout is often born in the slow erosion of purpose — when your work, once meaningful, begins to feel hollow or unmanageable.
Whether due to moral distress, compassion fatigue, systemic pressures, or unrelenting expectations, burnout at work can lead to disillusionment, emotional exhaustion, and a loss of identity.
Together, we explore the landscape of your burnout — the internal conflicts, the misaligned values, and the relational and ethical complexities of your role.
This is not a place for performance, but a place of restoration. Through collaborative reflection and co-regulated presence, we attend to what has been sacrificed, what remains, and what is possible moving forward.
Breakdown
Breakdown emerges not from the pressure to do, but from the fractured sense of being — when the internal scaffolding that once held our sense of Self begins to splinter under the disruptive weight of crisis.
Where burnout reflects prolonged overextension, breakdown signals a rupture — a point where internal dissonance has nowhere left to go. It is the silent implosion of once-reliable patterns of Self-protection, now rendered ineffective, insufficient, or intolerable.
Characterised by fragmentation, disorientation, dissociation, or disorganisation, breakdown is the moment coherence falters. Our systems, no longer able to hold the accumulated complexity, enter a state of involuntary surrender. It is not weakness — it is the raw truth of collapse, where what once protected us can no longer contain what lies beneath.
This rupture may appear sudden, but its roots are long. Breakdown often follows years of over-adapting, of silent suffering, of surviving rather than living. It is the body’s urgent declaration: this can no longer continue.
The deepest ruptures often occur in those who have held themselves together for too long — who have made themselves smaller, quieter, more acceptable, more useful. These shattering expressions of breakdown frequently arise in moments of transition:
- Developmental or maturational breakdown, when life transitions overwhelm the Self’s available resources and supports
- Situational or personal breakdown, triggered by a sudden disruption to a felt sense of inner or outer “home”
- Social or adventitious breakdown, provoked by uncommon or unanticipated events that shake the Self through extensive loss, instability, or rupture
In these moments of unravelling, breakdown becomes a threshold — not an immediate path to recovery, but an entry point toward recognition, resonance, and reorganisation — and ultimately, the possibility of returning to Self.
Developmental / Maturational Breakdown
Developmental breakdown may emerge during significant transitions in life: childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, parenthood, or midlife. This may include a felt sense of crisis in the here-and-now (present) that, without you even knowing it, links back to the then-and-there (past).
These periods bring with them a demand for internal reorganisation — and when internal or external supports are insufficient, a breakdown in coherence may follow.
You may feel unsure of who you are, as old roles and identities fall away but new ones are not yet clear.
Together, we create space to stay with the unknown — gently exploring the themes, values, and longings that are asking for attention.
We reflect on where you’ve come from, what no longer fits, and what aspects of Self are ready to be reclaimed or reimagined. Together we honour where you have been and who you have become, bringing clarity and hope anew.
Situational / Personal Breakdown
Situational or personal breakdown arises in response to sudden or destabilising life events — such as separation, loss, illness, or major life change.
These are moments that shatter expectations and reorder the landscape of life, leaving you overwhelmed, uncertain, or emotionally adrift.
Our work together begins with presence — creating a stabilising space where meaning can emerge at your pace.
We gently explore the disruption, grief, and identity shifts that come with this kind of upheaval.
Through compassionate conversation, we support the integration of what has happened, and open to what it might mean to live more fully on the other side of disorientation.
This is not the return, but the discovering of Self, Other, World with significance and meaning.
Social / Adventitious Breakdown
Social or adventitious breakdowns occur in the wake of large-scale or socio-culturally disruptive events: acts of public violence, political upheaval, forced displacement, natural disasters, or experiences of systemic oppression.
These ruptures are not only personal, but relational and collective. They can unsettle your very sense of safety, belonging, and coherence within the world.
In this space, we acknowledge your experience in its full social, historical, and emotional context.
We recognise that what you carry may not be individual alone — and that naming what has happened matters. With gentleness and dignity, we explore your lived experience without needing to resolve or fix.
Rather, this is a space for recognition, connection, and co-regulated restoration. A space for truly reconnecting to Self, Other, and World.
Trauma
Trauma is the state of overwhelm in which our internal or external resources are inaccessible, and we are left incapacitated in the face of extreme stress. It is anything that is too much, too fast, too soon, or too little, too late. Trauma is not defined by the event, but by the impact it leaves behind — the sense of Self and the capacity to connect with Others and the World.
Trauma may be acute or prolonged, personal or collective, visible or invisible. At its core, trauma is any experience that exceeds a system’s capacity to cope and has not been met with the support required for integration. We use the notion of systems intentionally — trauma may be held not only in the individual, but also in families, communities, cultures, and generations.
Trauma disrupts our innate assumptions — that the world is safe, just, and predictable; that we are worthy of care; that others will protect us when we cannot protect ourselves. It creates dissension and discord in how we sense, perceive, and interpret ourselves, others, and the world. Its imprint is physiological, psychological, and relational.
While trauma may arise in many ways, its effects are most penetrating when our capacity to make sense of what has happened is lost. Trauma often leaves us defenceless, discombobulated, disconnected, and terrified — estranged not just from Others and the World, but from our most authentic sense of Self.
Three core forms of trauma commonly emerge in clinical experience:
- Relational trauma occurs when those we depend on for safety and connection become a source of harm, fear, or inconsistency. It may be rooted in early attachment wounds, betrayal, emotional neglect, coercion, or chronic invalidation. It often leaves a lasting impact on our ability to trust, express needs, or tolerate closeness.
- Incidental trauma is the result of a sudden, often unexpected event that overwhelms our system — such as a car accident, natural disaster, assault, or medical crisis. While it may appear isolated, its effects can reverberate deeply, particularly if the event is not adequately processed or supported.
- Ambiguous trauma refers to experiences that may not be immediately recognised as traumatic, yet still carry a profound impact. These may include subtle or covert forms of neglect, cultural or spiritual betrayal, infertility, loss without closure, or cumulative microaggressions. Because they often go unseen or unacknowledged, ambiguous traumas can silently shape our identity and relational patterns.
No matter the form, trauma lives in the body as unfinished survival. It is not a failure of resilience, but a reflection of what was endured without enough safety, support, or choice.
And yet, trauma also marks a threshold — not one of quick resolution, but of gentle reorganisation. Through connection, compassion, and co-regulation, the dissonance of trauma can begin to soften. Our system can begin to restore a sense of Self as safely seen, soothed, and supported.
Relational Trauma
If you are seeking support for the impact of relational harm, I offer a space of co-regulated connection where we will gently work to re-establish your internal and external sense of trust and safety.
Relational trauma may arise in homes marked by inconsistency, chaos, rigidity, or emotional absence — where to stay connected, one had to abandon parts of themselves.
Together, we explore the adaptive strategies you’ve developed — repeated patterns of Self-protection, internal dialogues, and beliefs about Self that formed in response to what was or wasn’t available.
This is not a quick fix, but a slow and compassionate conversation — one that honours your pain, makes space for your story, and gradually reconnects you with a stable, coherent, and authentic sense of Self.
Incidental Trauma
Incidental trauma refers to sudden, often acute events that overwhelm your capacity to respond — such as assault, accident, medical emergency, or acts of violence. The event may be past, but its imprint remains.
In this space, we do not rush to resolve or rationalise. Instead, we move gently — together — through your experience.
Our work supports you to re-establish felt safety, develop internal steadiness, and reconnect with what has been disoriented or lost.
This is a space for collaborative meaning-making, where your experience is honoured and integrated at a pace that feels right for you.
Together there is an unfolding of hope in the heart of trauma.
Ambiguous Trauma
Ambiguous trauma stems not from what happened — but from what did not happen. It may arise from the prolonged absence of being seen, heard, understood, accepted, valued, or delighted in.
These forms of invisible pain often occur within what others may have perceived as “normal” environments.
In our work together, we give space to what has long gone unnamed — the ache of not belonging, the shame of feeling different, the grief of being emotionally invisible.
With care and curiosity, we explore the nonconscious patterns of protection that formed in response to these absences, and support the unfolding of your authentic Self.
This is a relational, co-regulated space of becoming — where you are welcomed as you are, and where we move slowly toward a sense of Self, Other, and World that feels coherent, connected, and meaningful.
Whether it be Burnout, Breakdown, or Trauma
Recovery is not about erasing what happened.
It is about reclaiming access to the Self — not the Self before the trauma, but the Self that was never fully permitted to emerge.
A Self that can exist without morphing or masking.
A Self that knows it is not too much, not too little, but enough.
If something in these words resonates, you are warmly invited to reach out. You are welcome here — just as you are, in your own time.
Together, we can begin the slow, compassionate work of returning to your Self.
