Colleen - Trauma & Narcissistic Abuse Therapy

21/04/2026

**NEW BLOG **

Why Setting Boundaries Feels So Hard ∼
And Where It Begins

Setting boundaries can feel difficult, especially when fear, guilt, or anxiety are involved. Explore why boundaries feel hard and how therapy can help.

20/04/2026

Why Setting Boundaries Feels So Hard ∼
And Where It Begins.

I see this often in the therapy room…
how difficult setting boundaries can feel.

Not because people don’t understand them, but because of what they once meant.

For many, there was a time where having needs felt unsafe…
where setting a boundary came with tension, rejection, or disconnection.

So it makes sense that it can still feel uncomfortable now.

This is where the work becomes less about “what to say”… and more about understanding the patterns that shaped your relationship with boundaries in the first place.

If this is something you’re navigating, I’ve written more about this on my website.

You can read the full piece via the link in my bio.

19/04/2026

I’m very grateful for another opportunity to learn from ~ and this time here in Adelaide.

His work in trauma and PTSD is world-renowned, and I feel really lucky to have trained with him quite intensively through the Trauma Research Foundation back in 2022.

What continues to stand out is how much trauma is held in the body ~ and how approaches like yoga, meditation and somatic work are such an important part of healing.

Always so good to come back to this work, refresh my knowledge, and feel inspired 🙏

13/04/2026

Our experiences shape us in ways we do not always fully realise.

They shape the stories we carry about who we are.

For many people, the deepest wound is not only what happened.
It is the belief that formed because of it.
The quiet, painful belief that something is wrong with them.

But that is so often not the truth.

Sometimes what needs healing is not the self, but the story you were left carrying about yourself.

Nothing is wrong with you.
Something happened to you.
And that matters.

12/04/2026

Something I’ve been sitting with lately… both within myself and observing in others… is the quiet, often invisible experience of grief.

We don’t always recognise it for what it is.

For many, grief is understood as something that follows death… and of course, it is.
But there are other kinds of loss that don’t get named in the same way.

The grief of what you didn’t receive.
The grief of being rejected… misunderstood… or left to navigate things on your own.
The grief that comes from trauma, and the parts of your life it has shaped.

It can be deeply painful… and so often, it goes unacknowledged.

I’ve found myself moving through my own layers of this lately… and it’s given me an even deeper appreciation for just how real this kind of grief is.

If this is something you’re sitting with too… you’re not alone in it.

This is something I’ll be gently exploring over the coming weeks.

🤍

09/04/2026

It’s taken me a few days to land back home in Adelaide and really take in what I experienced in San Diego last week.

Three days immersed in this work with and … and I honestly feel changed by it.

This work is deep. It’s complex. It asks so much of us ~ to stay present, to stay ethical, to keep learning. To sit with the complexity of human behaviour and trauma without turning away.

What really struck me was being on the other side of the world, listening to people share their stories… and hearing the same themes I hear from so many of you here in Adelaide.

The pain of emotional abuse doesn’t discriminate. It crosses borders, cultures, and lives ~ and in many ways, it’s what connects so many of us.

There were moments across those days where I felt the weight of it… and also the privilege of doing this work.

I’m reminded why I chose this work… and why I keep choosing it, even when it asks a lot of me.

And I’m so grateful for teachers like Dr Ramani and Catherine who are willing to lead, to challenge, and to guide us, so we can do this work with integrity for the people who trust us with their stories.

🙏🩷

29/03/2026

Oh I’m excited now ~ 3 days learning in person from Dr Ramani 👌🏻🙏🩷

13/03/2026

Over the past few years I’ve been learning something that has been quite uncomfortable for me - accepting when my capacity changes.

When we’re used to juggling many plates at once, it can be easy to start questioning ourselves when we can’t keep doing everything the same way.

I wrote a reflection about this on my blog this month.

If this resonates with you, you can read it here 🙏🩷

When life changes your capacity after grief, stress, or burnout, it can feel like you're failing. A reflection on doing your best with self-compassion.

02/03/2026

Healing doesn’t mean things will never be difficult again.

It means you have more capacity to handle whatever comes your way ~ often with more maturity, more awareness, and a different perspective.

I hear this from clients all the time:
“I just want to make sure this never happens to me again.”

And I understand that.

When you’ve been hurt deeply, it makes sense to want guarantees.

To want certainty. To want to protect yourself from ever feeling that way again.
But the truth is… none of us can control what life brings.

What we can do is build trust in ourselves.

~ Trust that if something hard does happen, we’ll see it sooner.
~Trust that we’ll respond differently. Trust that we won’t override our intuition.
~Trust that we won’t abandon ourselves in the process.

Healing isn’t about preventing every curveball.

It’s about knowing, gently, that you are more capable than you once were.

And that kind of self trust changes everything. 🖤

28/01/2026

For many people, saying no doesn’t feel simple.

It can feel unsafe, selfish, or like it needs to be justified.

But boundaries aren’t explanations.
They’re acts of self-respect.

Your no is allowed.
Your no is enough.

25/01/2026

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what truly matters ~ and this feels like a reconnection with it.

A return to what’s always mattered.
Creating from a deeply holistic place.
And showing up in ways that feel authentic and true.

If you’re on your own journey back to yourself, this is your reminder that it’s safe to pause ~ and begin again.

💛

21/01/2026

Have you ever found yourself saying yes when you really wanted to say no?

I often share resources with clients that I’ve found helpful myself, and this book is certainly one of those.

Fawning by Dr Ingrid Clayton gently explores fawning - a trauma response that’s often misunderstood or mislabelled, and for many people, never named at all.

Fawning can look like becoming more of what’s acceptable… or less of who we really are.
It can be visible or quiet. Obvious or hidden.
But at its core, it’s about finding safety in an unsafe world, often at our own expense.

I’ve recommended this book to many clients, and it’s one of the few resources people have reached out about between sessions to share how deeply seen they felt by it.

Sharing this here, in case it offers language, understanding, or a little less shame - for you, or someone you care about. 🩷🙏