Traumatic experiences — from childhood, from later life, emotional neglect — often leave a trace in the form of a sense of danger that persists long after the danger has passed.

How trauma shows up

A traumatic experience does not remain only in memory. It can speak through the body, through sudden fears, through avoiding certain places or people, through a feeling of being constantly on guard, or in relationships that feel dangerous without an obvious reason. Sometimes it is not a single event but a long-lasting lack of safety or emotional neglect in childhood. Then it can be hard to understand why your body and feelings react the way they do.

A psychoanalytic view of trauma

A traumatic experience is often never truly psychically processed at the moment it occurs — it remains as an unworked residue that repeats in the form of bodily reactions, avoidance, or sudden overwhelm, long after the danger has passed.

Processing trauma within the therapeutic relationship proceeds slowly and carefully, at a pace set by the client, since the safety of the relationship itself is a precondition for unconscious material to approach consciousness without re-traumatising.

Psychotherapy for trauma processing in practice

In practice, this means the work does not push toward recounting the details of the event, but follows a pace the client can tolerate.

How I work with trauma

In work with trauma, safety is a precondition, not a goal at the end. So we work slowly, at a pace you can manage, and I do not press for details you are not ready to share. Trust is built first in the relationship, and only then is it possible to approach what is difficult, gradually. Sessions are weekly, in Ljubljana or by video call.

Psychotherapy for trauma in Ljubljana

I offer psychoanalytic psychotherapy for trauma in Ljubljana or online (by video call). At the beginning we agree on three introductory sessions (45–50 minutes each), in which you see how I work and whether psychoanalytic psychotherapy suits you. After that we agree on regular weekly sessions.

If difficult experiences from the past still weigh on you or return in memories, the body or relationships, we can explore together, at a safe pace, what happened and what it means today.

More about how psychotherapy works and how to book an appointment.

Frequently asked questions about trauma

Does psychotherapy help with trauma?

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy for trauma does not look only for a way to ease the difficulty, but for an understanding of what it is communicating. I work with the causes of distress and not only with the distress as expressed. Once we find the cause, and during the psychotherapeutic process, symptoms often ease or disappear.

How long does psychotherapy for trauma take?

Duration is individual and depends on the therapeutic goal and on how long the difficulties have been present. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy can last from a few months to a few years. One session lasts 45 to 50 minutes; usually once a week, and by arrangement sometimes several times a week.

Will I have to talk about the hardest things in therapy right away?

No. We work at a safe pace. You do not have to talk about difficult events right away. What matters is that you feel safe enough with me to express them when the time comes.