Pathway for adults
Join our learning pathway for all adults seeking support to process or recover from trauma.
Pathway stages
Bitesize stages for daily steps towards emotional resilience and connected relationships.
1. What is trauma?
1.1 Welcome!
1.2 You and this course
1.3 Definition of trauma
2. Going through a traumatic experience
2.1 The natural response to threat: fear
2.2 Evolutionary, cognitive and emotional response
2.3 Introducing the ‘window of tolerance’
2.4 Your response to threat
3. Trauma memories
3.1 Trauma memories
3.2 The cupboard
3.3 So far, so good?
4. Recognising trauma
4.1 Recognising trauma
4.2 Having negative thoughts
4.3 Increase in reactivity
4.4 Coming up: our feelings and trauma
5. Our feelings
5.1 Understanding feelings
5.2 How we know we’re happy
5.3 How we know we’re sad
5.4 How we know we’re tired
5.5 How we know we’re anxious
5.6 Feelings
6. Containment
6.1 What’s coming up
6.2 Feeling worse
6.3 Feeling better
6.4 Containment: the basics
6.5 Containment: learning more
6.6 And more
6.7 What can happen when we have our own worries
6.8 Making space in your mind
7. Anxiety and depression
7.1 Revisiting emotional health
7.2 Anxiety
7.3 Anxiety and you
7.4 Depression
7.5 Common signs of depression
7.6 How to help
7.7 Feeling understood
7.8 Making changes
7.9 Getting help
8. Processing trauma
8.1 Processing emotions
8.2 Feeling emotions
8.3 The individual impact of trauma
8.4 Previous experiences and genetics
8.5 What helps us to process emotions?
8.6 Looking after our wellbeing
8.7 Downregulating
8.8 Processing trauma
9. Recovery from trauma
9.1 More about recovery
9.2 Recovery
9.3 A sense of coherence
9.4 Autobiography in 5 chapters by Portia Nelson
9.5 Stages of recovery
9.6 Recovery and neurology
9.7 Role of the amygdala and hippocampus
9.8 Trauma is normal
9.9 Containment and recovery
9.10 The setting and recovery
9.11 Reflections
10. Trauma in the general population
10.1 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the impact on adults
10.2 ACEs and probabilities
11. Congratulations
11.1 Key messages
11.2 Changes
11.3 Congratulations!
11.4 Acknowledgements and certificate
About this pathway
Trauma is very common and can leave a lasting impact on how we feel, think and relate to others. When we experience something deeply distressing, our brain and body can become overwhelmed, making it hard to process what happened. This self-guided pathway offers a gentle first step toward understanding how trauma affects emotional wellbeing and how making sense of those experiences can support healing and resilience.
Understanding your own trauma includes ideas, theories and tools to help you explore your own experience of trauma. Through reflective exercises and accessible guidance, you’ll learn how trauma can shape your responses, relationships and sense of self.
This pathway has been developed by clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and professionals with both clinical expertise and experience of delivering trauma support.
This pathway is private and accessible anytime, anywhere. It’s not a replacement for therapy or counselling, but it might prompt you to want to talk to someone, such as a therapist or psychologist. We have included signposts to further support if you need it.
94% learners said they found the pathway helpful
92% learners said they would recommend the pathway to friends and family
