About Melanie
Trauma isn’t just something we heal from
It’s something we can learn to move through.
Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind — it lives in the body, shaping how we move through the world long after the events that caused it. My journey into Somatic Experiencing began with a quiet observation: animals who had endured suffering often mirrored the behaviours I later saw in my adopted daughter, a survivor of severe childhood abuse. Like the cat that hid under its bed, the rabbit that lashed out in fear, or the dog that never learned to play, she carried the weight of trauma in her nervous system — hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and a body stuck in survival mode. When traditional therapy didn’t fully address her struggles, I turned to Somatic Experiencing (SE), a method that works with the body’s innate wisdom to release stored trauma gently and safely.
As I trained in SE, I discovered something profound: trauma isn’t just something we heal from — it’s something we can learn to move through. The same approach that helped the animals I worked with — patience, trust, and attuning to small, positive shifts — became the foundation of my practice. I learned that my own unprocessed childhood experiences had shaped my life in ways I hadn’t even realised, and that healing wasn’t just possible; it was a reclaiming of myself. For nearly a decade, I’ve witnessed people rediscover hope as they step out of survival mode and into lives that feel authentic and alive. If your body feels like it’s still holding onto the past, or if you’re tired of talking about trauma without feeling real change, SE offers a path forward — one where your nervous system learns to feel safe again, not just in theory, but in every cell of your being.
Training & registration
Trained Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, registered with the Somatic Experiencing Association UK (SEAUK). MA. Also a qualified yoga teacher.
Nearly ten years
Almost a decade of practice supporting people through PTSD, complex and developmental trauma, and chronic illness.
Lived experience
Alongside the training: parenting an adopted child with severe PTSD, living with chronic illness, and doing the work on my own history.
In their words
What clients say
★★★★★
"Working with Melanie this past seven months has been genuinely life-changing for me. From the minute she popped up on my Zoom screen for our introductory chat, I felt at ease — she creates a consistently and reliably non-judgmental, gentle space and while she comes to each session with an idea of what we might cover, she will adapt to whatever I bring each week. She truly listens, never pigeonholes, is warm, empathetic, and has been able to equip me with tools that are turning around a life that has been dominated by increasingly debilitating chronic illness and deeply ingrained trauma responses. She also gets my sense of humour, which is a plus!"
Dona M.
★★★★★
"Melanie is calm, kind, empathetic, in tune, has a good sense of humour and treats you like a whole person. She has a talent for bringing out your strengths and not just focusing on what happened to you."
Client, name withheld
Have a conversation with me first
A free phone or online consultation, with no obligation. We'll talk about what's bringing you here and whether working together makes sense.