This week introduces what trauma truly is and why it is far more common than many people realise. We explore the difference between Big T and Little T trauma and how experiences that may have seemed “small” or normal at the time can still shape our nervous system, emotions, beliefs, and relationships. The focus is on shifting from self-blame to understanding, and recognising trauma as a wound that can heal.

In Week 2, we look at how trauma lives in the body and nervous system, not just the mind. You’ll learn about the vagus nerve and how your system constantly scans for safety or danger through perception, interoception, and neuroception. We explore survival responses — fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and flop — and how these patterns show up in everyday life as protection, not failure.

This week focuses on core human needs and what happens when they are not met consistently in childhood. We explore how unmet needs can lead to shame, scarcity, and coping patterns such as people-pleasing, withdrawal, control, or seeking external validation. Understanding these patterns through a needs-based lens helps replace harsh self-judgement with compassion and clarity.

In the final week, we bring the learning together by exploring how unmet needs can begin to be met safely in the present. This is not about doing everything perfectly or becoming fully self-reliant, but about building internal safety, self-trust, and healthier ways of relating to yourself and others. The focus is on integration, reflection, and creating pathways forward that support ongoing healing and growth.