Many clients come to me because they know something needs to change, but thinking their way out of it isn’t working.
My work brings together professional training, personal experience and a deep interest in how the brain, body and nervous system respond to trauma, anxiety and chronic stress.
I specialise in embodied, somatic and neuroscience informed approaches to trauma recovery, working with people online and offering in-person 1:1 sessions, workshops and gatherings in Hertford, Hertfordshire.
Recovery isn't only about feeling less anxious or overwhelmed. It's about reconnecting with yourself, rebuilding a sense of safety and possibility, and finding new ways to engage with life, with more freedom, connection and joy.
I'm a Havening® Practitioner, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapist and TCTSY-Facilitator. My own experience of therapy and therapeutic approaches, together with my journey with yoga, meditation and embodied practices, have shaped the way I work. When I work with clients, I draw from these different approaches to meet each person where they are.
There isn't one tool that works for everyone, or one way to heal. That’s why I draw on a range of approaches and practices, choosing what feels most appropriate for the individual rather than following a one-size-fits-all method.
My aim is to create a space that feels safe, compassionate and non-judgemental, where you can explore what's happening for you gently at your own pace, and you don’t need any experience to get started.
You're welcome to book a call with me and we can explore how this work can help you.
Esme Winterflood | Embodied Trauma Therapies
My Approach Is Shaped By Personal Experience
Alongside my professional training, my work is also informed by my own experience of navigating difficult periods through mindfulness, body-based and nervous system approaches.
I understand what it’s like to intellectually understand your experiences while still feeling anxiety, stress or survival patterns held within the body. This work sits in that space; where a felt sense of regulation and freedom are experienced.
It’s not about forcing healing or pushing beyond your capacity. Sessions are collaborative, trauma-sensitive and carefully paced to support safety, choice and nervous system regulation over time.
Outside of my work, I’m a mum, partner and dog mum who loves nature, laughs and gentle movement and slow mornings.
Professional Training
I have trained extensively in trauma-informed, somatic and nervous system approaches to provide safe, compassionate and evidence-based support.
My training includes:
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY-F)
Havening® Practitioner & Photostack method
Yoga Therapy Certification (Breathing Deeply Yoga & Meditation School)
Meditation Teacher Training (Aura Wellness Centre)
Introduction to Somatic Experiencing®
Reiki Level 1 & 2 (Usui Tradition)
BA (Hons) Philosophy — University of Reading
My work continues to evolve through ongoing learning, neuroscience research and integrating approaches that support safe, effective and compassionate nervous system healing.
Our sessions together will often weave in several of these methods and systems, combining professional knowledge with pacing, attunement and genuine care for each individual’s experience.
Moving beyond survival patterns.
1:1 Sessions are offered both online and in person in Hertford, with my 8-week online programme and in-person classes and workshops there’s lots of way to work together.
If you’re ready to be free of the past and start moving towards real embodied change, then you are warmly invited to get in touch.
FAQ’s
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I came to this work becasue of my own experiences and how I navigated through them. This gives me a deeper understanding of how it feels to intellectually understand experiences while still carrying stress or survival responses within the body. I deeply believe in this work and philosophy and am learning every day.
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Yes. Sessions are carefully paced and trauma-sensitive, with a strong focus on safety, choice and nervous system regulation. The work is adapted to support your individual capacity and needs. We go as slow as you need.
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My lived experience and professional trainings have given me a deep capacity to hold non-judgemental space for others. Our sessions are highly attuned to your needs specifically, so every person gets the therapeutic space and interventions best for them. Throughout our time together, I share insights and we build a folder of practices for you so you have real tangible support both in between our sessions and after.
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Havening Techniques® is a gentle, neuroscience-informed approach that helps reduce the emotional impact of stressful or traumatic experiences. By working with the brain, nervous system and subconscious learned patterns, it supports the brain in creating new associations so you can respond to life with greater calm, flexibility and resilience.
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Many people I work with already understand their experiences intellectually but still feel stuck in anxiety, overwhelm or survival patterns within the body. My approach works gently with the nervous system, body and subconscious through embodied and neuroscience-informed practices, rather than focusing solely on talking or analysing experiences cognitively.
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Somatic or body-based approaches recognise that stress and trauma can continue to affect the nervous system and body long after difficult experiences have passed. This work supports greater awareness, regulation and safety within the body through gentle, trauma-sensitive practices.
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Clients often come to this work feeling anxious, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted or disconnected from themselves. Many are high-functioning externally while internally struggling with chronic stress, hypervigilance, burnout or long-standing survival patterns.
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Not at all. Many clients are completely new to body-based practices. Sessions are adapted carefully to each individual and paced in a way that feels supportive, collaborative and manageable. You just need a curiosity and willingness to explore !