Sometimes something happens that feels too much to take in at the time. For some people, this can stay in the background long after the event has passed. It might show up in different ways, or in ways that are hard to make sense of. In therapy, we move at a pace that feels manageable. There is space to go gently, and to stay with what feels okay to look at.
Sometimes the impact of an experience does not stay in the past. For some people, it can show up in the body, in thoughts, or in how they move through everyday life. It may feel like being on edge, or finding it hard to fully relax, even when things are okay. At times, certain situations or moments can feel unexpectedly intense.
For others, it can be more subtle, a sense of distance, disconnection, or not quite feeling present. This can look different for everyone. Some people notice changes in sleep, mood, or energy. Others become aware of patterns in how they relate to themselves or to others.
In therapy, we do not need to map everything out all at once. There is space to notice what feels most relevant, and to approach it gradually, in a way that feels manageable.
I am originally from Scotland and moved to Norway, so I know some of the complexity that can come with rebuilding a life somewhere new. The cultural rules are not always visible, and language and belonging can take time to settle. At times, living abroad can leave people feeling slightly out of sync with the world around them, questioning themselves more than they normally would, or feeling pressure to adapt more quickly than feels possible.
My background is in psychology, psychotherapy, and behavioural science, and I work in an integrative way that adapts to the person and what feels most relevant to them. My approach draws from relational psychotherapy, Compassionate Inquiry, and other approaches that support reflection, emotional awareness, and self-understanding.
Therapy can offer space to better understand yourself, your relationships, and the ways you may find yourself responding to stress, uncertainty, or difficult experiences over time.
A difficult experience is something you can think about, feel upset about, and eventually integrate. Trauma is an experience that was too overwhelming for your nervous system to process at the time. The difference is not in the severity of the event but in whether your system could metabolise it. Trauma leaves a residue. It changes how you respond to perceived threat, how you regulate emotion, and sometimes how you experience your own body.
Complex trauma comes from repeated or prolonged exposure to distressing situations, often in childhood or in relationships where there was a power imbalance. It shows up less as flashbacks and more as patterns: difficulty trusting, trouble knowing what you feel, a sense of being fundamentally different from others, chronic shame, difficulty with boundaries. It is relational trauma, and it affects how you relate to yourself and to others.
Trauma is stored in the nervous system. This means physical symptoms: chronic muscle tension, digestive issues, a sense of being constantly on edge, difficulty sleeping, heightened startle response. The body can hold trauma even when the conscious mind has no clear memory of the event. This is why body-based and somatic approaches are part of trauma therapy.
Trauma is often underneath other presenting issues. Anxiety can be the nervous system in a chronic state of hypervigilance. Depression can be a shutdown response when the system cannot stay activated any longer. Substance use is often a way of managing the physiological discomfort of an unregulated nervous system. Treating the surface symptoms without addressing the trauma underneath usually means limited or temporary results.
Living in a culture that is not your own adds a layer of nervous system activation. You are constantly translating, adjusting, reading social cues that are not automatic. For someone already carrying trauma, this can feel overwhelming. At the same time, the distance from the original environment can sometimes create space for healing that was not available before. It depends on the person and the circumstances.
We talk, but not in the way most people imagine therapy. We pay attention to what is happening in your body as we talk. We notice when something shifts, when you become more activated or more shut down. We build resources so you have tools for regulation before we approach difficult material. The work is slow, careful, and attuned to what your system can handle.
If something from your past is affecting how you live now, that is worth looking at. If you have physical symptoms that do not have a medical explanation, that can be trauma. If you find yourself reacting in ways that feel disproportionate or automatic, that can be trauma. If relationships feel difficult in ways you cannot quite explain, that can be trauma. You do not need a diagnosis. You just need to notice that something is not working and be willing to explore it.
I went to Andi after years of managing what I thought was just anxiety. Turns out it was my body still holding onto things from childhood. She never pushed me to talk about stuff before I was ready. Instead, we worked on helping my nervous system calm down first. The Safe and Sound Protocol made a real difference. I didn't expect physical symptoms to shift so much just from listening to music, but they did. I sleep better now. I don't startle at every noise. I feel more like I'm living in my own skin.
Working with Andi helped me understand that trauma isn't always about one big event. For me it was a pattern of things that happened over years, and I'd never connected it to why relationships felt so hard now. She's very attuned to when something is too much. We'd slow down, back off, come at it from a different angle. That felt safer than any therapy I'd tried before. I'm still working with her, but I can already see changes in how I respond to conflict and how I trust people. It's gradual but it's real.
I didn't know how much being an expat was compounding the trauma I was already carrying until I started working with Andi. She gets it. She understands what it's like to be displaced, to not have the support systems you grew up with. That made such a difference. I could talk about the cultural stuff and the trauma stuff and how they were tangled together, and she didn't treat them as separate issues. The work is hard, but I finally feel like I'm actually processing things instead of just managing symptoms.
You're welcome to share a brief message or suggest times that work for you, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
If something from your past still feels present in your day-to-day life, it can be worth exploring. You do not need to have a clear explanation or a specific reason to begin. If something feels difficult or not quite right, that is enough to bring into therapy.
That is completely okay. You do not need to have the right words, or to explain everything clearly. We can take it step by step, at whatever pace feels manageable. Many people find that the words come gradually as the work develops.
No. We move at a pace that feels manageable. There is space to take time and to approach things gradually. There is no expectation that you will go anywhere you are not ready to go.
There is no set structure that you need to follow. Some sessions might involve talking. Others may be slower, with more space to notice what feels important in the moment. The work is shaped around you and what feels most relevant at any given time.
Yes. You do not need to label your experience. If something does not feel quite right, that is enough to bring into therapy. We can explore together what feels most relevant and useful to work with.
No. You do not need a diagnosis or a clear label for what you are experiencing. If something feels difficult or not quite right, that is enough to bring into therapy.
Yes. Sessions are available in person in Oslo and online via Zoom. We can find a format that works best for you.
There is no set timeline. Some people come for a shorter period, others for longer. We take it step by step and adjust as we go.
Sessions are 50 minutes and cost 1200 NOK in person or 1100 NOK online. Payment is via Vipps or bank transfer.
You can get in touch using the form on this page or by email. If you'd like, we can arrange a 20-minute call to talk through what's going on and whether working together feels like a good fit.
If you'd like to arrange a 20-minute call or book a session, you can do so below.
Book a free call +47 906 02 994