When we think about recovery—whether from trauma, loss, or overwhelming life experiences—it’s easy to hope for a straight path forward. In reality, healing is rarely linear. It can feel like a cycle of steps forward, pauses, and returns to earlier stages. To make sense of this journey, psychiatrist Judith Herman introduced the Three Phase Model of Recovery in her groundbreaking work Trauma and Recovery (1992). This model remains one of the most widely respected frameworks for understanding the process of healing after trauma. The Three Phases 1. Safety and Stabilisation The first priority in recovery is creating safety—both external and internal. External safety: distance from harm, secure living arrangements, supportive relationships. Internal safety: finding ways to manage overwhelming feelings, grounding in the present, and reducing symptoms such as flashbacks or panic. For many, this stage is about developing trust in themselves and in others. Without a foundation of safety, deeper

If you’ve been through abuse and now find yourself waiting for court, you might feel as though your whole life has been put on pause. The waiting can feel endless, the legal system overwhelming, and the emotions that come up along the way exhausting. You are not alone in feeling this. This is where pre-trial therapy can help. What is pre-trial therapy? Pre-trial therapy is support you can have before your case goes to court. For a long time, survivors were told it was best to “hold off” until after a trial. The idea was that therapy might somehow affect the evidence. But what we know now is that holding back support often leaves people struggling on their own, when they most need care. Pre-trial therapy isn’t about preparing you for court or shaping what you say. It’s about supporting you as a person—helping you find steadier ground, making sense of the impact of trauma, and giving you space to breathe when everything feels overwhelming. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance emp