From PTSD symptoms and severe stress to scores in the normal range within three weeks, through immersive, bottom-up, trauma-informed psychotherapy at Goodsky — and still in the normal range at two years, with no biochemistry work or medication changes.
Lauren, a corporate professional from regional NSW, came to Goodsky at a point of crisis. She had spent years putting everyone else first, and an accumulation of pressures — major career change, growing family responsibilities, and the resurfacing of childhood trauma memories — had brought her to breaking point.
She had experienced childhood sexual abuse and significant bereavement in early adulthood, with emotional suppression becoming her default coping strategy from a young age. She had previously tried cognitive behavioural therapy, which had not resolved the underlying trauma. She had no formal psychiatric diagnosis prior to the programme, and was taking thyroid replacement medication for a non-psychiatric condition.
“To be equipped with tools to process my past trauma and get back to my happy, positive and resilient self.”
— Lauren, on what she hoped to achieve| Measure | Baseline |
|---|---|
| PCL-5 (PTSD screen) | 42/80 — Likely (clinical threshold: 31) |
| Stress (DASS-21) | 16 — Severe |
| Depression (DASS-21) | 5 — Mild |
| Anxiety (DASS-21) | 4 — Mild |
| ACE score | 6/10 |
Although her depression and anxiety scores were only mild, her stress score sat at the upper end of the severe range and her PCL-5 score was well above the clinical threshold. Combined with a high ACE score, the picture was of a significant unprocessed trauma load expressing itself through chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, and exhaustion rather than overt depression. Also noted at intake were avoidant attachment patterns and long-standing self-sacrifice, sleep of around six hours a night with unrefreshed waking, limited physical activity, and an autoimmune history requiring surgery.
Lauren's programme was designed as a psychotherapy-only intervention. No biochemistry testing, nutritional supplementation, or medication changes formed part of it. The clinical reasoning was that her primary driver was unprocessed relational trauma, and the most direct path was immersive, bottom-up, trauma-informed psychotherapy.
Top-down approaches such as CBT work through cognition — changing thoughts in order to change feelings. For some people with deep relational trauma this can be less effective, because the trauma is held in the body and nervous system rather than in conscious thought patterns. Bottom-up processing works through the body first: somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and sensory-based modalities that aim to access where the trauma is held.
Four one-hour sessions with two senior psychotherapists to build trust, collect history, and introduce the four-lens framework: attachment programming, neurobiology, systemic healing, and transformation.
48 hours of therapy over 14 days across psychotherapy, equine work, sound therapy, and light and oxygen modalities.
Eight hours of continued sessions with both psychotherapists after returning home, supporting integration back into work and family life.
Two trauma-informed psychotherapists working in complementary modalities including clayfield somatic art therapy, family dynamic and constellation work, Gestalt, EFT, havening, and eye movement therapy.
Two certified EAGALA equine therapists using horses as a feedback loop for body language and micro-expressions — a self-reflection and regulation tool rather than riding.
Brainwave entrainment using tuned sound pulses intended to re-synchronise brain hemispheres and settle an overactivated nervous system, delivered via headphones and a vibroacoustic system.
Photobiomodulation and hyperbaric oxygen sessions three times weekly, used to support mitochondrial function and oxygen delivery within her broader support plan.
Within three weeks of starting the programme, Lauren's scores moved into the normal range on every validated measure — from PTSD Likely to Normal, and from severe stress to normal. Those results have held across four assessment points spanning two years, with her most recent scores taken in July 2026.
| Measure | Baseline | 3 weeks | 4 months | 2 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCL-5 (PTSD screen) | 42/80 — Likely | 7 — Normal | 2 — Normal | 1 — Normal |
| Stress (DASS-21) | 16 — Severe | 3 — Normal | 3 — Normal | 3 — Normal |
| Depression (DASS-21) | 5 — Mild | 0 — Normal | 0 — Normal | 0 — Normal |
| Anxiety (DASS-21) | 4 — Mild | 0 — Normal | 0 — Normal | 0 — Normal |
| Measure | Baseline → 3 weeks | 3 weeks → 4 months | 4 months → 2 years | Total change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCL-5 | ↓ 35 points | ↓ 5 points | ↓ 1 point | ↓ 41 points |
| Stress | ↓ 13 points | Held at 3 | Held at 3 | ↓ 13 points |
| Depression | ↓ 5 points | Held at 0 | Held at 0 | ↓ 5 points |
| Anxiety | ↓ 4 points | Held at 0 | Held at 0 | ↓ 4 points |
The PCL-5 trajectory is the most notable feature of this case. Lauren entered with a score of 42, well above the clinical threshold of 31 for probable PTSD. Within three weeks it had dropped to 7. By four months it had reduced further to 2 out of 80, and at the two-year mark it was 1. The change continued after she returned home rather than levelling off at the three-week point, and no further intensive treatment, biochemistry work, or medication change took place across that period.
In a programme involving several elements at once, change can't be attributed to any single one. The care team identified three factors they believed were particularly important.
At one hour a week, 48 hours of therapy would take nearly a year. Compressing it into 14 days allowed sustained work without returning to a triggering environment between sessions.
Somatic, experiential, and sensory approaches offered a different route in, after cognitive approaches had not resolved the underlying trauma.
Sound, light, and oxygen therapies were used alongside the psychotherapy to support a calmer physiological baseline and the energy needed for deep processing.
Lauren was also, in her therapists' assessment, well placed to make use of the work — she was able to identify her own avoidant attachment patterns early, and the programme gave her the time, space, and support to follow that through.
Lauren's programme sits alongside biochemistry-focused cases in Goodsky's work, illustrating a core principle: there is no single pathway. Some people benefit most from a biochemical focus, some from psychotherapy, and many from both. The work is in identifying which is likely to suit each individual, and then delivering it properly.
We're happy to talk it through.
Get in TouchThis case study reflects one individual's experience and is published with her written consent. “Lauren” is a pseudonym and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. Individual results vary. This case study is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. The Goodsky programme is a complementary approach and does not replace medical treatment — we encourage everyone to continue working with their GP and specialist healthcare providers.
