About me - My Mission Statement​​

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Recover From Trauma & Trauma Recovery Simplified 

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This is twofold:

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1. It is to help you recover from trauma so you can get back to thriving again.

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2. It is my mission to make trauma recovery as stigma-free and accessible as possible for all; no matter your age, race, neuro-type, gender, postcode, or social status in the world, and in doing so change the face of the trauma treatment industry.

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More on 1.

My specialty is in helping men, women, and children of all ages recover from the debilitating physical and mental symptoms of trauma, particularly those who might have had a negative experience with a previous therapist/talking therapies. By removing the stigma and shame out of having first suffered trauma and then seeking help, my clients can get back to living a life of purpose and hope, in as quick a time as possible. Simply put, trauma recovery and what comes next, post-traumatic growth, are my passion.

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More on 2.

It is my mission to make trauma recovery as accessible as possible for all; no matter your age, race, neuro-type, gender, postcode or social status in the world. By doing this the way I do, I intend to change the face of the trauma treatment industry by empowering clients to become their own therapist over time. They are already the expert on their own trauma and symptoms they live with; this next leap, then, is the natural process of how the healing should take place, and the industry needs to grow and develop towards this way of thinking. Dr Francine Shapiro, the developer and creator of EMDR, once said in its early days of inception, "EMDR - it is in your hands - make it your own - it is not a cookie cutter."

I truly believe my approach brings her words full circle: Dr Shapiro developed EMDR by testing it on herself in the late 80s, and with this approach, it is now being given back to the individual for use. It is then the natural antidote to today's trauma-saturated and chronically stressed world; in doing so, those most traumatised and in need get access on their terms when they need it most and with access barriers removed.

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Statistics show we are in a worldwide mental health crisis; alongside this, alcohol and drug deaths, or 'deaths of despair', and suicide figures are rising, and this usually means that people are in pain and reaching for what is available to them to help them manage their psychological pain. Before my recovery, I was very nearly one of those statistics. By changing the trauma treatment industry, I hope to make trauma treatment accessible and normalised so those in pain can have a choice of what they reach for. Not just destructive choices that cause more harm in the long term.

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Personally, I have seen the industry from the inside out and sat both sides of the therapist’s chair, so to speak, and seen what it does wrong, what it misses the mark on, and the harm poorly trained professionals can do when they bring their own baggage into the therapy room - a sadly all too common occurrence. My own trauma history, my formal trauma training, the non-traditional background I had before this, and my pioneering one-stop approach give me a unique insight into trauma recovery and what the industry needs to change and improve on so that it can be revolutionised going forward.​

 

It is my life mission to make sure that trauma survivors always have a choice, as this is usually the very first thing that is stripped away from them during the moments of traumatisation. The Self-Directed trauma treatment methods that I describe in my book releases are one such choice. I hope that they will become a natural part of people's daily life and so instead of reaching for a bottle (or bottles) of drink at the end of a chaotic week, or for a joint, a line, a pill, or a needle to numb the pain of trauma, that people will be empowered with the knowledge of trauma recovery and will instead reach for some bilateral stimulation (BLS) and a Self-Directed technique and in doing so get a break from their symptoms the natural way. The brain and body are built for healing, and this is what happens when it is free and allowed to do just that.

 

​​​​How Am I Doing This?

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By using a combination of today's most effective, proven, safe, and up-to-date evidence-based trauma treatment methods like Somatic EMDR, Internal Family Systems, The Flash Technique, and harnessing the learned principles of Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, and many others to build skills around creating a felt sense of safety for the traumatised person's nervous system.

​By doing this, I help my clients to process the maladaptive trauma memories and integrate the sensory fragments of their painful past learnings, so they can regain a sense of peace and safety, and they can start thriving in the present day.

I also run sessions where I teach my clients self-awareness and share what I know, empowering them to track their own bodily sensations so they can become their own therapist. They are already the expert on their own trauma and how it has been impacting their lives - I am simply a stepping stone for them to live a truly trauma-free life.

A relaxed and safe body and nervous system is our birthright. Thriving is our birthright. My services empower people to regain control of their own mind, body and soul and, in doing so, regain

autonomy of their own healing and their future life path.

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Trauma tends to ravage the mind, body and soul, and so my pioneering one-stop services are designed to help the client deal with their trauma, regain control of their body and start taking charge of their life and goals again.

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Many of my trauma clients walk away at the end of their block of sessions with the ability to be able to be self reliant when it comes to future healing, and in doing so they can become their own therapists. This is one of my proudest moments as a practitioner.

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About me - My Experience

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​​I am the owner & founder of Recover From Trauma Ltd T/as 'Ricki Tyler Smith - Trauma Recovery Simplified' www.RecoverFromTrauma.co.uk - its sister website -

'The Real Life Trauma Specialists' - Trauma Recovery By Trauma Survivors; For Trauma Survivors' www.TRLTS.co.uk, and I co-host 'The Real Life Trauma Specialists' Podcast - a personal, honest, raw and uplifting Father Son podcast on all things trauma related.

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I have authored a series of books on Self-Directed trauma recovery, life coaching, fitness & nutrition and home education; alongside my life story 'The Boy Who Never Lost Hope - The Infant Years, The Junior Years, The Senior Years and The Young Adult Years' which are due to be released late 2026, 2027 and 2028 respectively and can be found at  'How Anyone Can - The Revolutionary Self-Directed Trauma Recovery Series' www.HowAnyoneCan.co.uk.

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I have successfully dealt with all of my own historic trauma using a combination of the traditional therapist-led EMDR sessions and my Self-Directed EMDR approach. It was this SD-EMDR approach, though, which allowed me to fully heal from my own painful past. A past some of which too painful and too deeply held to ever be witnessed and processed in the presence of another human being and especially not ever in your standard therapist-client dyad - No - instead, my super efficient process of learning to hold the safe space myself and for the parts of myself to be able to heal and to be fully witnessed is what enabled that true healing and is what I teach my clients.

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For a complex trauma survivor, I personally believe that the most problematic person in the room is the therapist; this point is echoed by many in the trauma treatment world, especially when that same therapist is poorly trained or brings their own unresolved trauma into the therapy room. This causes more re-traumatisation for the complex trauma survivor, and the situation isn't then helped because of the power imbalance that exists in a traditional therapist-client dynamic. This doesn't happen with my clients, as I recognise that the expert in the room in terms of their trauma is my client, and so from the very first session the inherent power imbalance is addressed and trust is established. This gives my clients and I a rock-solid foundation to work from. 

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Educationally wise, after completing my Master of Science (MSc) in the Psychology of Mental Health and Well-being, I intend to pursue a Doctorate in Professional Studies in Psychological Trauma (DProfPsychTrauma). I already hold a Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc Hons) in Sports, Fitness and Management - a physical and mental health sports science degree; I also hold diplomas in nutrition, CBT and counselling & psychotherapy.

Alongside undertaking my formal trauma training from many of the worlds leading voices on trauma and trauma recovery, I also had the personal pleasure of being under the tutelage of Dr. Arielle Schwartz, PhD (author of The Complex PTSD Workbook & A Practical Guide To Complex PTSD and other titles) and Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD (author of The Body Keeps The Score) during this period - two luminaries in the trauma treatment world. I am fully certified and insured in some of today's most powerful trauma and complex trauma treatment modalities - including Somatic EMDR, Attachment Focused EMDR, Internal Family Systems, The Flash Technique and many more, and I uphold and adhere to strict codes of conduct regarding ethics and confidentiality.

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​I also hold a postgraduate certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Trauma Research Foundation, alongside my other certifications in trauma and complex trauma treatment, which can be found listed below.

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Prior to this, I was a stay-at-home dad and full-time carer to my daughter, who is autistic and has a PDA profile and significant sensory processing needs. Before that, I was a Co-Managing Director of an exciting start-up disruptor company, which remains successful to this day. Many moons ago, I was an Operations Director for a multi-million-pound electronics company, having worked my way up to this role within 7 years from a 2-week temp 'tea boy' junior role aged just 19. This non-traditional background has allowed me to see what the industry does wrong and then set about correcting it, enabling my clients to flourish and heal more efficiently than ever before.

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I am also a Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) survivor with an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score of 10, who was very likely born with PTSD. I was harmed by a system that failed me at my time of need; in spite of this I was a child who grew to succeed against all the odds out of a poverty-stricken broken blended home, surrounded by adult/s who were in and out of prison, who were using hard and/or intravenous drugs, who were committing unspeakable acts of domestic violence and where horrendous abuse was normalised - these are things that no child should ever have to experience. This was all within an overcrowded council house on a run-down estate in leafy Berkshire, England.

 

​​Today, I am a proud biracial man, a husband and father and I am passionate about trauma recovery for all - no matter your age, race, neuro-type, gender or postcode and especially for those that have least in society today as they tend to be the ones to have exponentially more trauma exposure and much less resources to cope and heal from their trauma and yet their potential is still unlimited.

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I am living proof of that…

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As 2Pac Shakur once wrote in the poem "The Rose That Grew From Concrete"​

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"Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared" 

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The neurological sequencing of trauma is incredibly complex; recovering from it doesn't have to be.

 

Recover From Trauma – That is what you will do.

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Trauma Recovery Simplified - That is the Ricki Tyler Smith way.

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Get in touch today and start your first positive steps on the road to recovery.​

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It will be my pleasure to join you on these exciting first steps of that healing journey.

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Ricki Tyler Smith​​​​​​​​​​​​