It is in our connectedness with other people - in our memories of laughter, smiles, sharing sorrow, being heard, being looked at with kindness, being heard with attention, being remembered by someone, being upset with someone, being comforted - that we become alive as relational beings. From one perspective, we can only experience the richness of life when we are in relation with other people, amongst other people, and in between other people.

Our relationship with people is not the only relationship that we have: we also have a relationship with what goes on within our minds and bodies. We have a relationship with a complex internal world that drives us, often out of awareness, until that internal world begins to feel unsettling. People often come to psychotherapy because there is an uncomfortable relationship with one's own mind, body or the people around them.

Rooted in the family unit, we call the internal experience of an individual as 'relational trauma' Wallin, 2015 when the fundamental premise of love, care and safety of family relationships caregiver-caregiver / caregiver-child / sibling-sibling has been violated.

In the aftermaths of relational trauma, which is also known as Complex Trauma, the following abilities break down and become distorted:

• the internal system of interpreting the meaning of inter-personal dynamics and emotions Laliotis, 2018
• the ability to observe oneself
• maintaining trust in other people's intentions and actions