Bondi Beach - After such a tragedy, how can the pain be eased?

Sunday, 14 December 2025 will remain a date etched in profound pain for Bondi Beach, for Sydney, for Australia. My thoughts and prayers go to the families so cruelly affected.

For many, Bondi Beach is merely a name on a map, a tourist destination, a famous Sydney beachFor me, it was far more than that: it was my everyday life, my village, my anchor, my beach for more than fifteen years. You know every street, every café, every shop, every familiar face. You belong there. And when a place so intimate is struck by violence, something breaks.

By targeting the Jewish community — one of our communities — extremists struck at all communities. They unsettled our 'joie de vivre' and our natural trust in one another, not only for Australians, but also for all those who chose Australia as their home, whether permanently or temporarily.

Far too many of us were there that Sunday — victims or witnesses of an unspeakable horror — when violence intruded upon a place of fun, peace, and well-being. Others, myself included, were just one or two beaches away from the tragedy, or farther still.

To those who were there, on the ground — who saw, heard, ran, hid, helped others, or lost a loved one — know this: what you lived through exceeds the normal capacity of the human brain to comprehend and integrate. Your body did what it had to do to survive. You went through something that should never have happened to you.

And if today you are experiencing flashbacks, hypervigilance, startle responses, crushing fatigue, emotional numbness, or, on the contrary, waves of uncontrollable emotion, please understand that these are normal responses to an abnormal situation.

However, trauma does not belong only to those who were physically present. Even among those who were not there — even those who believe they are “doing fine, despite everything” — powerful emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, or guilt can take root and loop endlessly, day after day, hour after hour.

This is how trauma settles into the unconscious. Trauma lies not only in the event itself, but in the way it imprints upon our nervous system.

Trauma may manifest as:

• a persistent sense of insecurity, even visceral fear

• nightmares or disturbed sleep

• unexplained sadness

• irritability or withdrawal

• intrusive images

• profound emotional exhaustion

• or simply the deep, aching sense that “something has changed.”

At first, speaking, expressing yourself, and putting words to pain is vital. But it is not always enough, because trauma does not live in logic or conscious thought — it lives in the unconscious. And the emotional brain does not distinguish between seeing, imagining, feeling, or remembering.

The next step, therefore, is to gently uproot trauma from the unconscious.

Whether a horrific event is experienced directly or indirectly, it leaves an imprint and opens the door to unconscious reactions. Life goes on, yet the nervous system remains on high alert, as if the danger were still present. This is neither weakness nor a lack of resilience. Once again, it is a deeply human response to an abnormal shock.

As a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, I know — and I witness it every day — that trauma does not have to settle permanently.

Therapeutic approaches such as:

• EMDR* (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

• NLP* (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)

• Modern therapeutic hypnosis*

can help the brain process the event, place it safely in the past, and restore an inner sense of safety — often quickly and gently, without having to relive the pain intensely.

This is not about forgetting. It is about no longer being imprisoned by a shock that forced its way into our lives. If what happened at Bondi Beach has affected you — directly or indirectly — if your body or emotions are reacting in ways you don’t fully understand, your unconscious is likely crying out for help.

With respect and compassion for those who feel the need to ease their pain swiftly, I will remain available, even during the Christmas holidays. Please do not hesitate to reach out — even if it is “just to talk.”

Take good care of yourself. Invisible wounds deserve just as much attention as visible ones.

*Notes:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is widely recognised as the leading technique for trauma reprocessing. Using bilateral stimulation, it helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories through eye movements.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) helps identify negative thought patterns and reprogram them by reshaping unconscious beliefs.

Modern therapeutic hypnosis rapidly calms the brain and induces a modified state of consciousness — a hypnotic trance — between wakefulness and sleep, where suggestibility is heightened. Through your own hypnotic suggestions implanted directly into the unconscious, perception, behaviour, beliefs, and emotions can be transformed, supporting healing.

EMDR sessions (1 hour): $200 EMDR / NLP / Therapeutic Hypnosis sessions (1.5 hours): $300

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