Trauma Therapy
Heal from past wounds & reclaim your sense of safety and wholeness
Specialized trauma-informed support using evidence-based approaches. Online trauma therapy for individuals in Vancouver and across BC
When the past continues to impact your present, you deserve support to heal.
Living with unresolved trauma can feel like being trapped in a cycle that affects every aspect of your life. Even when the traumatic events are in the past, your body and mind may still be responding as if the danger is present—leaving you exhausted, overwhelmed, and disconnected from yourself and others.
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Intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks that disrupt your daily life
Feeling constantly on edge, jumpy, or like you can't relax
Trouble focusing, sleeping, or managing everyday tasks
Overwhelming emotions that seem to come out of nowhere
Avoiding people, places, or situations that remind you of past experiences
Feeling numb, disconnected, or like you're just going through the motions
Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
Patterns of self-criticism, shame, or feeling like something is wrong with you
Physical symptoms like tension, pain, or fatigue that medical treatments haven't resolved
Healing is possible. Your body and mind have the capacity to recover.
My Approach
Trauma affects not just our thoughts and emotions, but also how our bodies and nervous systems function. I understand that trauma can come from many sources—whether from childhood experiences, accidents, losses, medical procedures, discrimination, or other overwhelming events. Sometimes trauma results from a single incident, while other times it develops from ongoing stressful or threatening situations.
I approach trauma therapy with the understanding that your symptoms aren't a sign of weakness—they're your body and mind's natural responses to overwhelming experiences. Using evidence-based approaches like Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Emotion Focused Therapy for Individuals (EFT-I), we'll work together at a pace that feels safe for you.
Somatic Experiencing focuses on resolving trauma held in the body by gently releasing trapped survival energy and restoring your nervous system's natural capacity for regulation. Rather than having to relive or retell traumatic memories in detail, SE works with the body's sensations and natural healing capacity.
Emotion Focused Therapy for Individuals helps you process difficult emotions related to trauma, transform unhelpful emotional patterns, and develop more compassionate ways of relating to yourself and others. This approach supports deeper emotional healing while building new, more adaptive responses.
Together, we'll:
Create a foundation of safety and stabilization before exploring deeper trauma work
Develop practical skills to manage overwhelming emotions and nervous system responses
Identify and gently work with trauma patterns held in your body and mind
Build resources and resilience to support your healing journey
Process difficult emotions and experiences at a pace that feels manageable
Reconnect with your innate strengths and capacity for healing
Restore a sense of choice, agency, and connection in your life
I understand that trauma healing isn't linear, and we'll honour your unique path and pace. My goal is to help you not just manage trauma symptoms, but move toward genuine healing and growth.
Develop skills to regulate your nervous system and feel safer in your body
Process traumatic memories without becoming overwhelmed
Understand trauma responses and recognize your body's signals
Break free from trauma-related patterns in relationships and daily life
Set boundaries that support your healing and well-being
Trauma Therapy Can Help You...
Build self-compassion and reduce shame or self-criticism
Reconnect with parts of yourself that feel lost or disconnected
Find meaning and growth through your healing journey
Access your natural capacity for joy, connection, and presence
Move from surviving to thriving in your life and relationships
Your past doesn't have to define your future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to talk about all the details of my trauma in therapy?
No, healing from trauma doesn't require you to share or relive every detail of traumatic experiences. With approaches like Somatic Experiencing, we can work effectively with trauma by focusing on body sensations, nervous system responses, and building resources—often without needing to discuss the specifics of traumatic events. I'll never pressure you to share more than feels safe, and we'll move at a pace that feels manageable for your system. Many clients find relief in knowing they can heal without having to tell their whole story or relive difficult memories.
How do I know if what I experienced counts as trauma?
Trauma isn't defined just by what happened to you, but by how your nervous system experienced and processed the event(s). What might be traumatic for one person may not be for another, and that's perfectly normal—it doesn't mean you're weak or too sensitive. If you're experiencing persistent symptoms like anxiety, intrusive thoughts, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, or difficulties in relationships that seem connected to past experiences, trauma therapy may be helpful regardless of whether your experiences "match" typical definitions of trauma. In our work together, we'll focus on your unique experiences and their impact on your life rather than comparing or categorizing your trauma.
How long does trauma therapy take?
Healing from trauma is a unique journey for each person, and there's no standard timeline that applies to everyone. The length of therapy depends on various factors including the nature of the trauma, how long you've been experiencing symptoms, your current life circumstances, and your personal goals for therapy. Some clients notice meaningful improvements within a few months, while deeper healing work may continue for longer. We'll regularly check in about your progress and adjust our approach as needed. My goal is to help you build sustainable healing and the capacity to support yourself, not to create dependency on therapy.
What if I'm not ready to focus directly on my trauma yet?
That's completely okay and actually very common. Many people benefit from first building stability, safety, and resources before diving into trauma processing. We can focus on developing skills to manage overwhelming emotions, learning to regulate your nervous system, and creating more safety in your daily life. This foundation-building phase is a crucial part of trauma therapy. You're in control of your healing journey, and we'll only move toward trauma processing when and if you feel ready.