Understanding Trauma
Trauma doesn’t always look like a single dramatic event. For many people, it’s the accumulation of smaller experiences over time, relationships that felt unsafe, childhoods where needs went unmet, or a slow erosion of trust in themselves and others. It often doesn’t announce itself clearly either. Many people come to therapy unsure whether what they’ve experienced counts, or why they’re still struggling years later. The reason it persists is that trauma lives in the body and nervous system, not just in memory.
You might notice:
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Feeling on edge, hypervigilant, or unable to fully relax
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Shutting down emotionally or going numb when things get hard
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Reliving memories, or being caught off guard by intense reactions
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Difficulty trusting people or feeling safe in close relationships
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Shame, self-blame, or a persistent sense that something is wrong with you
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Trouble concentrating, sleeping, or feeling present in your own life
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Patterns in relationships that repeat even when you want them to change
Types of trauma we work with
Childhood and developmental trauma
Experiences in childhood, including neglect, emotional unavailability, abuse, or growing up in an unpredictable household, can shape how we see ourselves and relate to others well into adulthood. Adults with a history of childhood trauma often describe a gap between knowing something intellectually and actually feeling it. Therapy works at that deeper level, not just the story but the patterns it left behind.
Complex PTSD
Complex PTSD (sometimes called C-PTSD) develops from prolonged or repeated trauma, often in situations where escape wasn’t possible. This includes long-term abuse, difficult childhoods, coercive relationships, or chronic neglect. Common experiences include intense shame, difficulty regulating emotions, and a complicated relationship with trust.
Relationship Trauma
Relationship trauma can come from abusive or controlling partnerships, betrayal, infidelity, or patterns of emotional unavailability that left lasting damage. It often shows up as difficulty trusting partners, fear of abandonment, or a persistent feeling that closeness isn’t safe. Therapy can help you understand where those patterns come from and start to shift them.
Our approach to trauma therapy
All of our therapists work with trauma, and all are trained in approaches specifically designed for trauma processing. We never push you to revisit painful material before you’re ready. The early work is always about building safety and stability first.
Sessions are available in person in Vancouver and virtually across British Columbia.
Depending on what fits best for you, we draw on:
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing): a well-researched approach that helps process traumatic memories so they lose their grip, without requiring you to talk through every detail
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Somatic approaches: working with the body’s response to trauma, not just the thoughts around it, because trauma is held physically as much as mentally
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CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy): useful for working with the thought patterns and beliefs that trauma often leaves behind, including shame and self-blame
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Mindfulness-based strategies: building the capacity to stay present and regulate your nervous system, especially useful when trauma responses feel automatic and hard to interrupt
GETTING STARTED
What to expect in trauma therapy
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Getting oriented
Early sessions focused on understanding your history, what you're carrying, and what you want from therapy; no pressure to dive in before you're ready
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Building a foundation
We will always prioritize developing safety, trust, and nervous system regulation tools before any depth work begins
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Processing and making meaning
When you're ready we'll work through the deeper material at a pace that you determine, not according to a protocol
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Integration
Our destination is to allow you to translate that work into how you feel in your body, your relationships, and your day-to-day life
get in touch
Reach out when you're ready
Send us a note and our team will get back to you within one business day. We offer sessions in person in East Vancouver and online across BC. Everything you share stays confidential.