Soma House Counselling & Psychotherapy
Trauma Counselling in Nanaimo, BC
In-Person Trauma Counselling in Nanaimo
Virtual Trauma Therapy Across BC
Trauma-Informed. Neuroscience-Guided.
Trauma can show up as anxiety, hypervigilance, overwhelm, shutdown, intrusive memories, difficulty trusting, or feeling like you’re always in survival mode.
As a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC), I provide trauma counselling in Nanaimo using a trauma-informed, neuroscience-guided approach. Treatment may include EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), depending on your needs.
A Grounded Understanding of Trauma
My approach to trauma work is shaped by both clinical training and lived experience. Growing up in a war-affected country and later working in high-pressure emergency operations environments gave me firsthand insight into the impact of chronic stress, crisis, and survival responses — and into how healing requires both safety and nervous system support.
This lived and professional experience, combined with evidence-based training, helps inform my work with first responders, healthcare workers, veterans, educators, leaders, caregivers, and others who live and work in high-stress or trauma-exposed roles.
Trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD: What’s the Difference?
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Trauma
Trauma is your brain and body’s response to an experience that feels overwhelming, frightening, or beyond your ability to cope. It isn’t defined solely by the event itself, but by how your nervous system responds. Many people experience trauma without developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Trauma can come from a single event or build over time through repeated stress, loss, unsafe relationships, medical experiences, or accidents.
Its effects may include anxiety, irritability, numbness, sleep difficulties, feeling on edge, trouble concentrating, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as a serious accident, assault, natural disaster, military combat, or medical emergency.
PTSD occurs when the brain continues responding as though the danger is still present, even after the event has ended. Symptoms may include intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, hypervigilance, an exaggerated startle response, and persistent changes in mood or thinking.
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Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) can develop following repeated, prolonged, or interpersonal trauma — often during childhood or within relationships where safety, trust, or attachment have been disrupted.
Along with the core symptoms of PTSD, people with C-PTSD may struggle with emotional regulation, chronic shame, a negative self-image, relationship difficulties, and feeling disconnected from themselves or others.
While PTSD is often connected to what happened, Complex PTSD can also affect how you learned to survive, shaping your relationships, beliefs, nervous system, and sense of identity.