Trauma Therapy & Stress Counselling, Individual Therapy

Trauma Therapy for any traumatic event—from a personal tragedy to a global crisis like a pandemic—can take an emotional toll and cause a traumatic stress response. But there are ways to regain control of your life. It’s normal to experience traumatic stress following a disturbing event, whether it’s a global health pandemic, a traffic accident, a plane crash, a violent crime, a terrorist attack, or a natural disaster like an earthquake, hurricane, or flood. It can also be more subtle, like experiencing years of emotional abuse or living with depression, anxiety or addiction. Trauma is not the event; it’s what happens to your nervous system in response to any event that may feel threatening.  You may experience intense shock, confusion, and fear or feel numb or overwhelmed by a host of conflicting emotions, sometimes all at once. And these emotions aren’t limited to the people who experienced the event. Round-the-clock news and social media coverage means that we’re all bombarded with horrific images of tragedy, suffering, and loss almost the instant they occur anywhere in the world. Repeated exposure can overwhelm your nervous system and create traumatic stress, just as if you experienced the event firsthand.

​Traumatic stress can shatter your sense of security, leaving you feeling helpless and vulnerable in what can feel like a dangerous world. You may feel physically and emotionally drained, overcome with grief, or find it difficult to focus, sleep, or control your temper. These are all normal responses to abnormal events.

Often, the unsettling thoughts and feelings of traumatic stress—as well as any unpleasant physical symptoms—start to fade as life gradually returns to normal over the days or weeks following a catastrophic event or crisis. But there’s also a lot you can do to assist in your recovery and better come to terms with the trauma you’ve experienced. Whether you lived through the event itself, witnessed it, were an emergency responder or medical worker, or experienced traumatic stress in the aftermath, there are plenty of ways to calm your nervous system and regain your emotional balance. 

Somatic Experiencing Used for Trauma Therapy

​Somatic Experiencing helps regulate your nervous system and guides you back to a calm and grounded state within your body. By focusing on the body’s sensations and responses, this approach allows us to reshape the way we experience trauma. Through gentle, mindful attention to the nervous system, we can gradually release stored tension and begin to heal from the inside out, fostering a deeper sense of peace and well-being.

This process involves paying close attention to subtle physical cues, such as changes in muscle tension, breathing, or body temperature. As you become more attuned to these sensations, you can begin to understand how your body holds onto stress and trauma. Somatic Experiencing works by helping you safely release this stored energy, allowing your body to complete its natural responses to past overwhelming experiences.

Over time, this practice helps rebuild your nervous system’s resilience, making it easier to manage stress and respond to challenges with greater ease. Instead of feeling stuck in cycles of anxiety, fear, or discomfort, you gain the ability to stay present and grounded, even in difficult situations. By healing from the inside out, Somatic Experiencing empowers you to move forward with a renewed sense of balance and inner peace.

Somatic Experiencing is widely used in trauma therapy to address various types of trauma and related conditions.

Here’s a list of areas where it is commonly applied:

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Helps individuals process and release trauma stored in the body.
  • Childhood trauma: Assists in healing early developmental traumas and attachment issues.
  • Emotional abuse: Supports the recovery from long-term emotional neglect or manipulation.
  • Physical abuse: Helps release the stored physical and emotional impact of violence.
  • Sexual abuse: Assists in processing the complex emotions and bodily responses tied to sexual trauma.
  • Accidents or injuries: Helps the body release shock or fear resulting from sudden, life-threatening events.
  • Medical trauma: Assists in recovering from traumatic medical procedures or life-threatening illnesses.
  • Natural disasters: Helps individuals process the intense fear and helplessness often experienced during earthquakes, floods, or fires.
  • Combat or war trauma: Supports veterans and individuals exposed to combat or war-related trauma in healing the nervous system.
  • Grief and loss: This helps with processing unresolved grief that can become stuck in the body after a significant loss.
  • Chronic stress or burnout: Helps release accumulated stress and restore balance in the nervous system.
  • Panic attacks and anxiety disorders: Reduces the physical symptoms of anxiety by working with the body’s natural responses.
  • Complex trauma: Helps those with multiple or prolonged traumatic experiences process and heal over time.

Somatic experiencing addresses these areas by focusing on the body’s natural ability to heal. It facilitates recovery and promotes a sense of safety and calm in the nervous system.