Trauma Therapy

Therapy for childhood trauma, relational trauma, and nervous system overwhelm.

Trauma is not always a single event.

For many people, it is cumulative.
Relational.
Subtle.
Ongoing.

It can come from experiences where you felt unsafe, unseen, overwhelmed, or alone — especially in relationships that were supposed to feel secure.

Trauma therapy is not about revisiting the past for the sake of it.
It’s about helping your nervous system no longer live there.

How Trauma Can Show Up

Trauma doesn’t always look dramatic. It often appears as patterns:

  • Chronic anxiety or hypervigilance

  • Emotional shutdown or numbness

  • Difficulty trusting others

  • Feeling “too much” or “not enough”

  • Shame that feels pervasive

  • Overreacting and then feeling confused about why

  • Relationship patterns that repeat despite insight

  • Feeling stuck in survival mode

You may logically know you’re safe —
but your body doesn’t feel that way.

Trauma lives in the nervous system, not just in memory.

Relational & Developmental Trauma

Much of the trauma I work with is relational or developmental.

This can include:

  • Emotional neglect

  • Chronic criticism

  • Inconsistent caregiving

  • Parentification

  • Growing up in high-conflict environments

  • Subtle but persistent invalidation

These experiences shape how we experience closeness, conflict, and safety.

You may find yourself:

  • Anxious in relationships

  • Avoiding vulnerability

  • Over-functioning or withdrawing

  • Struggling with boundaries

  • Feeling intense shame when you make mistakes

These aren’t character flaws.
They are adaptive responses that once helped you survive.

How I Approach Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy must move at the speed of safety.

We don’t force exposure.
We don’t push catharsis.
We build capacity first.

My approach is relational, attachment-informed, and experiential. Depending on your needs, therapy may include:

  • Nervous system regulation and somatic awareness

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) to work with protective parts

  • AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) to process core emotional experiences

  • Psychodynamic therapy to understand deeper relational patterns

  • Relational therapy to build corrective emotional experiences in real time

Often, trauma healing begins not with retelling — but with experiencing safety in connection.

The Nervous System & Trauma

Trauma can keep your system in states of:

  • Fight (anger, irritability)

  • Flight (anxiety, overworking)

  • Freeze (numbness, shutdown)

  • Fawn (people-pleasing, over-accommodation)

In therapy, we gently increase your capacity to tolerate emotion without becoming overwhelmed.

Over time, your system begins to trust that you are no longer in danger.

What Changes Over Time

As trauma heals, clients often notice:

  • More emotional range without overwhelm

  • Reduced shame

  • Increased self-compassion

  • More stable relationships

  • Greater ability to tolerate closeness

  • A stronger sense of identity

  • Less reactivity and more choice

The goal isn’t to erase the past.

It’s to free you from being organized around it.

Trauma Therapy in Surrey & Across Ontario

If you’re living with the effects of trauma — whether from childhood, relationships, or significant life events — therapy can help you move toward greater stability and connection.

I offer trauma therapy in Surrey, BC and virtually across Ontario.

Sessions are collaborative, paced thoughtfully, and grounded in relational safety.

If you’d like to explore whether we’re a good fit, you’re welcome to book a free consultation.

You deserve to feel safe in your own mind and body.