Complex Trauma Therapy in BC

Healing from Complex Trauma (CPTSD)

When people hear the word trauma, they often imagine scenes of someone with PTSD — like a war veteran having flashbacks of a battlefield. While trauma can be a sudden, catastrophic event, it can also be prolonged — like the psychological equivalent of a thousand paper cuts.

For many people, especially those with complex trauma (CPTSD), trauma begins in childhood. When the brain is still developing, it’s harder to make sense of what's happening — and harder to defend against it. CPTSD often stems from ongoing, relational trauma: parentification, emotional neglect, narcissistic caregiving, or needing to hide parts of yourself to stay safe. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect can also be part of the picture.

Many people with CPTSD don’t have a cohesive memory of what happened. Traumatic memories are often stored in the body and nervous system as emotional or body memories, without a clear narrative. The good news? You don’t need to remember everything to begin healing. Your body holds the story — and it's a valid one.

The Living Legacy of Trauma

What is it like to have emotional or bodily memories without context? This is what renowned trauma expert Janina Fisher calls the living legacy of trauma.

With CPTSD, you may experience life more through the lens of survival parts — protective responses that formed during overwhelming times. These are nervous system-level reactions, not flaws in your logic. A mild criticism from a boss might trigger shame spirals. Waiting for a text might send you into a panic. Even if you logically know you’re safe now — your body reacts as if the danger is still happening.

These are old protective responses being triggered in the present.

To complicate matters, because emotional memories don’t feel like memories, it’s easy to mistake them for personality traits: Maybe I’m just broken. Maybe I’m a depressed person. Maybe this is just who I am. It’s not.

It's also common to question whether what you went through was “bad enough.” But that kind of minimizing is often part of the trauma itself — a protective strategy, not a measure of truth.

CPTSD can impact many aspects of life:

• Chronic shame or low self-worth

• Mistrust of others

• Feeling unsafe in your body

• Difficulty regulating emotions or expressing boundaries

• Self-sabotage and inner criticism

My Approach to Therapy for CPTSD

I believe all parts of you are welcome in the therapy room — even the ones you feel are causing problems.

My approach to complex trauma is relational, somatic, and grounded in parts work. Because trauma is often stored implicitly — not in words, but in feelings, images, and bodily states — I work with the nervous system, not just the mind.

I’m trained in:

• Somatic Attachment Therapy: a body-based approach that helps build safety and connection in the present moment, and supports trauma processing.

• Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST): a parts work model developed by Janina Fisher, designed specifically for complex trauma and dissociation.
  

If you've ever felt like different parts of you are stuck in the past — the inner critic, the frozen child, the overfunctioning caretaker — parts work can help you relate to these responses with curiosity instead of fear or judgment.

I also support clients in:

• Learning the language of their nervous system

• Accessing imagination and body wisdom

• Exploring dream material, intuitive insights, and their relationship with spirituality.

Trauma Counselling in Vancouver and Across BC

I currently offer trauma counselling in BC and in person in Vancouver. Whether you're working through childhood trauma, nervous system dysregulation, or the long-term effects of relational wounding, you're welcome here.

My approach is especially supportive for folks who identify as highly sensitive, empathic, or neurodivergent — people who often feel deeply and notice everything.

What Healing Might Actually Look Like

Maybe you've been in therapy before, or read all the books, but still feel like something's stuck.

That’s okay. Healing from complex trauma isn't linear, and it’s not about becoming someone brand new. It’s about slowly, gently reconnecting with the parts of you that had to go quiet in order to survive.

That might mean:

• Feeling a safer in your body

• Not spiraling quite as hard when you get triggered

• Recognizing, oh — that’s just that part of me showing up again

• Learning to relate to yourself with more curiosity and less shame

• Making room for rest, connection, and boundaries that actually feel like yours

• Discovering or reclaiming your authentic self

• Feeling safer and more connected with others

I really believe it’s possible to feel less hijacked, more present, and more like yourself again.

If this sounds like what you’re looking for, you can book a free consultation using the button below or contact me.