I understand trauma as unprocessed experiences held within the body, shaping how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us. At times there is awareness of what we carry, and at other times it exists just outside of conscious awareness; showing up in ways that feel confusing or difficult to make sense of.

Trauma is more than a distressing experience. It is something that overwhelms our capacity to cope, often leaving us without the support, resources, or ability to fully process what has happened. Trauma impacts our sense of safety—physically, emotionally, and sometimes spiritually.

The way trauma shows up looks different for each person. You may notice hypervigilance—feeling on edge, scanning your surroundings, anticipating what might go wrong. Or you may feel more numb, disconnected, or detached from yourself and your experiences. For many, there is a movement between these states, sometimes without a clear understanding of why. Trauma can also show up as bodily sensations, distressing thoughts, or behaviours that feel hard to predict or understand.

For those who have experienced complex or relational trauma, there can be a sense of disconnection from the body—often as a result of dissociation—making it difficult to access or trust your internal experience. In our work together, I hold this with care and we move at a pace that honours the needs of your whole system.

Many experiences of trauma are not limited to a single event. Ongoing relational experiences such as neglect, inconsistency, or rupture, as well as broader systemic and structural factors, shape how trauma is held over time. Relational trauma can begin early, often before we even have language for it, and transgenerational trauma can be carried in the body and psyche in ways we may not immediately recognize. This is often what is referred to as complex trauma, or CPTSD, which can significantly impact emotional regulation, sense of self, and experiences within relationships.

One of the more painful impacts of trauma is the meaning we begin to make about ourselves. You may find yourself feeling too much, not enough, or fundamentally flawed. Sometimes carrying a quiet belief that if you had been different, the harm wouldn't have happened. These beliefs rarely come from truth. They come from what your system needed to make sense of experiences that were overwhelming and unsupported.

Healing from trauma is not about ‘getting over it,’ instead it is about creating a sense of internal safety that allows experiences to be processed over time. It is a gradual process of reconnecting with your body, your emotions, and your sense of self; and, finding ways to move through life with more steadiness, choice, and self-understanding.

In this work, we may gently explore the roots of your experiences and how they continue to show up in the present. Mindfulness, somatic, and parts work are central to how I approach trauma, supporting awareness and compassion toward different aspects of yourself. I am also trained in EMDR, which may be an important part of some individual’s trauma processing journey.

There is nothing wrong with you for responding the way you have—your system adapted in the ways it needed to.