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    • Meet Us
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      • EMDR Support Tools
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      • FAQs
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  • Home
  • Meet Us
  • EMDR
    • EMDR
    • EMDR for First Responder
    • EMDR Support Tools
  • Therapy Styles
  • Articles & Resources
  • FAQ
    • FAQs
    • Cancellation Policy

EMDR Therapy in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island

Heal from Trauma, Anxiety, and Dissociation — with Farnaz Farrokhi, M.A., CCC, RCC

At Soma House Counselling & Wellness in Nanaimo, BC, EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) offers a compassionate and evidence-based approach to help you process painful experiences, reduce anxiety, and feel more grounded in your body.


Whether you’re living with PTSD, anxiety, trauma-related dissociation, or grief, EMDR therapy helps the brain and nervous system reprocess distressing memories so they no longer feel as vivid or overwhelming. Sessions are available in-person in Nanaimo and virtually across British Columbia and other Canadian provinces.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-researched psychotherapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to help individuals heal from distressing memories and trauma. Through a structured and guided process, EMDR supports the brain’s natural ability to integrate information that once felt “stuck” in the nervous system.


Using bilateral stimulation—such as gentle eye movements, taps, or tones—EMDR engages both hemispheres of the brain to help reprocess difficult experiences. This allows memories to lose their emotional charge while new, adaptive beliefs take root.

EMDR is widely recognized for its effectiveness in treating PTSD, anxiety, panic, and trauma-related symptoms (Shapiro, 2018; VA/DoD, 2024).

Understanding Trauma-Related Dissociation

For many individuals, trauma can lead to dissociation—a protective response where the mind “disconnects” from overwhelming sensations or emotions to survive distressing events. You might feel detached, spaced out, or like you’re watching life from the outside.

Farnaz understands how frightening and isolating these experiences can feel. EMDR, when applied within a trauma-informed and somatic framework, can gently help clients reconnect with their bodies and sense of safety.


By pacing EMDR carefully and integrating grounding, mindfulness, and somatic awareness techniques, Farnaz helps clients stabilize before reprocessing, ensuring that each phase of therapy supports nervous-system regulation and emotional safety.

How EMDR Works

Clients often notice significant emotional and physical shifts:


  • Reduced reactivity to trauma triggers
     
  • Improved regulation and grounding during stress
     
  • Decrease in anxiety, panic, and intrusive memories
     
  • Relief from dissociative episodes and emotional numbness
     
  • Better sleep, focus, and connection with self and others
     
  • Renewed sense of empowerment and calm

Farnaz’s Trauma-Informed EMDR Approach

Farnaz Farrokhi, M.A., CCC, RCC, is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and Registered Clinical Counsellor who specializes in trauma recovery through evidence-based, brain- and nervous-system-focused therapies. Drawing on both neurological and somatic approaches, Farnaz helps clients regulate their nervous system, reprocess trauma, and restore a sense of safety and connection in both mind and body.


Farnaz blends trauma-informed care with EMDR, somatic techniques, and strength- and solution-based strategies to help you heal, regulate emotions, and rebuild resilience. Her approach is grounded in safety, compassion, and the belief that healing unfolds when the mind, body, and story are all honoured. 


Her lived experience in war-affected regions and work with emergency responders offer a unique depth of understanding into how trauma shapes both identity and physiology. Clients describe sessions with Farnaz as safe, grounding, and deeply human—a space where healing unfolds at the body’s pace, not the clock’s.

Tools That Support EMDR

At Soma House, Farnaz uses a professional Classic EMDR Kit that offers visual, tactile, and auditory bilateral stimulation. Each session is fully adjustable to meet the comfort level of the client—creating a calming, adaptive experience that supports deep processing and nervous-system safety. 


You can learn about the EMDR support tools Farnaz uses by clicking this link. 

Begin Your EMDR Journey in Nanaimo or Online BC, Canada-Wide

Healing begins with one step — and you don’t have to take it alone. Whether you’re coping with trauma, anxiety, or dissociation, EMDR therapy can help you find balance, safety, and connection again.


📍 In-person sessions: Nanaimo, BC


💻 Virtual therapy: Available across British Columbia and unregulated provinces Canada-Wide (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut)

Book your EMDR Session with Farnaz Farrokhi, M.A., CCC, RCC, today.

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