EMDR Therapy: Heal Trauma and Anxiety at Soma House

At Soma House Counselling & Wellness in Nanaimo, BC, our Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy provides a compassionate and evidence-based approach for anxiety relief. This effective trauma therapy helps you process painful experiences, reduce anxiety, and feel more grounded in your body.

Whether you’re dealing with PTSD, anxiety, trauma-related dissociation, or grief, EMDR therapy supports the brain and nervous system in reprocessing distressing memories, making them less vivid and overwhelming. We offer sessions in-person in Nanaimo and virtually across British Columbia and other Canadian provinces.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-researched psychotherapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to assist individuals in healing from distressing memories and trauma. This effective trauma therapy utilizes a structured and guided process that supports the brain’s natural ability to integrate information that may feel “stuck” in the nervous system.

By employing bilateral stimulation—such as gentle eye movements, taps, or tones—EMDR engages both hemispheres of the brain to facilitate the reprocessing of difficult experiences. This process enables memories to lose their emotional charge, allowing new, adaptive beliefs to take root, promoting anxiety relief.

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

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. Through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), applied within a trauma-informed and somatic framework, clients can gently reconnect with their bodies and regain a sense of safety. This process is particularly beneficial for those seeking anxiety relief. 

By carefully pacing EMDR and integrating grounding, mindfulness, and somatic awareness techniques, Farnaz ensures clients stabilize before reprocessing. This approach supports nervous-system regulation and emotional safety, making it an effective form of trauma therapy.

Clients often notice significant emotional and physical shifts through trauma therapy, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. These shifts may include reduced reactivity to trauma triggers, improved regulation and grounding during stress, and anxiety relief. Additionally, clients experience a decrease in anxiety, panic, and intrusive memories, along with relief from dissociative episodes and emotional numbness. Many also report better sleep, focus, and connection with themselves and others, leading to a renewed sense of empowerment and calm.

Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, M.A., CCC, RCC, is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and Registered Clinical Counsellor who specializes in trauma therapy and anxiety relief 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 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (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.

At Soma House, Farnaz utilizes a professional Classic EMDR Kit, which facilitates Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) through visual, tactile, and auditory bilateral stimulation. Each session is tailored to align with the client's comfort level, creating a calming and adaptive experience that fosters deep processing and promotes nervous-system safety, ultimately aiding in anxiety relief during trauma therapy. You can learn more about the EMDR support tools Farnaz employs by clicking this link.

Healing begins with one step — and you don’t have to take it alone. Whether you’re coping with trauma, anxiety, or dissociation, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy can provide the anxiety relief you seek and 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) for effective trauma therapy.