Trauma Counsellin in Nanaimo & Canada-Wide

At Soma House Counselling & Wellness, we understand that trauma isn’t just about what happened to you — it’s about what happened inside you as a result. Trauma is the body and brain’s natural response to experiences that feel overwhelming, threatening, or beyond your ability to cope.

When something happens that shakes your sense of safety or control, your nervous system steps in to protect you. Sometimes, though, those protective responses linger — showing up as anxiety, emotional numbness, irritability, or physical tension long after the event has passed.

Healing starts with safety. Our trauma-informed approach helps you reconnect with your body, process difficult memories, and begin to feel grounded again.

For some, its impact is obvious. For others, it hides behind coping patterns that once helped them survive. You might notice:

• Feeling anxious, tense, or constantly on edge 
• Trouble sleeping, nightmares, or intrusive memories 
• Avoidance of certain people, places, or situations 
• Feeling detached, numb, or disconnected from others 
• Difficulty trusting, concentrating, or regulating emotions 
• Physical symptoms such as fatigue, chronic pain, or stomach issues
   

These are not signs of weakness. They are signs that your nervous system has been working overtime to protect you.

When something overwhelming or threatening happens, the body shifts into survival mode  — an automatic nervous-system response involving fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown. This is your nervous system doing exactly what it’s designed to do. However, when the threat has passed but the nervous system remains activated, trauma symptoms can persist. Research shows that trauma can:

• Keep the brain’s alarm system stuck in an “on” position 
• Make it harder to feel calm, grounded, or safe 
• Disrupt sleep, digestion, energy levels, and mood 
• Affect memory, focus, and emotional regulation
   

This helps explain why trauma often shows up physically, not just emotionally—through tension, exhaustion, pain, gut issues, or a sense of being constantly on edge or shut down.

As described in The Body Keeps the Score, trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. Healing, therefore, often requires approaches that support both the nervous system and emotional processing—helping the body learn that it is safe again.

A single, overwhelming event — such as an accident, assault, or natural disaster — that leaves lasting emotional or physical effects.

Repeated or prolonged exposure to distress, like ongoing abuse, neglect, or living in unsafe conditions.

Ongoing, interpersonal trauma that often begins in childhood and affects self-worth, relationships, and trust.

Occurs when a child’s basic emotional or physical needs go unmet, impacting brain development and attachment.

Experienced by helpers, caregivers, or first responders who witness or support others’ suffering.

Wounds carried across generations or within communities, often connected to war, colonization, displacement, or systemic injustice.

While both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) stem from traumatic experiences, they differ in how trauma is experienced and how symptoms show up.

PTSD often develops after a single traumatic event — such as a car accident, natural disaster, or assault. People may experience:

• Intrusive memories or flashbacks 
• Nightmares and sleep difficulties 
• Intense fear, anxiety, or avoidance of reminders 
• Heightened startle response or hypervigilance
   

C-PTSD develops from chronic, repeated, or relational trauma — such as childhood abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or captivity. In addition to PTSD symptoms, individuals may also experience:

• Deep feelings of shame or guilt 
• Difficulty regulating emotions 
• Negative self-image and self-blame 
• Ongoing relationship struggles or fear of abandonment 
• A persistent sense of emptiness or hopelessness
   

For many people with C-PTSD, learning to set and maintain healthy boundaries is a vital part of healing. Boundaries help protect your mind, body, and heart—especially when past experiences have taught you to prioritize others’ needs, tolerate harm, avoiding conflict, or ignore your own limits. At Soma House, we take an integrated approach that addresses both the emotional and physiological impacts of trauma, emphasizing safety, trust, and empowerment. Through this work, we support you in reconnecting with your internal cues, strengthening self-trust, honoring your limits, and allowing healing to unfold at your own pace. 

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting what happened — it means learning to live fully again.

Through evidence-based and body-based therapies such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), somatic awareness, and mind-body regulation, clients learn to reprocess distressing experiences and restore balance in their nervous system.

Our clinical counsellor supports individuals, children, youth, families, first responders, and veterans with compassion and clinical expertise — helping you move from surviving to thriving.

 You don’t have to carry this alone. At Soma House Counselling & Wellness, Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, M.A., RCC, CCC, and the multidisciplinary team are here to walk alongside you — helping you reconnect with your body, reclaim your story, and rebuild a sense of safety and hope.