our philosophy

When we are triggered, the past becomes the present as our body relives the initial trauma. I help clients reprocess past experiences while anchoring themselves in the present to avoid retraumatizing. Grounding, coping, and relaxation strategies are key to staying present so that clients can retell, not relive.

Clients instinctively know where they need to go and the pace they need to go at. 

How you behave and who you are to your core don't always align. You can feel anger without being an angry person, just like you can bend the truth sometimes without being a liar. You are not your behaviours. You are a person first.

Intense emotions often result in clients feeling out of control, weak, and scared. Developing a pause button allows clients to respond, rather than react to triggering situations. We teach clients how to control their emotions and invite them to befriend even the most unpleasant ones. This sets the foundation for deeper understanding and a sense of mastery.

Trauma memories are stored in the body (physical sensations), not in the thinking part of our brain (cognition). In times of danger or perceived danger (triggers), your body was designed to instinctively bypass higher cognitive structures in order to react immediately. Therapy must include not only healing the mind but the body as well.

Healthy coping strategies are not innate, meaning that they are not something a person is born with. Healthy coping skills need to be taught and modelled. If this was not your experience, it makes sense if you don't know how to manage big feelings - you're not 'supposed' to know. 

Triggers depend on our lived experiences - on how we perceive certain events rather than the events themselves. We stay curious about your experiences and help you explore your reactions with the fundamental understanding that no two people are the same and that all realities are valid.