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Have you ever noticed how your body tenses up when you’re stressed — maybe your shoulders creep toward your ears, or your stomach feels tight? That’s your nervous system doing its best to protect you. Somatic Experiencing (SE) is all about helping your body release that stored tension so you can feel calmer and more grounded. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, SE is a body-based approach to healing trauma and stress. Instead of focusing only on talking about what happened, it gently guides you to notice what’s happening inside your body right now — sensations, breath, muscle tension, even…

The most recent AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) textbook includes this phrase in its title: transforming suffering into flourishing. AEDP is a therapeutic modality that not only wants to alleviate the negative effects of psychological distress, but believes that as humans, we need opportunities to thrive in our lives, existing as our full, expansive, selves. We live in a world where much of mental health has become about managing symptoms or learning tools and tips to reduce the experience of anxiety or depression. For those of us who work as AEDP therapists, our goals…

Living with chronic fatigue can feel like moving through life with an invisible weight on your shoulders. Each morning you wake hoping to feel rested, yet the exhaustion lingers not only in your body but deep within your emotional being. Many people describe it as feeling disconnected from themselves, as if their inner spark has dimmed. While chronic fatigue is often viewed through a medical lens, emotional and psychological factors play a profound role in how the body holds and releases energy. In Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Dr. Leslie Greenberg, we understand that emotions…

As a child with congenital heart disease, I had big feelings about how different I was from others at school—not just because of my surgical scars and very tiny body, but something inside me. I remember so clearly an experience when I was 5 and back to school from open-heart surgery, where all the other children in the classroom seemed to know what they were doing on a math sheet, except me. It didn’t make sense to me. The numbers wobbled all over the page and I could feel myself going into my imaginary world. In my imaginary world, I didn’t feel my panic, uncertainty and confusion. At around…

Most people don’t know this, but if you've been in a car accident in British Columbia, ICBC will cover the cost of counselling from a mental health professional. That's 12 sessions, fully paid for, with no doctor’s referral required. It doesn’t matter if it was a small tap or a major collision, if you were the driver, a passenger, or even at fault — you still qualify. Why do so many people hesitate to get help? Because we’re conditioned to minimize our pain. “It wasn’t that bad.” “I’ll get over it.” But here’s the truth: Your nervous system remembers the accident - even if you try to forget…

A car accident can change your life in an instant. Beyond the physical injuries, many people experience emotional and psychological distress that can linger long after the crash. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s important to take care of your mental well-being as part of your recovery process. Fortunately, ICBC’s Enahnced Care Program provides pre-approved counselling sessions to help you cope with the emotional impact of a motor vehicle accident. Here’s what you need to know to access these benefits and start feeling like yourself again. ICBC’s Enhanced Care Program – How It Works ICBC’s…

Being open hearted means something very different to me after my last week's therapy session. I work with a somatic therapist and I had been working through early medical trauma coming up as fear and terror deep inside my chest. Being with this feeling without dissociating through coming back into my over chattering mind was a challenge. It is so much easier to just go into the stories I tell myself instead of being there with this cold discomfort. With the presence and witnessing of my therapist, I continued to stay with this feeling that felt older than my language. It came as an emptiness…

10 Cents to See My Chest: Building Pride and Confidence in Children with Surgical Scars As a parent, it can be a courageous challenge to be present for your child when they are born with medical challenges. I cannot imagine what this was like for my family when their first child was born with ten toes, a big smile and a blue skin tone. Right after I was born, I was whisked off and my family was broadsided with the news of my congenital heart deformities. I was blessed to have a strong family and a mother and grandmother that knew how much a child needed closeness and presence. They knew this…

This week, I had the most beautiful experience that resonated deep down to my toes. I was reminded that shared stories weave a tapestry of belonging, kinship, and the knowing feeling of being truly seen. As a counsellor who specializes in supporting children, youth, and families who have experienced medical trauma, I have walked alongside many who struggle with anxiety, dysregulation, disconnection, overwhelm and other mental health challenges. I know how important community and connection to others is, but this week it truly came home to my own heart. There is something uniquely powerful…

It might seem like a stretch to think that experiences with your caregiver that happened as early as day one...or even hour one...of life, would influence how you might experience relationships as an adult. Those non-verbal cues like eye contact, your caregiver's tone, their presence (consistent or otherwise), whether they held you, hugged you, and so many other interactions all affected future relationship. That's not intended to sound ominous but more, to help you possibly understand how some of the strengths or maybe vulnerabilities within your relationships now, might be influenced. If…