Flexible Schedule
Daytime, evening, and weekend appointments
Virtual & In-Person
Appointments in the comfort of your home or our Duncan, BC office
Affordable Therapy
Low cost options and a subsidy program available
Healing from trauma starts here
Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can have lasting effects on your mental and emotional well-being. Whether it's a single event or prolonged exposure to stressful situations, trauma can leave a profound impact on your life, making it challenging to move forward.
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”
- Peter Lavine
Trauma has been defined several different ways and there is no clear, universally accepted definition of trauma. At its core though, trauma represents the profound response to overwhelming experiences. Trauma results from an event (or series of events) that is experienced as life-threatening or emotionally overwhelming and involves lasting mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual difficulties. It can cause problems with your sense of safety, your relationships, your ability to work, and even daily activities like personal hygiene, eating, sleeping, and getting out of the house.
Types of trauma
Trauma may be acute, such as the experience of a natural disaster, physical accident, or other extreme unexpected experience. Or it may be chronic and complex - the result of childhood neglect and abuse.
Acute trauma typically refers to a single, distressing event that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope. Examples of events that may cause acute trauma include accidents, natural disasters, the sudden loss of a loved one, violent encounters, and other extreme and unexpected experiences. The trauma is not necessarily in the event as the same event may be experienced as traumatic for one person and not for another. Instead, trauma occurs when an individual believes they do not have access to the resources they need to survive and cope with the distressing event. The impact of acute trauma can be immediate and intense, often leading to symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, or even physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, stomach pain, or nausea. At other times however, the impact may be delayed and symptoms may show up days, weeks, months, or even years later. If you experience acute trauma, seeking support is crucial. This may involve reaching out to trusted friends or family, contacting helplines or support groups specialized in trauma recovery, or connecting with a professional trauma therapist.
Acute Trauma
Complex or chronic trauma refers to repeated exposure to traumatic events over an extended period, often occurring within interpersonal relationships, where safety and security are compromised. This type of trauma can stem from experiences such as ongoing abuse, neglect, bullying, homelessness, discrimination, or living in an unstable environment. Unlike acute trauma, which involves a single event, complex trauma involves a cumulative impact that can affect various aspects of a person's life, including their sense of self, relationships, and worldview. Signs of experiencing complex trauma may include difficulties regulating emotions, disrupted attachment patterns, self-destructive behaviors, chronic feelings of shame or guilt, and struggles with intimacy or trust. It's essential to recognize that individuals may respond to complex trauma differently based on factors such as their age, personality, and available support systems. Some may develop coping mechanisms that enable them to function relatively well, while others may experience significant impairment in daily functioning and may benefit from professional intervention and support
Complex or Chronic Trauma
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) are related conditions stemming from exposure to traumatic events, but they differ in their scope and presentation. PTSD typically arises from experiencing a single traumatic incident, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or assault, whereas C-PTSD results from prolonged exposure to trauma, often within relationships characterized by abuse or neglect. While PTSD symptoms typically include flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance behaviors, C-PTSD encompasses these symptoms along with additional features such as disturbances in self-identity, difficulties regulating emotions, chronic feelings of emptiness or worthlessness, and challenges in forming and maintaining relationships. C-PTSD is often associated with more complex and pervasive impairments in psychological functioning compared to PTSD, reflecting the chronic nature of the trauma experienced. Both disorders can significantly impact an individual's quality of life and require tailored therapeutic approaches for effective treatment and healing.
“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go into permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.”
- Judith Lewis Herman
In response to an imminent threat an individual’s stress-response system will respond automatically with a fight, flight, freeze, submit, or attach response. Signs that you may be stuck in one of these even after the danger has subsided include:
Fight - experiencing rage/anger and being confrontational, aggressive, controlling, explosive, hostile, judgmental, rigid, hypervigilant, mistrustful, and self-destructive
Flight - experiencing restlessness, fogginess, the urge to escape, disordered eating, and dissociation and feeling ambivalent, getting lost in fantasy, becoming addicted, acting compulsively, participating in excessive exercising, spacing out, and participating in numbing behaviours or isolating
Freeze - being terrified, guarded, numb, frozen, paralyzed, phobic, unable to think or act, having no voice, and experiencing a deep sense of dread, social anxiety, or panic attacks
Submit - being involved in people pleasing behaviours, abandoning your own needs to avoid conflict or criticism, excessive caretaking, having trouble saying no, experiencing overwhelming shame, feelings of worthless, and being compliant, self-critical, self-sacrificing, subjugated, submissive, subservient, or accepting fault when you aren’t to blame
Attach - experiencing emotional neediness, loneliness, clinginess, being terrified of abandonment, craving intimacy and closeness, experiencing jealousy, extreme sexual attraction, obsession, dependence, and seeking validation
How we can help
Trauma therapy offers a structured and supportive environment for individuals to explore and process their experiences, facilitating healing from the symptoms of an over-reactive, sensitive, dysregulated nervous system. Through various therapeutic techniques such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), somatic experiencing, or Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, individuals can learn to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Therapists provide psychoeducation about trauma responses, helping individuals understand the physiological and psychological impacts of trauma on their nervous system. By developing coping skills, relaxation techniques, and strategies for managing triggers, individuals can gradually regain a sense of safety and control over their lives. Additionally, therapy offers a space for individuals to explore and reframe their traumatic experiences, fostering a sense of empowerment and resilience. Over time, trauma therapy can promote healing, allowing individuals to integrate their experiences and move forward with increased self-awareness, self-compassion, and emotional stability.
Meet the Team
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Paula Joy
REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR
Accepting New Clients
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Jill Strayer-Church
REGISTERED SOCIAL WORKER
Accepting new clients
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Phil Reilander
COUNSELLING INTERN
Accepting new clients
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Sarah Montes
REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR
Clinical supervisor
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Elizabeth Montes
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Psychology Student
Types of Trauma Therapy
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
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Somatic Therapy
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Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT)
Ready to get started? Let’s work together.
At Moxie Health and Wellness, we have extensive experience working with individuals who have experienced a variety of traumatic experiences. If you’re ready to start healing from your trauma, we have trauma therapists ready to help guide you through the process. We are available in person in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island and across Canada online. Please reach out and we’ll do this work together.
Not quite ready to book yet? Send us your questions and someone will get back to you shortly.