Trauma therapy for the things talk therapy can't quite reach.
EMDR and Internal Family Systems, used carefully, for the old things that are still running the show. In person in Toronto, or online across Ontario.
Trauma isn't always what you think it is.
A lot of the people I see for trauma work don't think of themselves as trauma survivors. They think they "had it easy" compared to someone else. They think what happened wasn't bad enough to count. They think if it were really trauma, they'd be more obviously broken.
Trauma isn't about the event. It's about what your nervous system did with the event, and whether it ever got to finish the process. A single car accident can be trauma. Twenty years of being the emotional caretaker for a parent can be trauma. A birth that didn't go the way anyone planned can be trauma. Being raised in a religion that told you your own instincts couldn't be trusted can be trauma.
If something from your past is still showing up in your body, your relationships, or your sleep — that counts. And there are ways to work with it that are gentler and more effective than just talking about it again.
Two approaches, used where they actually fit.
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR helps your brain finish processing memories that got stuck. It uses bilateral stimulation — eye movements, taps, or sounds — to let you revisit a memory with your present-day resources still online. Over time, the memory stops having the same grip on your body. You can remember it without reliving it.
EMDR is one of the most researched trauma treatments we have. It's endorsed by the WHO and the APA. And when it fits, it can be remarkably fast compared to traditional talk therapy.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS works from the premise that you're not one unified self — you're a system of parts. The anxious part, the perfectionist part, the part that shuts down, the part that takes care of everyone. These parts aren't problems. They're protectors that learned how to keep you safe at some earlier moment.
In IFS, we get to know these parts with real curiosity instead of fighting them. We find out what they're afraid would happen if they stopped doing their job. And slowly, we let the younger parts underneath — the ones who actually got hurt — be met and unburdened.
The kinds of trauma I see most.
- Childhood trauma & emotional neglect The things that happened — or didn't — when you were too small to have any choice about it. Including the "I had a normal childhood but" kind.
- Religious & spiritual trauma Being raised in a high-control religious environment, leaving one, the slow work of untangling what was yours from what was handed to you.
- Intergenerational trauma The patterns you inherited without signing up for. The things your parents couldn't process, that got handed down in the shape of your nervous system.
- Birth trauma Your birth experience doesn't have to be a medical "emergency" to have been traumatic. If you keep replaying it, that counts.
- Medical trauma Procedures, diagnoses, long hospitalizations, loss of control over your own body — these leave marks, and they're treatable.
- Single-incident trauma & PTSD Accidents, assaults, sudden losses — events that your nervous system is still carrying.
- Complex & relational trauma Trauma that happened inside of ongoing relationships — where the person you needed to trust was also the source of the harm.
We won't start with the hardest thing.
The single most important thing about trauma work is pacing. Rushing into the memory before your system is ready can re-traumatize you. Good trauma therapy is slow on purpose.
We'll spend our first sessions building stability — learning what your nervous system does under stress, what helps it settle, what resources are already available to you. Only when you're ready, and only at the pace you choose, do we start touching the hard stuff.
You stay in charge the entire time. If something is too much, we stop. If you need a week of easier work, we take it. This is not endurance therapy.
What people usually ask about trauma therapy.
How do I know if what happened to me counts as "trauma"?
If it's still affecting how you feel, sleep, relate, or move through the world, it counts. You don't need a diagnosis to deserve care.
Will I have to describe everything in detail?
No. Both EMDR and IFS can work without you narrating every detail out loud. You're in control of what you share.
How long does EMDR take to work?
It depends on what we're working with. Single-incident trauma can sometimes shift in a handful of sessions. Complex, layered trauma takes longer and needs more stabilization first. I'll give you an honest read after we've met.
Can EMDR be done online?
Yes — EMDR works well online with the right setup. Many of my trauma clients do the entire course of work over secure video.
What if I get overwhelmed in session?
We slow down immediately. I'll never push you past what your system can hold. Part of my job is watching for that and pulling us back.
I'm in a crisis. Can I start trauma work now?
If you're in active crisis, the first step is stabilization and safety, not deep trauma processing. We'll figure out what you need first and build toward the deeper work when it's safe to do so.
The old thing doesn't have to run the show forever.
A free 30-minute call. No session booked. No pressure. Just a chance to talk about whether this kind of work might fit.
Book a free consult