Somatic Therapy in Vancouver for Healing Trauma, Anxiety & Disconnection

Helping you reconnect with your body, emotions, and sense of safety through trauma-informed, body-based therapy.

What Is Somatic Therapy and Why Does It Work?

Somatic therapy is a body-oriented approach to healing trauma, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses mainly on thoughts and stories, somatic therapy helps you safely reconnect with sensations, movements, and nervous system regulation. This gentle, body-based therapy in Vancouver creates space for lasting change by addressing where trauma is often stored — in the body itself.

While talk therapy can provide insight, many people find themselves repeating the same cycles of anxiety, stress, or disconnection. Somatic therapy goes deeper by involving the body in the healing process. Through practices such as mindful movement, grounding exercises, breathwork, and sensation tracking, clients can release stored tension and find a renewed sense of safety and connection.

Benefits of Somatic Therapy

  • Supports nervous system regulation

  • Helps reduce anxiety and chronic stress

  • Encourages safe trauma release

  • Builds stronger mind-body awareness

  • Restores connection to self and others

Is Somatic Therapy Right for You?

Many people come to therapy feeling like they’ve tried everything yet still feel stuck. If this sounds familiar, somatic counselling for trauma may provide a new way forward. Unlike approaches that focus only on the mind, somatic therapy also works with the body — where stress, grief, and unprocessed experiences often linger. When we carry unresolved tension, we may notice it as physical pain, exhaustion, or emotional disconnection. By combining gentle body awareness with supportive guidance, somatic therapy helps with releasing stuck emotions and healing the freeze response that can follow trauma.

You May Benefit From Somatic Therapy If You Are:

  • Feeling “stuck” in cycles of anxiety, overwhelm, or collapse that don’t shift with willpower alone

  • Living with chronic muscle tension, digestive issues, or sleep disruptions that seem tied to stress

  • Carrying a history of trauma, whether recent events or early developmental experiences

  • Feeling emotionally numb, disconnected from yourself, or frozen in difficult moments

  • An overthinker who tries to “think” their way out of pain but finds it only goes so far

How I Use Somatic Therapy in My Practice

In my practice, somatic therapy is offered as a gentle, collaborative process where you set the pace. Sessions focus on creating safety, working with the nervous system, and using body-based tools to support lasting healing.

A Slow and Respectful Approach

In my practice, somatic therapy sessions move at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you. Healing isn’t about pushing or forcing change — it’s about listening, slowing down, and allowing your body to guide the process. Together, we co-create a supportive space where you are always in control of how deep we go. Clients are never pushed; instead, your own comfort and readiness lead the way.

Working with the Nervous System

Much of trauma is stored in the nervous system, showing up as anxiety, hypervigilance, or shutdown. Somatic therapy focuses on helping the body re-learn safety by gently re-regulating the nervous system. This process allows clients to move out of survival states and into more grounded, connected ways of being. Over time, this can bring relief from both emotional distress and physical symptoms tied to stress or trauma.

Integrating Holistic Modalities

Every client is unique, and sessions may draw on a variety of tools depending on your needs. Alongside somatic experiencing, I may integrate approaches such as EMDR, mindful breathwork, inner parts work, and body-based mindfulness practices. These modalities work together to support your healing journey from multiple angles, always with the goal of helping you feel more present, whole, and connected.

What Happens in a Somatic Therapy Session?

Somatic therapy sessions are designed to feel safe, supportive, and guided by your comfort level. Each session offers space to gently explore what your body is holding, without pressure to revisit painful stories unless you choose to.

Session Length & Format

Appointments typically last 50–60 minutes and are available both in-person in Vancouver and online across BC, giving you flexibility in how you access support.

A Gentle, Body-Based Focus

Instead of centring on retelling trauma, sessions invite you to notice subtle body sensations, movements, or emotions as they arise. This allows healing to unfold through awareness and presence, rather than re-experiencing painful memories.

Your Choice, Your Pace

You are never expected to disclose more than you wish to. Some clients share their stories, while others find healing simply through body awareness and regulation practices. The process is always collaborative, respectful, and paced according to your needs.

Why Choose Somatic Therapy Over Traditional Talk Therapy?

While talk therapy can be deeply supportive, it often focuses on understanding thoughts and behaviours. For many people living with trauma, anxiety, or emotional numbness, this isn’t always enough. Somatic therapy goes beyond talking to address the body directly — where trauma and stress often live.

Getting to the Root of Dysregulation

Somatic therapy works by helping the nervous system return to balance, rather than only managing symptoms. This makes it especially effective as trauma therapy in Vancouver, where many clients come seeking deeper healing beyond coping strategies.

For When Words Aren’t Enough

Some clients feel “numb,” “frozen,” or too overwhelmed to put their experiences into words. In these cases, body-centred counselling can provide an alternative path. By working with breath, movement, and body awareness, somatic therapy supports healing without requiring constant verbal processing.

Building Emotional Capacity, Not Just Coping Skills

Traditional therapy often teaches coping strategies, but somatic therapy strengthens your overall emotional capacity. Over time, clients find that healing anxiety with somatic therapy doesn’t just reduce symptoms — it creates a foundation of resilience, presence, and connection that continues to grow long after sessions end.

Offering Somatic Therapy in Vancouver and Across BC

I provide somatic therapy in the Vancouver area, with the option of both in-person and online sessions. For those located in the city, in-person sessions are available at my Vancouver office, with easy access for nearby neighbourhoods such as Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Commercial Drive, and Downtown Vancouver.

For clients living outside Vancouver, I also offer secure online nervous system regulation therapy across BC, making this work accessible to residents throughout the province. Whether you’re in a city centre or a smaller community, you can receive trauma-informed, body-based care from the comfort of your own space.

Extending Support Beyond BC

Depending on licensing regulations, I may also be able to offer therapy services to clients in neighbouring provinces such as Alberta. Please reach out to confirm availability if you’re located outside BC.

Flexible and Supportive Care

Somatic therapy is designed to be flexible and supportive — meeting you wherever you are, whether that’s in-person in Vancouver or online anywhere in British Columbia.

Online Therapy Across British Columbia

Somatic Therapy – Frequently Asked Questions

  • Not at all. While many people seek out somatic therapy for trauma, others come for support with stress, burnout, relationship challenges, or somatic therapy for anxiety. Because this approach focuses on nervous system healing, it can help anyone who feels stuck in patterns of tension, overwhelm, or disconnection.

  • Massage and physical therapy work directly with muscles and joints, while somatic therapy focuses on the body’s connection to emotions, memory, and the nervous system. Rather than applying physical pressure, sessions involve gentle awareness, grounding practices, and noticing sensations that support emotional release and regulation.

  • No — you never have to share anything you’re not ready for. Somatic therapy does not require retelling traumatic events to be effective. Instead, it focuses on present-moment awareness of the body, which allows for healing without re-experiencing painful memories. If you choose to share, that’s always guided by your comfort.

  • Yes. Many clients find that online somatic therapy is just as effective as in-person sessions. Through guided exercises, mindful attention, and co-regulation, we can support your nervous system healing over a secure video platform. This makes therapy accessible whether you’re in Vancouver or elsewhere in BC.

Ready to Feel Safe in Your Body Again?

Taking the first step toward nervous system healing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Whether you’re curious about somatic therapy for anxiety, looking for trauma-informed care, or simply wanting to feel more grounded in your daily life, support is available.

Book a Free Consultation

“My actions are my only true belongings.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh