Trauma Counselling for Trauma and PTSD

Sarah is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Port Moody, BC, offering trauma and PTSD counselling, including EMDR and the Rewind Technique, with in-person sessions in Port Moody and virtual counselling across British Columbia.

Is Trauma or PTSD Holding You Back?

Trauma can affect how safe you feel, how you respond to stress, and how you experience memories of distressing events. Trauma counselling can help you work through these experiences so they have less influence on your daily life, relationships, and emotional well-being.

A traumatic experience can leave a lasting emotional impact, particularly when an event overwhelms your ability to cope or threatens your sense of safety. The effects can continue long after the event itself has ended.

Unresolved trauma can leave you feeling raw, anxious, or constantly on edge. You might avoid certain situations or places, struggle with overwhelming emotions when something reminds you of the past, or turn to substances to cope with distress. You may even feel that you are doing well until an unexpected reminder brings everything back.

For some people, traumatic memories can feel as vivid and emotionally intense as if the event were happening again. Trauma counselling can help you understand these responses and work toward feeling less overwhelmed by the past.

How Does Trauma Affect Memory?

Trauma can affect how memories are experienced and recalled, sometimes making the past feel distressingly close to the present. Reminders of a traumatic event may trigger intense emotions, bodily reactions, or a sense of danger even when you are currently safe.

Memory involves several interacting brain systems. The amygdala helps process emotional significance, while the hippocampus plays an important role in organizing memories within their context, including when and where events occurred.

When an experience is traumatic, remembering it can involve more than recalling a past event. Certain reminders may trigger strong emotional and physical responses, making it difficult to feel a sense of distance from what happened.

You might understand intellectually that the event is over while still feeling frightened, overwhelmed, or on guard when something brings it to mind. Trauma therapy can help reduce the distress associated with these reminders so that the memory becomes easier to live with.

Can talking about trauma make it worse?

For certain Big Traumas, yes! By talking in detail about a traumatic memory, a person can be re-traumatized, etching those memories deeper into the psyche, reinforcing those neuropathways.

Talking about traumatic experiences can sometimes feel overwhelming, particularly when someone is encouraged to revisit painful details before they feel ready. Trauma counselling should not require you to recount everything in detail or push you beyond what feels manageable.

For some people, discussing traumatic experiences can be helpful when it happens within a supportive therapeutic relationship and at an appropriate pace. For others, repeatedly describing an event may feel distressing or unhelpful, especially without adequate preparation and support.

There is no single approach that works for everyone. My approach recognizes the importance of emotional safety, your individual needs, and your ability to participate in the therapeutic process without feeling pressured to disclose more than you are comfortable sharing.

How Can Trauma Counselling Help?

Trauma counselling can help reduce the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories, reminders, and situations. The goal is not to erase what happened, but to help you resolve and understand the experience from an objective distance when you remember it without feeling as though you are reliving it.

As the distress associated with a memory decreases, you may find that you can think about the event with greater perspective. You might still feel sadness, grief, or anger about what happened, but those feelings may become more manageable rather than overwhelming.

Trauma therapy can also help you recognize triggers, understand your responses, and develop ways of coping that support your daily life and relationships. The process is individual, and outcomes vary depending on your experiences, needs, and the approach used.

Trauma Treatment Using EMDR or the Rewind Technique

I am trained in the treatment of trauma using the Rewind Technique and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These approaches offer ways of working with distressing memories without necessarily requiring you to describe the details of what happened aloud.

EMDR is an established, evidence-based treatment for PTSD. The Rewind Technique is another approach used to help people work with distressing memories. We can discuss the approaches I offer and consider what may be appropriate for your circumstances.

You do not have to provide a detailed verbal account of a traumatic event simply to begin exploring treatment. We can talk about your concerns, questions, and comfort level before deciding how to proceed.

Learn more about EMDR therapy.

Trauma, Neurodivergence, and ADHD or Autism

For neurodivergent people, the effects of trauma may overlap with the experience of repeatedly being misunderstood, dismissed, excluded, or pressured to mask their differences. These experiences can contribute to distress and affect a person's sense of safety, identity, and belonging, although neurodivergence itself is not a trauma.

Some neurodivergent people may also develop responses such as people-pleasing, fawning, dissociation, or heightened vigilance in response to difficult experiences. These responses are individual, and they should be understood in the context of each person's history rather than assumed to be present in everyone.

My approach to counselling recognizes the importance of understanding both trauma and neurodivergence. I bring clinical understanding and personal insight to this work, and I aim to offer a space where you do not have to justify your differences or feel pressured to fit neurotypical expectations.

Learn more about ADHD and autism-affirming counselling.

Support for Complex Trauma, PTSD, and C-PTSD

Whether you are dealing with a single traumatic event, complex trauma, PTSD, or C-PTSD, counselling may help if the effects of past experiences are interfering with your life today.

You may be struggling with distressing memories, emotional triggers, difficulties with trust, or a persistent sense of being unsafe even when circumstances have changed. You do not need to have a formal diagnosis to ask for support, and you can work at a pace that feels manageable for you.

Reach Out for Trauma Counselling

If trauma is affecting your well-being, relationships, or ability to live the life you want, I am here to help. You are welcome to reach out with questions about trauma counselling, the Rewind Technique, or EMDR, and we can explore whether working together may be a good fi

*References:

Adams, S. and Allan, S. (2019), Human givens rewind trauma treatment: description and conceptualisation. Mental Health Review Journal.

Adams, S., & Allan, S. (2019). The effectiveness of Human Givens Rewind treatment for trauma. Mental Health Review Journal.

Pudney, L. (2022). Rewind technique for trauma in ambulance staff. Journal of Paramedic Practice.