Therapy for Trauma

When Something Overwhelming Happens, Your Body Doesn’t Just Forget.

Even after the crisis is over, your nervous system might still be stuck in survival mode. If you’re feeling anxious, disconnected, emotionally exhausted, or constantly on edge, you’re not broken, you’re responding in the best way your system knows how.

At Tidal Trauma Centre, we specialize in trauma therapy that goes deeper than talk. Whether you’re seeking in-person counselling in Surrey or trauma-informed therapy online across BC, we help your body and mind reconnect, reset, and return to a greater sense of safety.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is not just the event, it’s what happened inside you as a result.

It’s the overwhelm that couldn’t be fully processed, the survival response that never completed, and the way your system learned to adapt in order to stay safe. You don’t need a single dramatic event for trauma to take hold. It often shows up gradually, through chronic stress or relational ruptures that your body internalized as unsafe.

Some common sources of trauma include:
• Emotional neglect or unmet needs in childhood
• Religious, cultural, or systemic oppression
• Medical trauma or caregiving burnout
• Repeated criticism, perfectionism, or shame
• Experiences of betrayal, abandonment, or abuse
• Ongoing stress in relationships, work, or identity

These experiences can live on in your body and mind, even years later, shaping how you feel, think, and respond to life.

Woman practicing somatic therapy in calm seated pose during trauma counselling in Surrey

How Unresolved Trauma Might Be Showing Up

You may not have a name for it. You may not think it “counts.” But if your system has been carrying too much for too long, it often shows up like this:

• Feeling stuck in the same emotional patterns
• Panic, shutdown, or moments of dissociation
• Trouble relaxing or feeling at home in your body
• Emotional numbness or hypersensitivity
• Replaying the same relational conflicts or inner self-criticism
• Chronic fatigue, tension, or sleep issues
• A sense of disconnection, from yourself, others, or the present moment

Even if you’re high-functioning on the outside, trauma can quietly shape your inner experience. You don’t have to keep carrying it alone.

Somatic trauma therapist in Surrey holding safe space during EMDR session

How Trauma Therapy Works

Trauma therapy helps your nervous system do what it couldn’t do at the time: process what happened, discharge the survival energy that got stuck, and rediscover a sense of internal safety and connection.

At Tidal Trauma Centre, our approach is grounded in compassion, curiosity, and body-based care. Our therapists are trained in evidence-informed modalities including:

• EMDR Therapy – A structured, non-verbal approach to reprocessing traumatic memories in a way that’s contained and manageable
• IFS Therapy – A relational model that helps you connect with and care for your protective and wounded parts
• Somatic and Sensorimotor Therapies – Techniques that focus on sensation, movement, and breath to help shift stuck states and support regulation
• AEDP & Emotion-Focused Therapy – Trauma-attuned methods that gently guide you back into connection, emotional presence, and relational trust

We don’t force insight. We follow your body’s signals, build safety from the inside out, and work at the pace that your nervous system can truly handle.

Trauma Therapy That Meets You Where You Are

In-Person Trauma Therapy (Cloverdale, Surrey)

• Held in our warm, private office designed for comfort and calm
• Easy access from Langley, South Surrey, Delta, White Rock, and surrounding areas
• Ideal for those who benefit from in-person relational presence and environmental containment

Online Trauma Therapy (Across BC)

• Accessible across British Columbia, including Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, and remote areas
• Join from a space where you feel safe, your home, office, or wherever you’re most comfortable
• Especially helpful if you’re managing caregiving, illness, transportation challenges, or sensory sensitivities
• Option to attend from the same or different locations if you’re receiving support with a partner or family member

Virtual trauma therapy can be just as effective as in-person sessions, especially when the environment supports nervous system safety. Many of our clients are surprised by how deeply they’re able to connect, even through a screen.

You Don’t Need to Have All the Answers to Begin

You might be wondering:

• Do I have trauma?
• What if I don’t remember what happened?
• What if I shut down or dissociate in session?

These are common questions. The truth is, you don’t need a clear memory or a formal diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy. You only need to be curious about the patterns that are no longer serving you, and open to the possibility that something different is possible.

Whether you're high-achieving and burned out, emotionally overwhelmed, or just sensing that something isn’t right inside, you are welcome here.

What If I’m Still in a Stressful or Unsafe Situation?

It’s okay if your external life hasn’t changed yet. Trauma therapy isn’t only about the past, it can also help you navigate the present with more support.

We help clients who are:
• Still in complex family systems
• Coping with chronic illness or caregiving roles
• Facing systemic oppression or identity-based trauma
• Living in high-stress or emotionally volatile environments

Our work focuses on building internal capacity, developing regulation strategies, and supporting you in setting boundaries, making choices, or simply surviving what’s hard.

Our Clinic in Cloverdale, Surrey

In-person therapy sessions are held at our counselling centre in Cloverdale, a neighbourhood within Surrey, BC.

We are easily accessible from Langley, South Surrey, Delta, White Rock, and Vancouver with free parking available.

Prefer online sessions? Explore Online Trauma Therapy Across British Columbia

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Next Steps

Fill out a New Client Form and we’ll pair you with one or more therapists trained in trauma-informed care.

Book a free consult or appointment using our secure online platform, whenever you’re ready.

Not sure how to choose a therapist?
Client Guide to Consult Calls.

FAQs About IFS Online Therapy

  • No. Many trauma-focused therapies like EMDR and somatic work don’t require you to recount every detail. We work with what feels safe and tolerable for your system.

  • That’s okay. Trauma is often stored in the body rather than in clear memories. We can work with emotion, sensation, and inner parts, even when the narrative is incomplete.

  • Your therapist will help you stay within your “window of tolerance.” We use grounding, titration, and co-regulation techniques to make sure your body isn’t pushed too far, too fast.

  • Yes. Many clients find that meeting from home allows them to feel safer, more regulated, and more consistent with their sessions. We’ll help set up a format that works for your needs.

  • Absolutely. In fact, some of the most powerful work happens when you have just enough stability to reflect and shift long-held patterns.