We create this content from the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. As settlers providing therapy services in so-called Vancouver, we’re committed to moving beyond acknowledgment into active accountability.

This post is part of our “Therapy Beyond Walls” series, exploring how healing happens beyond traditional office settings. Other posts in this series examine nature-based work, art therapy, EMDR, play and animal partnered therapy.

In This Guide:

• Understanding Body-Based Healing
• The Body-Mind Connection in Practice
• Cultural Safety in Somatic Work
• Trauma-Informed Movement Practices
• Embodied Liberation Work
• Practical Somatic Approaches
• Next Steps

Understanding Body-Based Healing

Our bodies hold stories – of joy, of struggle, of resistance, of survival. Through anti-oppressive therapy in Vancouver, we recognize that healing isn’t just a mental process but one that involves our entire physical being. As a POC-led counselling practice serving the Lower Mainland, we understand how systemic oppression impacts both mind and body.

The body becomes both narrator and guide in this work. Through culturally responsive counselling, we learn to listen to and work with these physical stories, understanding how they connect to our broader experiences and communities.

The Body-Mind Connection in Practice

Traditional talk therapy can sometimes keep us in our heads, disconnected from the vital information our bodies provide. As practitioners of social justice oriented therapy in the Greater Vancouver area, we bridge this gap, creating space for whole-person healing that honors both cognitive and physical experiences.

In our Metro Vancouver practice, this might look like:

• Tracking physical sensations during emotional discussions
• Noticing how the body responds to different thoughts
• Working with movement to process feelings
• Using breath work to support regulation
• Exploring gesture and posture in healing

Cultural Safety in Somatic Work

Many SDQTBIPOC+ communities across the Lower Mainland hold traditional knowledge about body-based healing. Through decolonial therapy practices, we honor these ancestral practices while supporting contemporary healing needs.

A client once shared how their grandmother’s traditional dancing helped process grief in ways that words couldn’t touch. Another found healing through connecting with cultural breathing practices. These embodied cultural wisdoms offer powerful resources for modern healing work.

We explore questions like:

• How does your culture understand body-mind connection?
• What movement traditions support your healing?
• How do generational patterns live in your body?
• What does embodied liberation mean for you?

Trauma-Informed Movement Practices

Understanding how trauma lives in the body shapes our approach to somatic therapy. Through intersectional feminist therapy, we recognize that every body holds different needs and boundaries around movement and touch.

This awareness guides our practice:

• Moving at each person’s own pace
• Respecting physical boundaries
• Offering choice in movement
• Supporting agency in body work
• Recognizing systemic impacts on bodies

Embodied Liberation Work

Anti-oppressive relationship therapy recognizes that oppression affects us not just mentally but physically. Racism, colonialism, and other forms of systemic violence leave imprints on our bodies that require specific attention in healing work.

Through embodied practice in Metro Vancouver, we explore:

• How systemic oppression impacts physical experience
• Ways to reclaim body autonomy
• Movement as resistance
• Collective body-based healing
• Physical expressions of liberation

Practical Somatic Approaches

As part of the BIPOC mental health community in the Greater Vancouver area, our body-based healing work integrates various approaches that support embodied healing while honoring cultural and personal relationships with movement. These practices adapt to each person’s needs and circumstances.

Some ways we might work together:

• Gentle movement exploration
• Breath awareness practices
• Gesture and posture work
• Body mapping exercises
• Somatic resourcing techniques

Real examples from our practice (with details changed for privacy):

• A client discovering how shoulder tension held ancestral protective patterns
• Someone using movement to express emotions that felt unsafe to voice
• A group finding collective healing through shared breathing practices
• An individual reconnecting with cultural movement traditions

Continue Exploring Therapy Beyond Walls

Coming up in this series:

• Art Speaks: Expressive Arts Therapy Beyond Words
• EMDR Beyond the Binary: Cultural Considerations
• Play Without Permission: SDQTBIPOC+ Centered Therapy in Vancouver
• Paws, Reflect, Resist: Animal Partnered Therapy in Vancouver

Next Steps in Your Healing Journey

Ready to explore how somatic therapy might support your journey? Here are some ways to connect:

1. Book a free consultation to discuss how somatic therapy in Vancouver might support your healing.

2. Take our 3-minute questionnaire to receive personalized therapist recommendations.

3. Explore our free resource database for more information about body-based healing approaches.

Have questions? Reach out to us at connect@venturouscounselling.com or text 778.775.7504.

Your body holds wisdom and stories that deserve to be heard. Through culturally responsive counselling in the Lower Mainland, we can support your healing journey in ways that honor your whole being.

For those seeking a holistic approach to healing, EMDR and Somatic Therapy offer powerful methods to process trauma and reconnect with the body. This integrated approach supports deep emotional regulation and lasting well-being.

Trauma-informed therapy Vancouver supports healing by centering body awareness, resilience, and culturally attuned care for deep-rooted transformation.