Maybe it shows up as hypervigilance – always scanning for danger, never quite able to relax. Or maybe it’s the opposite – feeling disconnected, floating through life like you’re watching it happen to someone else. Your body remembers what your mind tries to forget, carrying stories that aren’t just personal but ancestral, collective, systemic.
Sometimes it shows up in relationships – not wanting to trust the people you’re around, always waiting for the other shoe to drop, or finding yourself in the same painful patterns despite promising yourself “never again.”
Other times it’s the exhaustion of navigating spaces that don’t feel safe, trying to make yourself smaller or invisible just to get through the day.
Maybe you find yourself flinching at loud noises, heart racing when someone raises their voice. Maybe you’re experiencing nightmares, flashbacks, or panic attacks. Or perhaps it’s more subtle – a constant tension in your shoulders, a knot in your stomach when you enter certain spaces, a feeling of floating away when things get overwhelming, your brain feeling foggy.
And beneath it all, maybe there’s a voice whispering: “Is healing even possible for someone like me?” Between us? The answer is yes. But maybe not in the way you’ve been told it should look.
Often, there’s an assumption that healing from trauma means returning to who we were “before it happened” – as if we could somehow erase the impact of our experiences, reset our nervous systems, and go back to a time before we knew what we know now.
But here’s the thing: You’re not meant to become who you were before.
The idea that we can or should return to a “pre-trauma self” assumes that our only options are to be “broken” or move past it like it didn’t phase you. But trauma is an experience that fundamentally shifted how we understand ourselves and the world around us. It’s asking to be seen, not removed as if it were inconsequential.
After all, if it was inconsequential, we wouldn’t be calling it trauma, right?
There’s so much grief to come to terms with in that, for sure, AND it also moves us towards a key part of healing from trauma — integration and meaning-making.
When we experience something overwhelming, our bodies and minds naturally try to make sense of it. Sometimes that meaning-making happens in isolation, shaped by systems that want us to believe we’re broken or that our pain is inevitable.
The medical system might tell you it’s a disorder. The legal system might tell you it wasn’t “bad enough.” Society might tell you to “get over it” or that trauma is “just what happens in life.”
We might then internalize this to mean:
Trauma’s internalizations make sense in context. They helped us survive. But survival is not necessarily healing. Healing from trauma is the agency and autonomy you have to make your own meaning about what has happened and how that impacts your understanding of and the way you move through the world.
Let’s take a moment to shift our questions. Instead of asking “what’s wrong with me?” or “how do I get over this,” let’s ask ourselves what stories we’re ready to reimagine, what wisdom our bodies are keeping.
How do we get there? Keep reading to learn more about our approach to trauma counselling in Vancouver at Venturous Counselling.
How we work
“Trauma-informed” has become one of those buzz words that gets tossed around in therapy spaces. But at Venturous Counselling, we understand that being “trauma-informed” isn’t enough when the trauma itself is often rooted in systems of oppression.
We see healing work as inherently political. Your experiences don’t exist in a vacuum – they’re shaped by systems like rape culture, patriarchy, white supremacy, and carceral thinking that tell us:
We respectfully reject these scripts and work with you to heal from trauma through recognizing both personal and systemic context, building structures of safety that become the foundation for agency and autonomy in meaning-making. This means we focus on:
You set the pace. While we will definitely offer suggestions or highlight paths we can explore, you ultimately get to decide what works and doesn’t work for you. Because healing isn’t just about processing what happened – it’s about reimagining what’s possible, both personally and collectively.
whether that’s somatic practices, nature-based sessions, expressive arts therapy, or EMDR.
Our counsellors bring both professional and living experience to this work. We are Master’s level practitioners with specialized training in burnout and stress counselling, anti-oppressive, intersectional feminist, and anti-colonial frameworks. Most importantly, we understand firsthand the importance of finding therapy that doesn’t require you to explain or justify your identity and experiences.
Sessions are offered virtually across BC, and in-person in Vancouver and Burnaby. We are covered by most insurance providers (check for RCC or Registered Clinical Counsellor in your plan) and can provide direct billing for certain insurance providers, including ICBC and CVAP (Crime Victims Assistance Program).
You can also access sessions with us through WorkBC or FNHA.
Start with a free 15-minute video conversation to find out more
Q&A
This is such a common and valid concern. We work at a pace that feels safe for your nervous system. Before diving into any heavy material, we’ll help you develop concrete tools for grounding and regulation. You’re always in control of what we explore and how deeply we go.
If you’re feeling the impact of something, it’s significant enough to deserve support. Many people minimize their experiences because “others had it worse” or because their culture or community normalized certain experiences. Your feelings and responses are valid, and you deserve support in healing.
This is a deep and complex concern that many of our clients share, especially those from tight-knit communities. We can explore ways to honor your relationships while still creating space for your healing.
This is completely normal. Our bodies often protect us by storing memories in different ways. We don’t need to uncover every detail to support you. We can work with whatever you remember and whatever your body is ready to share.
Long before therapy was professionalized, communities often engaged in healing from traumatic events through reconnecting with ritual, ceremony, spiritual traditions, and community wisdom. We welcome and honor these aspects of your experience, integrating them with other healing modalities in ways that feel authentic to you.
Healing isn’t linear, and everyone’s journey is different. Rather than focusing on a timeline, we’ll work together to identify what healing looks like for you and celebrate the small victories along the way. Some clients work with us for a few months, others for longer – it’s all about what serves your healing journey.
Both options can be equally effective. Virtual sessions offer convenience, accessibility, and comforts of being in your own space, while in-person sessions might feel more grounding for some. We can explore what feels right for you, and you’re welcome to switch between the two.
Life happens! We ask for 24 hours notice for cancellations or changes. This helps us maintain accessibility for our community and sustainability for our practice.
Yes, we can work with you to create supporting documentation in session when needed. We’ll discuss this during your session to ensure we understand your needs and can support you appropriately.
Get Matched
Get your personalized recommendations straight to your inbox, with this 3-minute form.
occupying the stolen, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Our relationship with these lands dictates our commitment to understanding and responding to the ongoing impacts of colonization in our practices in and out of the counselling room.
Learn more about the land you’re occupying at native-land.ca
Building reflexive and fulling relationships can be difficult without guidance, support, and effective communication strategies. Our Services Overview provides insights into various therapeutic approaches designed to help individuals and relationships navigate their journey toward deeper connections.
