Trauma
Trauma can be invisible. People often don’t recognize it in themselves, assuming it only happens in extreme situations, when in fact, it can arise from many kinds of events.
Recovery begins with creating a foundation that is safe, steady, and sustainable. The process can be broken down into three key steps:
1. Stabilization
Before we can process the trauma, we need to establish enough safety and regulation to support it. Stabilization is essential to reduce the risk of relapse and to help you feel grounded in your own experience by reconnecting with your body and emotions. By calming the nervous system and establishing a trustworthy therapeutic relationship, we are able to create the safety needed for deeper healing.
2. Deconditioning of Traumatic Memories and Responses or “Unlearning Patterns”
In this stage, we work to identify and release the emotions, learned coping strategies and compulsive patterns that were developed to manage trauma. These behaviours may have helped you survive in the past, but now they interfere with living a connected, purposeful life. Deconditioning allows space for integration and healthier responses to emerge.
3. Reconnection (or “Building New Habits”)
Reconnection focuses on creating new, supportive patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating. This is where you learn to respond to stress and triggers in healthy ways that reinforce safety, connection, and emotional resilience.
It’s through these steps that recovery becomes a gradual and empowering process. With properly processed trauma, it’s possible to reclaim your sense of freedom, connection, and hope for the future.
What is Trauma?
Trauma happens when an experience is so overwhelming, painful, or frightening that your mind and body feel unprepared to cope. It can come from a single event, like an accident or being hurt by someone, or from repeated experiences, such as bullying, emotional abuse, or living in a stressful environment. Trauma isn’t just about what happened—it’s about how your body and brain respond afterward.
After trauma, your nervous system can get stuck in “survival mode.” This can show up as:
Feeling constantly on edge or jumpy
Avoiding certain people, places, or situations
Experiencing nightmares or intrusive memories
Feeling numb, sad, angry, or disconnected
Having difficulty trusting others—or even trusting yourself
Physical symptoms such as tension, pain, fatigue, headaches, or other health issues
These responses are not signs of weakness—they are your brain and body’s way of trying to keep you safe.
What Does Recovery Look Like?
Recovery from trauma doesn’t mean forgetting what happened. It means your brain and body learn that you’re safe again. Over time, with support, intense reactions fade, and you gain control over your thoughts and feelings instead of feeling overwhelmed by them.
What is ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy)?
ART is a trauma therapy designed to help people process painful memories, stress, or trauma faster than many traditional methods. It’s gentle, structured, and doesn’t require sharing all the details of your experiences unless you want to.
How Does It Work?
ART combines guided eye movements, relaxation, and visualization to help your brain “re-file” traumatic memories. Memories of upsetting events are often stored as if they are happening in the present. ART helps these memories stay in the past, and without the same intense emotions, fear, or stress attached.
During a session, the therapist moves their hand side to side while you follow it with your eyes. This helps your brain calm down and process information—similar to what happens during dreaming. You still remember the event, but it stops controlling how you feel.
What Does a Session Feel Like?
Most people describe ART sessions as:
Calm and focused
Private—you don’t have to share every detail
Surprisingly fast!—many notice improvement in just a few sessions
In the beginning, you might think about the upsetting memory, but the therapist guides you to replace painful images with new, safe, or peaceful ones.
Why Do People Use ART?
ART can help with:
Trauma
Anxiety and panic
Grief or loss
Phobias
Stress
Negative self-beliefs
It helps your brain heal without making you relive the pain, letting you release the emotional “charge” of painful memories so you can move forward.
EMDR (coming soon): A trauma-focused therapy similar to ART that helps the brain process and resolve distressing memories. Nick is currently completing EMDR certification.
Start your healing journey today.
For more information on working with Nick, please contact us or book an initial consultation.