Welcome!! As a Vancouver Counsellor I wanted to share a little about me as I step into the next chapter of JL Counselling Vancouver.  A Full-Circle Moment Joining RAW Collective feels like a full-circle moment. I’ve been walking alongside clients as a Vancouver counsellor for some time now. This move represents something deeper: a commitment […]

For a long time, I thought trauma only meant the really big, obvious events — abuse, violence, tragedy. I used to think, if it didn’t look dramatic, it wasn’t real trauma. But over time, I started noticing something else. Trauma can be quiet. It can show up in ways we don’t always recognize at first: […]

I’m still in the wow phase from what I experienced this past week around how unresolved emotions lead to chronic symptoms. There’s something magical — and unapologetically incredible — about being able to tap into your body where the chronic symptoms are and discover what it’s been holding onto while trying to get your attention. […]

Every human carries a somatic signature—a unique pattern in the body that activates when survival states kick in, like fight, flight, or freeze. From a Polyvagal perspective, these responses are designed to keep us safe. They are not “flaws” but part of a sophisticated system meant to protect us. The challenge arises when these protective […]

Yesterday was supposed to be a “good day.” You went to bed early, hoping to wake up refreshed. But when the alarm went off, you still felt like you’d barely slept. You shuffled to the kitchen, clutching your coffee like it was a lifeline, but even after the first sip, the fog didn’t lift. By […]

For almost two decades, I worked as a paramedic. I saw what stress can do to people — and I felt it in my own body. Sirens at 2 a.m., heart pounding as we raced through empty streets, the smell of fuel and antiseptic in the back of the ambulance… and then the quiet moments […]