Alberta Counselling Centre

14/05/2026

Healing from trauma rarely looks like a straight line.

As an EMDR trauma therapist and Registered Psychologist, one of the most common things I hear is:
“Why do I feel like I’m going backwards?”

The truth is, trauma healing often includes emotional flooding, avoidance, shutdown, self-doubt, nervous system overwhelm, setbacks, and moments where you feel completely stuck. That doesn’t mean therapy isn’t working. It often means your brain and body are finally processing what they’ve carried for too long.

In EMDR therapy, we work to help the nervous system reprocess traumatic experiences so they no longer feel as emotionally overwhelming or “stuck.” Along the way, many people experience cycles of progress, triggers, emotional exhaustion, increased self-awareness, grief, breakthroughs, and rebuilding self-trust.

The “rock bottom” moments are often the part nobody talks about enough. The days where old negative core beliefs return:
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’ll never get better.”
“What’s wrong with me?”

But healing continues in the small moments:
• showing up to therapy
• practicing grounding skills
• setting boundaries
• learning emotional regulation
• reconnecting with yourself
• choosing not to give up

Trauma recovery is not perfection. It’s nervous system healing, resilience, integration, and learning that you are safe enough to move forward again — one step at a time.

If your progress feels messy right now, you are not failing. You are healing. 🤍

08/05/2026

Trauma doesn’t stay in the past,it changes how the brain and nervous system operate day to day.

• Memory changes: gaps around difficult experiences, or the opposite: intrusive memories that show up uninvited. Trauma can disrupt how memories are stored, making them feel unfinished or “still happening.”

• Sleep disruption: difficulty falling or staying asleep, vivid dreams, or waking up already exhausted. The brain struggles to fully power down when it’s scanning for threat.

• Hypervigilance: constantly feeling “on,” aware of every sound, shift, or change. Your nervous system is trying to protect you, but it can make it hard to relax—even in safe environments.

• Flashbacks: moments where your body and mind react as if the past is happening right now. These aren’t just memories—they’re full-body experiences.

• Trust difficulties: questioning others’ intentions, keeping emotional distance, or feeling unsafe relying on people. Trauma can rewire how safety in relationships is perceived.

• Concentration struggles: trouble focusing, staying present, or following through. When your brain is prioritizing survival, attention and memory take a hit.

• Emotional regulation challenges: emotions may feel intense, unpredictable, or hard to manage. Small things can trigger big reactions, or you may feel numb and disconnected.

• Increased anxiety: a persistent sense of unease, even without a clear reason. Your system is primed to anticipate danger.

• Physical health impacts: headaches, digestive issues, fatigue, and other stress-related symptoms. Trauma lives in the body, not just the mind.

• Altered stress response: feeling stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown. The nervous system has learned to respond quickly, but not always accurately.

These are adaptive responses from a brain that learned how to survive.

Treatments like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) help the brain reprocess traumatic experiences so they are stored differently, without the same emotional intensity or nervous system activation. Over time, this can lead to better sleep, improved focus, reduced anxiety, and a greater

18/01/2026

😲 AI can offer information, reflection, and good questions.

Therapy is a human relationship that's grounded in ethics, training, accountability, and care.

Helpful tools are great.

Substitutes for real support… not so much.

01/01/2026

🥳 2025 has come to a close, we're taking a moment to pause and reflect, with so much gratitude. 🤍

This year has been incredibly rewarding and it’s because of the people who make this work meaningful every single day.

To our clients—thank you for trusting . You allow us into your lives during vulnerable moments, and that is never taken lightly. We learn so much from you. Every year, you help us reflect, refine, and improve ...not just as clinicians, but as people. Your courage, honesty, and resilience shape the way we practice and the way we grow.

This year reminded us that meaningful work is built slowly, through consistency, ethical care, strong relationships, and a shared commitment to doing better than we did yesterday.

To our assessment and counselling team, both our school psychologists and our clinical psychologists—thank you. ❤️ Your commitment, compassion, curiosity, and clinical excellence do not go unnoticed. You show up for complex cases and real human pain with integrity and care. You continue learning, growing, consulting, and supporting one another, and it shows in the quality of work you do.

I’m incredibly proud of this team and deeply grateful for the community we’ve built together.

Here’s to continued growth, learning, connection, and purpose. Looking forward to a bright, hopeful, and amazing 2026 ahead. ✨

Thank you for being part of this journey.

09/11/2025

🧠 Feeling like you have to “fix” everything or everyone can be exhausting and it’s easy to lose sight of your own needs in the process.

Therapy isn’t just for crises; it’s for learning that your worth isn’t tied to how much you do for others. Therapy can help you understand the origins of these patterns of thinking. 💛

At Alberta Counselling Centre, we help you reclaim your sense of self, set healthy boundaries, and build resilience, because you deserve care too. ❤️
#ʜᴇᴀʟɪɴɢᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ

25/09/2025

Hearing how this one idea helped them transform their boundaries was such a powerful reminder that therapy isn’t just about problem-solving in the moment, but about planting seeds for growth that may take root long after the session ends. Sometimes we don’t see the impact right away, but the changes are real, lasting, and life-giving.

As psychologists/counsellors/therapists, we often don’t know which of our words will stick and the potential scope of their impact. Sometimes a single reflection, shared in the moment, creates ripples of lasting change. That's what hit me when this long-term client recently reminded me of something I said to them over a year ago. They told me it shifted the way they approached their friendships, energy, and time. I love that ❤️ Such meaningful and deeply rewarding work we do.

25/08/2025

Becoming a parent and breaking the generational cycle is the ultimate healing. Also important to note that becoming a parent can often trigger unhealed wounds from our childhood.

"I could not imagine failing to protect my son from harm."

28/02/2025

Sandra Bullock discussing her healing journey with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Alberta Counselling Centre has many Psychologists who specialize in trauma therapy and EMDR. We offer sessions from 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week. To book, call, text, email, or use our convenient online booking (.ca).

Who's excited for our Somatic EMDR Therapy Certificate that launched this week? If you missed it, head here: https://www.theembodylab.com/somatic-emdr-therap...