EMDR & Trauma Therapy

We offer EMDR and trauma therapy for clients in-person in Kitchener-Waterloo and virtually across Ontario. This work is designed to support individuals who have experienced overwhelming, distressing, or life-altering events, as well as those living with the long-term effects of chronic stress, medical trauma, grief, or nervous system dysregulation.

Trauma is not only defined by what happened, but by how the body and mind experienced it. Many people carry trauma without realizing it, noticing symptoms such as anxiety, emotional reactivity, numbness, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting, or feeling stuck in the past. Trauma therapy helps create safety in the present so that these experiences can be gently processed and integrated.

At Glow Mental Health, trauma therapy is paced, collaborative, and deeply respectful. Your nervous system, emotional readiness, and sense of control are always prioritized. You are never rushed or pushed into processing before safety and stability are established.

Types of Trauma We Support

Trauma can take many forms. This work may be helpful if you have experienced:

• Birth trauma or pregnancy-related distress

• Medical trauma or difficult hospital experiences

• Chronic illness or chronic pain

• Grief and complicated loss

• Childhood emotional or relational trauma

• Relationship or attachment trauma

• Occupational trauma in high-stress professions

• Accidents, sudden events, or life-threatening experiences

• Ongoing stress that has overwhelmed your system

This includes support for healthcare workers, first responders, emergency personnel, caregivers, and anyone whose nervous system has been shaped by repeated exposure to stress or trauma.

How Trauma Therapy Helps

Trauma therapy supports you in:

• Releasing emotional and physical tension held in the body

• Reducing the intensity of distressing memories

• Calming the nervous system

• Rebuilding a sense of safety and control

• Strengthening emotional regulation

• Developing self-trust and resilience

• Feeling more present and connected in daily life

EMDR as Part of an Integrative Approach

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one evidence-based method that can be used within trauma therapy. It helps the brain reprocess experiences that feel “stuck” so they no longer carry the same emotional charge. EMDR is especially helpful when memories, images, or body sensations feel intrusive or difficult to move past.

However, EMDR is never used in isolation. Trauma therapy at Glow Mental Health is integrative and may include:

• EMDR

• Nervous system regulation and stabilization work

• Attachment-based therapy

• Emotion-focused therapy

• Compassion-focused practices

• Mindfulness-based approaches

All trauma work is paced carefully and guided by your comfort, safety, and readiness.

EMDR Session Formats

EMDR can be offered in several flexible formats:

• Traditional EMDR Therapy
  A planned series of 50-minute sessions, typically offered weekly or bi-weekly.

• EMDR Intensives (90 or 120 minutes)
  Longer sessions that allow for deeper focus and continuity of processing.

• Structured EMDR Intensive Series
  A short-term series of longer sessions delivered over a condensed time period.

The format is always collaboratively chosen based on your goals, capacity, and needs.

Trauma therapy is not about reliving the past. It is about creating safety in the present and allowing your system to settle, integrate, and heal.

You do not have to carry these experiences alone.

At Glow Mental Health, EMDR and trauma therapy offer a compassionate, steady space to process what you have been through and to move forward with greater clarity, stability, and self-trust.