Trauma Therapy in Victoria, BC
Somatic Experiencing® Therapy
with Peter Cellarius (LMFT)
If you’re wondering whether what you’re experiencing “counts” as trauma, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure that out before reaching out.
Trauma is any experience that leaves you feeling overwhelmed, unsafe, or powerless. It can affect emotional wellbeing, relationships, and your sense of safety long after the event has passed.
Trauma counselling offers a supportive, compassionate approach for individuals navigating the effects of single-incident trauma, complex trauma, or ongoing stress. Sessions move at a pace that respects your nervous system and lived experience, helping create a sense of safety, stability, and meaningful change.
What is Trauma?
Trauma acts as an echo of something you may have gone through that was deeply distressing, threatening, or emotionally distressing. These experiences may involve violence, abuse, grief, anxiety, or significant events from childhood or adulthood. Trauma is often grouped into three broad categories:
Acute Trauma
A singular situation involving a stressful or dangerous event
Chronic Trauma
Repeated and prolonged exposure to stressful or disturbing experiences
Complex Trauma
Resulting from exposure to multiple traumatic events
Signs You May Be Living With Undiagnosed Trauma
Many adults seek trauma counselling in Victoria, BC when daily life begins to feel more challenging than expected. Common responses may include:
- Re-experiencing your distressing event through intrusive memories, flashbacks, and/or nightmares
- Difficulty sleeping and/or concentrating
- Avoidance of specific people, places, and/or activities associated with your trauma
- Feelings of agitation and/or anger
- Feeling jumpy or skittish
- Emotional numbness
I think I might have some unhealed trauma. What’s my next step?
Trauma Counselling · Somatic Experiencing® Therapy
With Peter Cellarius, LMFT
How Somatic Experiencing® Therapy Supports Trauma Recovery
Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body-based approach to trauma recovery that focuses on regulating the nervous system, rather than relying solely on talk therapy or retelling traumatic experiences. This approach helps address patterns associated with trauma, including PTSD, chronic stress, and unresolved experiences, by supporting the body’s natural capacity for regulation and stabilization.
SE is built on a foundation that identifies where an individual may be “stuck” in fight, flight, or freeze responses. Once assessed, your healing journey will be supported through clinical tools designed to help shift fixed psychological states.
How Somatic Experiencing® Works
Picture this: You’re an animal. You were just chased by something with sharp teeth and massive claws, and it definitely wanted to eat you. Luckily, you were fast enough to outrun it, but it shook you to your core! You tremble and shake until your body rids itself of the shock and leftover energy that was prepared for any of the fight, flight, or freeze reactions. That energy gets recycled and released. You move about your day because you were able to rid yourself naturally of that built-up charge.
Dr. Peter Levine, the creator of SE, recognised this fascinating pattern in wildlife behaviour. Animals in the wild are often cycling between a fight or flight, (or freeze) response, followed by discharge and trembling, and getting back to the business of life. However, for us humans, it is often not like this. We often don’t reach this place of discharge, and so the enormous energies that are generated with fight, flight, or freeze become trapped in the body. This can lead to a state of continual activation, watchfulness, fear, and arousal. It is as though we are always in an unsafe place.
When going through Somatic Experiencing®, the therapist helps your body complete self-protective motor responses, so that the trapped survival energies are released. You will be gently guided to broaden your capacity for holding your sensations and experiences. You’ll be helped to sense your way through the normal oscillations of sensation, but only at levels that you can handle without becoming overwhelmed. This process helps you to develop a greater capacity to handle stress and stay in the present moment.
Trauma Therapy With a SE Certified Counsellor in Victoria, BC
Peter has invested seven years in studying and applying Somatic Experiencing (SE). He is SE Certified and now supports the training of other therapists. This experience allows sessions to remain steady, attuned, and carefully paced—especially for clients who feel easily overwhelmed. Peter has witnessed firsthand how phobias, anxiety, and trauma can shift dramatically with SE treatment.
Using a combination of neurobiological and naturalistic methods, Peter gently guides clients in accessing their body’s memory and reconnecting with their most authentic selves. Many who have chosen SE have rediscovered profound inner peace and emotional regulation.
What to Expect in a Somatic Experiencing Session
During sessions, you’ll be supported in a safe relationship with a SE Certified Counsellor.
You’ll be taught techniques to increase awareness of your body and begin releasing physical tension through approaches such as:
- Breathing exercises
- Sensation awareness
- Gentle physical movement
- Grounding techniques
- Counsellors will sit with you while you discuss traumatic events and help you navigate the emotional and physical sensations as they arise.
Is Trauma Therapy Right for You?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before beginning therapy. Many people seek trauma counselling when life feels stuck, familiar patterns keep repeating, or they’re navigating difficult life transitions. Trauma therapy offers a compassionate, supportive space to explore what may be happening beneath the surface and to begin healing at a pace that feels right for you.
Some adverse childhood experiences that clients may explore in therapy include physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; emotional or physical neglect; growing up in households impacted by mental health or substance use challenges; exposure to domestic violence; bullying; experiencing or witnessing serious injury or illness; loss in the family; and parental divorce or separation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Somatic Experiencing different from talk therapy?
Somatic Experiencing works with the body and nervous system, not just thoughts or traumatic memories. This approach supports trauma recovery without needing to relive a traumatic event and is helpful for chronic stress, complex trauma, and PTSD symptoms.
Who is trauma counselling for?
Trauma counselling is for anyone who feels impacted by past or ongoing experiences that have affected their sense of safety, wellbeing, or ability to cope. You don’t need to identify a specific traumatic event to benefit – many people seek support when they feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or notice repeating patterns in their emotions or relationships.
Trauma counselling may be helpful if you’re living with the effects of childhood adversity, difficult relationships, loss, chronic stress, or events that felt overwhelming at the time.
Many people reach out when life feels heavier than it should or when old experiences keep showing up in the present.
How Long Do I Need to Be in Therapy?
The length of therapy varies from person to person and depends on individual needs and goals. Clients experiencing more acute or situational challenges may find that approximately 6–8 sessions are helpful, while those exploring longer-standing or complex concerns may choose to continue for a longer period.
Can I Do My Appointments In Person or Virtually?
I offer in-person appointments for clients based in Victoria, BC.
My practice is based in Victoria, British Columbia, where I work in person with adults navigating the effects of trauma, chronic stress, and nervous-system overwhelm. Sessions take place in a quiet, supportive setting designed to help clients feel grounded and safe.
