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How Care Works at Somatic Paths Wellness

All services at Somatic Paths Wellness are grounded in somatic, trauma-informed care. Different approaches are used depending on what best supports your nervous system, stage of recovery, and goals.

Everyone begins with a free consultation with founder Autumn Rock. This first conversation is designed to slow the process down, help you understand what you’re experiencing, and determine the safest and most effective path forward — whether that involves somatic trauma therapy, attachment-focused work, trauma-informed coaching, or referral to a clinical counsellor when higher-acuity support is needed.

You are not expected to self-diagnose or know where you belong before reaching out.
Guidance is part of the care.

If you’ve been wondering, “Why didn’t therapy work for my trauma?” or “Is something wrong with me?” — there is nothing wrong with you. Your nervous system learned exactly what it needed to learn to survive. With the right support, it can learn something new.

You don’t need to know what kind of support you need yet.
That’s part of the work we do together.

Questions People Often Ask When Seeking Trauma and Attachment Support

Many people arrive here after years of trying to understand what’s wrong — often feeling like they should already have answers. If you recognize yourself in these questions, you’re not alone.

Why do I keep ending up in the same relationship patterns?

Many recurring relationship patterns are driven by attachment wounds and nervous system adaptations formed early in life. These patterns are not conscious choices or character flaws. They are survival strategies that once helped you stay connected, safe, or unseen when safety wasn’t available. Without nervous-system–informed support, these patterns often repeat even when we “know better.”

Do I have an anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style?

Attachment styles are not diagnoses and they are not permanent identities. They describe patterns your nervous system learned in response to early relationships. These patterns can shift over time with the right kind of relational and somatic support. What matters most is not labeling yourself, but understanding how your nervous system learned to relate in order to survive.

Why does closeness feel unsafe — or distance feel unbearable?

For many people with attachment trauma, connection and threat became linked early on. As a result, intimacy can trigger fear or shutdown, while distance can activate panic or abandonment distress. These reactions happen at the level of the nervous system, not because you’re “too sensitive” or afraid of commitment.

Why didn’t talk therapy work for my trauma or CPTSD?

Many people ask, “Why didn’t therapy work for me?” or “I understand my trauma, but I still feel unsafe.” This experience is extremely common for people living with complex PTSD (C-PTSD), developmental trauma, attachment trauma, or the long-term effects of narcissistic or relational abuse.

Traditional talk therapy is designed to build insight into thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. For many concerns, this is helpful. But trauma symptoms are not caused by a lack of insight.

Trauma lives in the nervous system, not just in memory or belief. This is why people often say, “I know I’m safe, but my body doesn’t believe it,” or “I understand my triggers, but I still react.” For complex trauma, regulation — not insight — is often the missing piece.

Why does somatic or body-based trauma therapy help when talk therapy hasn’t?

Somatic trauma therapy works by addressing the physiological patterns beneath trauma symptoms — the automatic nervous system responses that developed to keep you alive. Rather than focusing only on talking through experiences, somatic approaches help the body gradually learn that the threat has passed. This happens through pacing, body awareness, breath, movement, and attuned relational support, always at a speed your nervous system can tolerate.

Do I need a therapist or a coach for trauma?

Many people search for “therapist vs coach for trauma,” “can a coach help with CPTSD,” or “do I need counselling or therapy?” If you’re asking these questions, you’re already paying attention to safety and fit — which matters more than labels alone.

What matters most is choosing support that matches your nervous system stability, recovery stage, attachment needs, executive functioning capacity, and current life stressors. Some people benefit most from clinical trauma therapy, some from trauma-informed coaching, and some from an integrated approach. You are not expected to figure this out on your own.

What if I choose the wrong kind of support?

This fear is especially common for people who have been misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or retraumatized in past care. Trauma affects the nervous system, not just symptoms or labels. When people are asked to self-diagnose or choose a modality without guidance, they often end up in care that is too intense, too passive, or not appropriate for their nervous system at that time. When care doesn’t help, it’s often a mismatch — not a failure of the person.

Why Somatic Therapy Is One of the Best Treatments for Complex PTSD, Trauma, and Narcissistic Abuse

Understanding C-PTSD and Why Traditional Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a condition caused by repeated or prolonged trauma—often rooted in childhood abuse, relational betrayal, or narcissistic abuse. While traditional talk therapy can provide important insights, many survivors find themselves stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected even after years of cognitive work.

That’s because trauma lives not only in the mind—but in the body and nervous system (Van der Kolk, 2014). This is where somatic therapy comes in.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to trauma healing. Rather than focusing solely on talking through events, it helps clients safely reconnect with their felt sense, work through nervous system dysregulation, and complete unresolved trauma responses like freeze, fight, or fawn.

This method is rooted in cutting-edge neuroscience and includes approaches like:

• Somatic Experiencing® (Levine, 1997)
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Ogden et al., 2006)
• Polyvagal-informed therapy (Porges, 2011)
• Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy
• Somatic Attachment Therapy

These therapies have shown particular promise for survivors of emotional abuse, neglect, and narcissistic relationships, where the trauma is relational and stored nonverbally.

Why Somatic Therapy Works for Complex Trauma and Narcissistic Abuse

Abuse Recovery & Empowerment

Somatic healing for survivors of narcissistic, emotional, and relational abuse across Canada and the United States

Abuse — especially narcissistic abuse or coercive control — can fracture trust at every level. It leaves you questioning your own perception, shrinking your voice, and living in survival mode long after the relationship ends. Healing begins when you can finally anchor back into your body’s truth and safety.

At Somatic Paths Wellness, we offer somatic therapy and trauma-informed coaching for survivors of narcissistic, emotional, and physical abuse. Our approach helps you gently reconnect with your body’s innate wisdom, release stored trauma, and rebuild your sense of power and belonging.

Together, we’ll work to:

• Recognize the signs and lingering effects of narcissistic abuse and gaslighting
• Re-establish embodied safety and grounded self-trust
• Unravel patterns of people-pleasing, hypervigilance, and self-blame
• Strengthen boundaries and rebuild confidence in your own voice
• Reclaim your body, your agency, and your right to joy

Abuse recovery isn’t about returning to who you were before — it’s about discovering who you are beyond survival.
We are the medicine.

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) Support

Somatic and trauma-informed therapy for C-PTSD and narcissistic abuse recovery across Canada and the United States

Living with Complex PTSD often means carrying the invisible residue of long-term stress, emotional neglect, or narcissistic abuse. You may find yourself looping through self-blame, hyper-vigilance, or emotional shutdown — all protective responses that once helped you survive.

At Somatic Paths Wellness, we offer somatic therapy and trauma-informed coaching for C-PTSD that helps you gently reconnect with your body’s innate capacity for healing. Our work blends nervous-system regulation, attachment repair, and compassionate self-inquiry to restore calm, clarity, and connection.

You’ll learn to:

• Recognize how complex trauma and narcissistic abuse shape the nervous system
  
• Rebuild safety and trust in your body and relationships
  
• Release chronic patterns of fear, self-criticism, or freeze
  
• Reclaim agency, belonging, and authentic expression
  

Healing from C-PTSD is not about “fixing” yourself — it’s about remembering who you are beneath the survival strategies.
We are the medicine.

Trauma Therapy with EMDR

If you’re looking for trauma therapy that goes deeper than talk, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) may be a powerful path forward. EMDR is a research-supported trauma treatment that helps the brain and body process painful memories so they no longer feel overwhelming. Many people come to EMDR therapy feeling stuck—haunted by past experiences, struggling with anxiety or PTSD, or trapped in patterns that no longer serve them. EMDR can help create real and lasting change.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR therapy works with the brain’s natural healing systems, using gentle techniques like bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping) to reprocess trauma safely. You won’t be asked to relive everything in detail. Instead, we’ll work together to build a strong foundation of emotional safety before beginning any trauma reprocessing. Sessions are paced with care, so you stay grounded and supported throughout the healing process.

Whether you’re healing from childhood trauma, recent events, complex PTSD, or experiences that don’t have a name yet—EMDR can offer relief. As a trauma-informed therapist, I use EMDR alongside other somatic and strengths-based approaches to support deep, sustainable healing. You deserve to feel safe in your own body again. If you’re ready to explore trauma recovery through EMDR therapy, I’d be honored to walk that path with you.

Our EMDR specialist is Monica Dragos. To book with her please click here:

Book With Monica