Eyebright Counselling Services

Happy Friday! Just a reminder to pay attention to what part is showing up today.

"We are the pilots of our family. Our kids look to us for leadership and safety"

Imaginative play fosters creativity and helps to develop social, emotional, and language skills. Your child learns to express themselves through pretend play and build positive relationships.

It’s difficult when we’re in the thick of it, but try to soak some* of it in;)

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope this year brings rest and health to you, your friends and family. This year, I'm wanting to focus less on goals and more on themes; some of these themes being openness, vulnerability and acceptance. I began writing my postpartum story to help myself process. As I wrote I felt more and more that I wanted to share it; as I was helped so much by hearing other people's postpartum experiences in those first few months. Thank you for taking the time and we'll see you on the next blog post 💚

Blog - Why I Wasn’t Prepared “I never wanted kids, I wanted dogs, or adult children. But when your sister was born, it was a love I never knew I could feel”. My mom goes on to say that the love was so strong that she didn’t think there would be room in her heart for me when I was born… Continue r...

“traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

To learn if trauma therapy may be right for you, contact Eden or Stephanie for a free 20 minute consultation.

Wondering why clay is therapeutic? Clay is fun! But it is also a natural medium for expression. Because children struggle to find the words to express what is going on for them, clay and other play therapy tools can help. It is strong, flexible and malleable, and has infinite opportunities for creative expression. When was the last time you picked up a ball of clay!

Somatic resources are internal experiences we have within our bodies that elicit feelings of well-being and competence that in turn can positively affect how we feel. These resources are unique to each body and life experience and can be personalized depending on what you need in a particular moment. Think the difference between noticing your feet on the ground before a stressful meeting and dancing when you are home after a long day. Thousands of somatic resources exist, and many can be discovered and developed while working with a somatic therapist.

Grounding as a somatic resource is used to create a felt sense of support from the ground, providing a sense of stability, security and presence.

An important thing to keep in mind about somatic work is the deep impact it has on the body, emotions and thoughts and there can be some somatic resources that have a de-resourcing effect, which can be completely normal. A somatic therapist can help you understand why some somatic exercises feel empowering and why some do not and to work through any emotions or memories that may arise during the process.

If you are curious about going beyond talk-therapy, or wonder if this approach could help you, look for a therapist in your area that practices from a somatic lens, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Somatic Experiencing.
If you are in the Nanaimo area, feel free to reach out to Eden, our somatic therapist, to learn more about how Sensorimotor Psychotherapy could be a fit for you.
[email protected]

You may have heard that trauma is stored in the body. You may be experiencing physical symptoms that are overwheleming such as nausea, tension, shaking, racing heart or even a full disconnect from your body.
You are not alone in these experiences and they may be symptoms connected to trauma in your past.
Working somatically allows these experiences to be processed in a safe and gentle way that does not require retelling your trauma story.
If you are curious about learning more, please reach out to a therapist trained in a somatic approach for trauma.
🤍

If a child is attention seeking, it is because they are connection desperate.

While their behavior choices may feel annoying, ignoring a child who is desperate for connection is a huge blow to their already fragile state.

Children who are connected to their worthiness are able to make direct bids for connection when they are struggling.

It is kids who feel unworthy that are left to try to get their needs met indirectly through acting out and acting UP (getting over the top).

When a child is seeking attention, don't just give them a little attention, give them the crème de la crème of attention. Invest in them. Delight in them. Be curious with them. And let them know that they matter to YOU.

Sometimes talk therapy is not enough. Our bodies can store traumatic memory and can leave us flooded with physical sensations and experiences that are overwheleming and disruptive to our lives. Working somatically can help release and process these memories, allowing the wisdom of the body to heal.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a somatic, bottom-up approach. If you are curious about learning more, or wondering if this approach could be right for you, feel free to book a free 20 minute consultation.

“In bottom-up approaches [to processing trauma], the body's sensation and movement are the entry points and changes in sensorimotor experience are used to support self-regulation, memory processing, and success in daily life. Meaning and understanding emerge from new experiences rather than the other way around.
Through bottom-up interventions, a shift in the somatic sense of self in turn affects the linguistic sense of self.” - Pat Ogden, Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy

Welcome to Eyebright Counselling Services. We are a growing therapy practice for children, youth and adults in Nanaimo and the surrounding area.

Send us a message to connect with one of our therapists today!

Hello! My name is Eden and I'm one of the therapists with Eyebright Counselling. I moved to the island from Ontario with my husband in 2019 to experience the magic of mountains and ocean in one place and we haven't looked back since. My passion for mental health intertwines with my passion for nature and over the past 18 months I stepped away from working as a therapist and into my new role as a mother. It was through connection with nature (and my own therapy) that I discovered my new identity as a mom and now as a therapist once again. When I'm not out hiking with my son or other mamas I'm usually working on connecting with new clients, cooking (or trying to) and of course binging my sister's most recent Netflix recommendation🙃
I look forward to meeting you!

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Eyebright Counselling Services updated their phone number.

Eyebright Counselling Services updated their business hours.