If you’ve survived domestic or sexual violence, you’re already strong. But trauma often lingers—sometimes in ways you don’t expect. Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. The good news? There are many paths to feeling safe again in your body, your mind, and your life.

Here’s a look at different trauma healing approaches—and how to find what works for you.

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• Trauma-Informed Counselling

  • Creates a safe space to tell your story, if and when you're ready

  • Helps process guilt, grief, anxiety, and PTSD

  • Common in shelters, women’s clinics, and through Legal Aid partnerships

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Helps shift harmful thought patterns that stem from abuse

  • Teaches coping strategies and emotional regulation

  • Often used for anxiety, flashbacks, and depression

• Narrative Therapy

  • Focuses on separating your identity from the abuse

  • Helps rewrite your story from survivor—not victim—perspective

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• Somatic Experiencing

  • Focuses on how trauma is held in the body

  • Uses breath, posture, and gentle movement to release tension

  • Ideal for survivors who struggle with talk therapy

• Yoga or Movement Therapy

  • Helps reconnect with your body in a safe, empowering way

  • Classes for survivors often include grounding, breathwork, and choice

• Massage, Craniosacral, or Acupuncture

  • Can calm the nervous system and restore physical safety

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• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

  • Uses bilateral eye movements to help process traumatic memories

  • Proven to reduce PTSD symptoms in abuse survivors

  • Available through trauma-trained therapists across Ontario

• Neurofeedback Therapy

  • Trains your brain to self-regulate and reduce anxiety/flashbacks

  • Still emerging in DV recovery spaces, but gaining traction

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• Art or Music Therapy

  • Non-verbal expression for complex emotions

  • Great for children or survivors who feel “stuck” in talk therapy

• Spiritual or Cultural Healing

  • Smudging, ceremony, land-based healing, or faith-based counselling

  • Especially important for Indigenous, newcomer, or racialized survivors

• Journaling and Storytelling

  • Helps organize painful memories and reflect on growth

  • Can be private or shared with a support worker

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• Support Groups for Survivors

  • Create connection and reduce isolation

  • Led by peers or trauma-informed facilitators

  • Many shelters and clinics offer them in-person or virtually

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• Ask yourself:

  • Do I want to talk, move, create, or simply be heard?

  • Am I looking to process the past or focus on day-to-day coping?

  • Do I need something private, or does group support feel right?

• You can combine multiple approaches—healing isn’t linear

• Start with what feels safe, and change it as you grow

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• ✅ Talk therapies help name and process pain

• ✅ Somatic and movement therapies reconnect you with your body

• ✅ EMDR and creative methods help process trauma without retelling it

• ✅ Cultural and group healing options are powerful too

• ✅ You can take small steps and find what’s right for you

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• Assaulted Women’s Helpline – 1-866-863-0511

• Barbra Schlifer Clinic – Trauma counselling + legal support

• YWCA Toronto, WomenatthecentrE, and Luke’s Place

• 211 Ontario – Call or visit 211ontario.ca

• Hope for Wellness (Indigenous survivors) – 1-855-242-3310

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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a highly effective, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories. By using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements), it can significantly reduce the distress, flashbacks, and other symptoms of PTSD that many survivors of domestic violence experience.

If you find talking about the trauma too overwhelming, body-based or "somatic" therapies are an excellent option. Somatic Experiencing and trauma-informed yoga focus on releasing trauma from the body without requiring you to verbally recount the details of what happened. Art and music therapy are also great non-verbal options.

"Top-down" therapies, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), start with your thoughts (the "top" part of your brain, the neocortex) to change your feelings and bodily responses. "Bottom-up" therapies, like somatic experiencing, start with your body and physical sensations (the "bottom" part of your brain, the brainstem) to calm your nervous system and, in turn, change your thoughts and emotions.

A trauma-informed therapist understands the profound impact that trauma has on a person's brain, body, and behaviour. They will prioritize creating a safe environment, ensuring you have choice and control in the therapeutic process, and focusing on your strengths and resilience. It is a fundamental requirement for any therapist working with survivors of abuse.

Yes, absolutely. Many survivors find that a combination of approaches is the most effective. For example, you might engage in weekly talk therapy while also attending a trauma-informed yoga class or doing EMDR sessions to specifically target PTSD symptoms.

Your local women's shelter or a specialized agency like the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic are the best places to start, as they offer many of these services for free. You can also use online directories like Psychology Today and use their filters to search for therapists in Toronto who specialize in "Trauma and PTSD," "EMDR," or "Somatic" therapy.