Gently untangling the patterns of survival so your body can finally feel safe to rest. Specialized virtual psychotherapy with Jacqueline On, MSW, RSW, supporting adults across Ontario in safely processing trauma, hypervigilance, and overwhelm through gentle, body-based healing.
When trauma or chronic stress lives in the body, it shows up in the form of physical sensations, automatic reactions, and the quiet rhythms of how you move through the world.
You might recognize yourself thinking:
You find yourself physically bracing—a clenched jaw, locked shoulders, or a persistent pit in your stomach that makes it impossible to fully relax.
Continuous worry, rumination, and worst-case scenarios leave you feeling restless, easily startled by sudden sounds, or on edge.
Sudden waves of panic or anxiety crash over you without warning, leaving you breathless. Intrusive echoes, flashbacks, or sudden emotional waves pull you back into the past, making old threats feel like they are happening now.
You wake up drenched in sweat, alert and ready to respond to danger, leaving you with heavy brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and constant fatigue throughout the day.
You might notice sudden irritability with people you love, or physically withdrawing from tasks, social demands, and daily expectations because it feels like too much. These are signs of an over-burdened nervous system.
Moments of numbness take over, leaving you feeling hollow, or like you’re floating outside your physical body just to get through the day.
I often share with my clients that trauma is anything that happens across the life course that gets stuck in our system, impacting our sense of well-being, self, and connection to the world around us.
It can stem from a distinct, overwhelming event like a car accident, or can also build up quietly over time through a series of subtle, compounding stressors like environments where you didn’t feel safe to be yourself.
In either case, survival energy becomes trapped in your nervous system. Your body holds onto that even after the threat has passed.
Somatic trauma therapy works by gently bridging the gap between your mind and body. Instead of only talking about what happened, we will safely listen to your physical responses, helping your nervous system finally release what it has been carrying for too long. Through gentle, body-led pacing, you can begin to step out of survival mode and reclaim a genuine, lasting sense of internal peace.
When working with trauma, our primary goal is to establish safety from the inside out. In this work, moving slower is ultimately faster. By taking a paced, measured approach, we ensure your nervous system can truly integrate new experiences rather than snapping back to old defensive patterns.
Depending on what you and your body need on any given day, our sessions generally focus on three core areas:
Trauma lives in the body outside of the logical brain, so we need to communicate safety to your nervous system in a way the body can understand. We will use gentle, body-focused tracking and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), otherwise known as Tapping, to help release the physical and emotional alarm from old memories, helping your body finally realize that the threat is over.
We will meet the strategies you’ve used to survive (like hypervigilance, numbness, or people-pleasing) with deep compassion. They have helped you to survive until now. Together, we listen to what these protective parts are trying to tell us, helping them gently soften so your true self can take the lead.
We will practice dual awareness, keeping one foot safely planted in the present moment even as we touch upon past experiences. This helps prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by old memories. By clearing away survival beliefs that don’t serve you, you will learn how to expand your capacity for ease and make consciously aligned choices for the life you want today.
Our goal is to help you soften old protective patterns and expand your capacity for joy and connection, so you can feel safe to move through the world with ease.
Trauma healing requires time, patience, and a deep respect for your body’s defenses. In our sessions, we will listen closely to your body’s physical cues, tailoring our work to match your capacity and energy.
Held online via secure video, you can join from the comfort of your own space. Together, we will gently guide your body to release stored tension, helping your nervous system discover that it is finally safe to settle.
Trauma is anything that happens across the life course that gets stuck in our system, impacting our sense of well-being, self, and connection to the world around us. When our personal sense of safety is challenged repeatedly or severely, our bodies respond to the perceived threat, keeping us in a state of dysregulation. If you have experienced trauma, old habits and beliefs can act as roadblocks to making sustainable change, locking you in unwanted patterns of thought, emotions, or behaviour.
Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories; it leaves a physical imprint. It may stem from distinct, overwhelming events in your life, such as a car accident or sudden diagnosis, or result from a series of subtle, compounding stressors over time – the chronic, quiet stress of prolonged attachment injuries, systemic oppression, or enduring environments where you didn’t feel safe to be yourself. When these experiences go unprocessed, survival energy is trapped in your nervous system – your body hasn’t realized that the threat has passed. You might find yourself constantly on guard, completely numb and shut down, paralyzed from overwhelm, overreacting to avoid conflict, or doing everything you can to avoid stressors altogether.
Somatic trauma therapy works by gently bridging the gap between your mind and body. Instead of only talking about what happened, we will safely listen to your physical responses, helping your nervous system finally release what it has been carrying for too long. Through gentle, body-led pacing, you can begin to step out of survival mode and reclaim a genuine, lasting sense of internal peace.
Therapy offers a structured, supportive space to renegotiate your relationship with past experiences without flooding your system. Together, we will work to:
When working with trauma, our primary goal is to establish safety from the inside out. In this work, moving slower is ultimately faster – by taking a paced, measured approach, we ensure your nervous system can truly integrate new experiences rather than snapping back to old defensive patterns.
I lead with a values-based, mindful foundation, intentionally integrating body-based processing and parts work to help you safely metabolize the past without feeling overwhelmed. This layered approach allows us to honour both your psychological insights and your body’s inherent wisdom.
Healing trauma is never about forcing your system into compliance or rushing through your pain. Sustainable change takes time. In our sessions, we will track your capacity in real time and adjust our pace to match your current energy, making your safety our highest priority.
The secure Colib booking system allows you to view my availability and schedule sessions directly. I am currently accepting inquiries via email at jacqueline@sunwardtherapy.ca or by phone at +1(705) 978-1380
The first session is a “get to know you” intake where we focus on your comfort and safety. We will discuss your history, goals for therapy, and any specific accommodations you might need for our virtual work together.
As a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Psychotherapist in Ontario, my services are covered by most extended health benefit plans. While I do not offer direct billing at this time, you will be provided with a detailed receipt to submit for reimbursement. I always recommend checking with your insurance provider to confirm that “Social Work” or “Psychotherapy” is included in your specific coverage.
For video therapy, we use a secure, PHIPA-compliant platform specifically designed for healthcare privacy. You do not need to download any special software; you will simply receive a private encrypted link to join our virtual room via your web browser. If you prefer phone therapy, we will call you directly from +1 (705) 978-1380 at our scheduled time from a private, confidential line.
At Sunward Therapy, we see you for who you are and meet you there. We acknowledge your lived experiences and focus on helping you adjust your response to what life throws at you rather than trying to “fix you”. Our approach integrates releasing your body’s physical response to emotional triggers for truly holistic healing. We understand that wellness is a journey and prioritize energy conservation and accessibility, ensuring the process of therapy never adds to the physical or emotional weight you are already carrying.
