Several years ago, I experienced a devastating and traumatic loss.
The only way I can describe it was as though a bomb had gone off and shattered my life into a million pieces.
I spent so much time trying to make sense of what happened, but despite my extraordinary efforts and endless questioning, no answer I came up with could bring me solace.
For quite some time following this trauma, I felt as if I was living in a body that wasn’t my own, and the person I once was seemed so far away.
This is where my healing journey began. I then devoted myself to understanding trauma and what was happening within me. I discovered that we all have mechanisms within us to protect against harm. Ironically, these mechanisms that are designed to preserve our lives can also keep us in a perpetual loop of dysregulation, fear, panic, and at times complete shutdown.
Once I learned how to integrate the pain of my past into my present awareness, its grip on my life slowly began to lessen.
After years of healing, growth, and learning, I am now a Registered Psychotherapist. I specialize in working with trauma, grief, loss, and attachment injury. I have devoted my career in helping others navigate through the pain of their past, so they can learn to live life fully in the present and embody hope for the future.
Laura Cowal
MA | MTA | RP
Registered Psychotherapist | Music Therapist Accredited
EMDR | Somatic Therapy | Internal Family Systems
Certified Trauma Integration Clinician | ITATM Trained
Another Sliver Of Me…
Forging Connections through Sports. I've always had a knack for competitive play that pushed the limits of my body! Through team sports, I came into contact with another side of humane connection that is hard to put into words. Far beyond winnings or challenging my physical strength, I’ve felt an indescribable closeness and camaraderie when cheering and thriving with my peers. There’s a kind of “social high” and solidarity when you move in synchrony and play without restraints. Yet, the most intriguing aspect of team sports has been the element of safety; the knowing that I am not alone and more importantly, that I will not be left behind!
Living Embodied through Music. Chanting and melody of all sorts has existed for centuries before the presence of modern language and tunes. We are arguably evolutionary primed to connect and bond with songs both at a heart and gut level. Music has been a big part of my personal healing and growth journey when words were just not enough. Through music, I have found an anchor and an identity. It’s as if my body has become conditioned to settle down and rest when familiar harmonic ripples echo in my ear and down my spine. Through music and chanting, I have found an unshakeable place to belong inside of myself and within this body.
