Daniela Sota is a passionate advocate for mental health, championing the idea that mental health IS health. With over 20 years of experience, she works with clients to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be, whether struggling, stuck, or thriving. Daniela’s extensive training in various psychotherapeutic modalities led her to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a neuroscience-based psychotherapeutic modality that has transformed her approach. She uses EMDR to help clients overcome many diverse issues, including trauma, anxiety, negative self-talk, relationship issues, repetitive patterns, as well as to enhance performance in business, arts and sports.
Daniela Sota, Registered Psychotherapist
Introduce yourself!
My name is Daniela Sota and I am a Registered Psychotherapist. I hold a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. I've trained in various forms of traditional talk therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. Over time, I expanded my skill set to include adjunct therapies like Mindfulness and Trauma-Informed Hypnosis, as well as neuroscience-based approaches like Brainspotting and EMDR.
I believe my academic background gives me a solid foundation as a therapist, but it’s my personal experiences that truly shape my understanding. My life journey took a significant turn when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 10. I still remember my first night in the hospital, hungry, I asked the nurse for cookies, only to be met with the harsh response that I’d “never eat another cookie again!” That moment began an uncompromising passage of daily injections, managing carbohydrate intake, and constant blood glucose monitoring.
Throughout school, I was placed in an advanced placement program, moving as a collective with the same group of high-achieving students. We were constantly told, we “are the future,” and “reach for the stars.” This created an illusion of invincibility, but when I entered university, I quickly realized I was a little fish in a big pond. The transition was jarring and my first real experience with failure.
During graduate school, I met my husband, and together we welcomed twin boys. Being 2000 km away from my hometown, I often felt alone in the chaos of parenting newborns. My mother stepped in to help, but postpartum depression struck hard, marking a challenging period in my life. Then, just as the boys were about to turn 11, my husband passed away from colon cancer—three days before their birthday. That heartache reshaped my understanding of grief and loss.
Through all of these experiences, I've come to realize how deeply our life experiences influence our brains and our mental health. They inform my approach as a therapist, allowing me to connect with clients on a profound level. I understand that everyone has their battles, and I strive to create a safe space where they can explore their feelings without judgment. My journey fuels my empathy, helping me support others as they navigate their own path.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
As the sole proprietor of Sota Psychotherapy, I focus on using EMDR to help clients navigate a wide range of challenges, including trauma, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, relationship issues, anger, and grief. I’ve found that no matter their struggle, clients who are open to trying EMDR often experience positive outcomes.
This approach has shown me how resilient people can be when given the right tools and support. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness transformations, especially when clients begin to see their struggles in a new light. I believe that EMDR’s ability to facilitate healing from distressing events and allow us to perceive things through a more adaptive lens plays a significant role in this process. Clients can reclaim their lives and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.
I’m continually inspired by the courage my clients show in confronting their challenges, and I strive to create a safe and supportive environment where they feel empowered to explore their experiences.
Can you share your journey in mental health over the past 20 years and what initially inspired you to pursue this field?
My career has been a remarkable journey, evolving through various roles while staying grounded in my desire to make a difference in people's lives. Starting with a science background in psychology and biology, I ventured into impactful work with Indigenous communities, which was both challenging and enlightening.
My path led me through leadership roles in hospitals, community agencies, and national organizations giving me a broad perspective on mental health care. Leadership is incredibly fulfilling for me, bringing a group of people together to move toward one goal. I have returned to my second passion psychotherapy, understanding that making individual impact, one person at a time, is as important as making changes across entire communities and populations.
What led you to transition from traditional talk therapies to neuroscience-based modalities like EMDR?
For many years, I practiced traditional talk therapy, but I often felt dissatisfied when clients returned after months or years after leaving therapy feeling well. The effects of talk therapy just didn’t seem to last, and I experienced this firsthand after going through three rounds of it myself, each with underwhelming outcomes. It wasn’t until my fourth attempt that I found a therapist I truly connected with, who introduced me to EMDR.
Three months later, I walked into my final session and shared with my therapist that I had been up all night wondering what we would talk about that day. I felt unburdened, free, and ready to move forward. It was a profound moment that solidified my belief in the power of EMDR. For me, EMDR was nothing short of life-changing.
I was fascinated by EMDR, not only because of the changes I experienced within myself but also due to its grounding in neuroscience. I am always curious to know exactly how it worked, why it works, and the mechanisms behind it. I had so many questions—questions I didn’t know had answers, but the science behind EMDR gave me. Why do I find myself repeating patterns even after promising I won’t? What’s behind that “what was I thinking?” moment? And what are those butterflies in my stomach trying to tell me?
This newfound knowledge empowered me, and I wanted to share that with others. EMDR opened my eyes to the complexities of our brains and bodies, and I felt driven to help clients unlock that understanding for themselves. It inspired me to help others experience similar freedom from the reflexive, non-intentional ways we interpret the world. Often, these responses are rooted in past experiences that may have once been protective but have become maladaptive in the present. I want to empower clients to break free from those patterns and find healthier ways to navigate their lives. It was a turning point in my career and my life, leading me to focus on an approach that truly fosters lasting change.
In your opinion, what makes EMDR more effective or quicker than traditional talk therapies?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) often proves to be more effective and quicker than traditional talk therapies for several reasons:
Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Processing: EMDR utilizes a bottom-up approach, focusing on processing traumatic memories stored in the body and subconscious. Traditional talk therapies often rely on a top-down approach, where clients consciously analyze their thoughts and feelings. This can sometimes be limited when dealing with deeply rooted traumas that aren’t easily accessed through verbal dialogue.
Reflexive Behaviors: Many behaviors stemming from trauma are reflexive and not intentional. Understanding this can relieve clients from self-accusation and guilt. EMDR helps clients address these automatic responses by processing the underlying memories rather than just discussing the symptoms. This leads to organic and profound changes in behavior and emotional regulation.
Working with the Subconscious: EMDR directly engages the subconscious mind, allowing clients to process distressing memories and feelings that they might not be fully aware of or able to articulate. By facilitating this process, clients can release emotional blocks and move towards healing more efficiently.
Psychoeducation for Clients: I also prioritize psychoeducation, helping clients understand the EMDR process and its benefits. When clients grasp how their brains process trauma and how EMDR can help, they often feel more empowered and motivated to engage in the therapy. This understanding can enhance the therapeutic alliance and foster a collaborative atmosphere.
Overall, the combination of these elements makes EMDR a powerful tool for facilitating quick and lasting change. It allows clients to work through their experiences in a way that traditional therapies may not always reach.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
If I could change one thing about the mental health industry, it would be the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Although we’ve made progress, especially post-COVID, where younger generations are more aware of anxiety and mental health, there’s still a long way to go. Stigma can prevent people from seeking help and diminish the validity of their experiences.
Additionally, I believe we need to shift the way we approach mental health and physical health. Currently, there’s a divide where anything “below the neck” is often relegated to general medicine, while everything “above the neck” falls to psychiatry. This separation is problematic because our bodies operate as an interconnected system. When one part is misfiring, it has ripple effects throughout the entire body.
Clients, clinicians and doctors need a better understanding of how our nervous system influences our overall well-being. Everyone should have access to knowledge about how our bodies function and how emotional and physical health are one and the same. This knowledge can help prevent individuals from maladaptively blaming themselves for issues that are an instinctive survival response hardwired over millennia. Reflexes are out of our control.
By fostering a more holistic view of health and reducing stigma, we can create a more supportive environment for healing.
Where do I see myself 10 years from now?
In ten years, I see myself continuing to deepen my impact in the field of mental health through Sota Psychotherapy, building on my experience with EMDR and other therapeutic modalities. I will ceaselessly work to reduce stigma and promote psychoeducation around mental health and the interconnectedness of physical and emotional well-being.
I hope to be involved in training and mentoring new therapists, sharing the insights I’ve gained from both my academic background and personal experiences. I’d like to be involved in a broader dialogue about the importance of understanding our nervous systems and how that knowledge can empower clients to take charge of their healing. My goal is to foster a more compassionate and informed mental and general health landscape, where everyone feels empowered to seek help and understands the complexity of their experiences.
Ultimately, I want to continue making a meaningful difference in people’s lives, helping clients find freedom from the patterns that hold them back, and creating a more supportive environment for mental health.
Read more from Daniela D Sota
