Pleased to meet you!

Ilona Spaar Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist | Somatic EMDR Practitioner | PhD

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME

My friends describe me as kind-hearted, passionate, and intuitive, while my clients often use words like warm, committed, and compassionate to characterize me.

A woman of many interests, I hold a PhD in the Humanities and have a past career background in History, Social Justice, Museum Education, Arts, Culture and Heritage. Driven by a natural curiosity about the world around me, I am especially interested in the intersection of health, science, spirituality, and nature, and how these areas come together to enhance healing and personal growth.

My cultural background is Swiss-Canadian, and I speak three languages. I deeply honor the traditional Indigenous lands I call home, the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, also known as Vancouver, BC, Canada. On these stunning lands, I live, learn, walk, and wonder with the utmost respect, care, and appreciation.

MY APPROACH

I provide a warm, open, and welcoming space where you will feel truly seen, heard, and understood at every step—just as I would want to be.

Every one of us holds extraordinary potential for growth and healing. I see my hypnotherapy services as support to help you recognize, cultivate, and strengthen this inherent potential. I don’t believe in using a single approach to address health challenges. Instead, I take a holistic, integrative perspective, considering all aspects of a person—physical, emotional, and spiritual—on the path to healing.

A strong client-therapist partnership is important to me. When there is a shared sense of trust, a strong intention, and great motivation from both the client and practitioner, remarkable changes can occur.


CREDENTIALS

I have been trained through The Academy of Clinical Hypnotherapy and hold accreditation from the Association of Registered Clinical Hypnotherapists of Canada. One of my areas of specialization is trauma processing through the body, mind, and soul. Trained by The Embody Lab, I am also a Certified Somatic EMDR Pracitioner. I am proud to call Sonja Tkachuk, Karen Powers, Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Dr. Scott Lyons, Kai Cheng Thom and Sergio Ocampo my teachers. I am also a certified guided meditation facilitator, allowing me to work in group settings. In addition, I am a graduate of the Three-Year Program of Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing by The Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

Certificate of completion from The Embody Lab awarded to Ilona Spaar on June 1, 2025, for completing the 60-hour Somatic EMDR therapy certificate program.
A promotional graphic for a trauma healing immersion event featuring four men, with a backdrop of a lake and mountains at sunset, and text details about the event including dates and speakers.
Certificate from The Embody Lab awarded to Ilona Spaar for completing a 30 hour Wisdom of Trauma Healing Immersion on October 25th, 2024.
Certificate from the Canadian Academy of Clinical Hypnotherapy dated May 7th, 2024, awarded to Ilona Spaar, a Guided Meditation Facilitator, with a red official stamp reading 'Certificate of Achievement'.

&