Neuroscientist
Therapist
Researcher
Somatic Psychotherapy
SO YOU CAN HEAL FROM TRAUMA, ONCE AND FOR ALL
I help people heal from stress and trauma, without spending years talking about it.
Photo: Derek Sears
A holistic approach
I am a neuroscientist and therapist and treat the effects of PTSD, complex trauma, parental narcissism and emotional immaturity on the body and brain at both the brain and nervous system levels but also the molecular levels for a truly holistic approach. You cannot think or talk your way out of trauma - I work directly with the entire body to retrain the brain and nervous system toward healing.
MY CLIENTS struggle LIKE YOU DO.
Despite being committed to growth, they’ve been in traditional talk therapy before and life is still harder than it needs to be. They are bright, big-hearted, hard-working, and strong-willed but often feel down, stressed, overwhelmed, and stuck in their repeated responses to life.
They have big goals and dreams but their struggles keep them from being consistent in reaching those goals and living the life they want. They can’t seem to find a way out of their struggles despite having seen countless specialists, doctors, and experts. They’ve tried medication and spent years in therapy, or in different trauma treatments.
At times, they can feel like they’re stuck on ON:
easily startled, racing thoughts that are difficult to control or turn off, struggling to relax and feeling flooded emotionally.
At times, they can feel like they’re stuck on OFF:
flat, lethargic, exhausted, foggy, and disconnected from their vitality
When people start their work with me, they often feel overwhelmed, frozen and foggy or stressed and angry. They find themselves repeating the same behaviors over and over again. They’ve started to feel hopeless about actually being able to heal.
They often say yes when they mean no. At times, they try to feel better through shopping, dead-end relationships, alcohol or other habits they aren’t proud of. They can feel irritable, upset, or triggered and at times don’t know the source of their strong emotions.
Their inability to get to the root of their struggles gets in the way of the life they want in so many ways. They feel like they’re failing to progress in their therapy and healing from stress and trauma. And their confidence in their ability to heal these issues is tanking.
Hi there! I’m a clinical and molecular neuroscientist, depth-oriented psychotherapist, somatic parts work coach and trauma resolution specialist and I’m here to help you find freedom from the effects of stress and trauma - once and for all - without spending years talking about it.
Very into: seeing Broadway shows in the West End (London), reading neuroscience research, art, traveling the world, reading fiction, dressing up for no reason and helping you (finally) come home to yourself after years of trauma and narcissistic abuse.
More about meBy application
Work with me is on an application basis only.
Applying does not guarantee you a spot to work with me nor does it commit you to working with me. It helps me see if you're ready for the work I provide and if your application is accepted, you'll be able to book a free 15 minute clarity call with me. Please apply below:
EDUCATION, RESEARCH and training
Education
Research
I conducted original research at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.
Academic publicationsI conducted my dissertation research in Dr. Susannah Pick’s Neurological Affective and Dissociative Symptoms (NEUROADS) Lab, examining interoceptive accuracy, confidence and state dissociation in Functional Neurological Disorder. I went on to serve as an Honorary Research Assistant in the lab.
I trained in molecular neuroscience in the Anthony Vernon Lab, a lab in neurodevelopmental disorders at King’s College London, using human induced pluripotent stem cell and molecular cell-line models to study the effects of psychotropic drugs on neurodevelopmental, immune and endocrine systems.
I trained in Dr. Alessandra Borsini’s lab at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, researching how inflammation and stress affect neurogenesis, and the effects of psychotropic, anti-inflammatory and nutrition-based treatments.
I am a co-author of “Somatic yoga therapy for functional neurological disorder: feasibility randomised controlled trial,” published in BJPsych Open in 2026.
I presented my research on interoceptive accuracy, confidence and state dissociation in Functional Neurological Disorder as first author at the 2026 Annual Meeting. The abstract was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry supplement.
I completed intensive laboratory training in PCR, ELISA, Western blot and flow cytometry.
Certifications and training
Licensed in California and Oregon.
Somatic Experiencing Institute.
NARM Training Institute. Complex PTSD, attachment-related and developmental trauma.
Advanced post-graduate training with Peter Levine, PhD. Assistant for Eye of the Needle trainings.
Ocular and bilateral eye movement methods for trauma resolution.
Somatic Trauma Coupling Dynamics.
Coaching certificate.
Clinical certificate.
Advanced post-graduate training.
Institute for Integrative Nutrition, New York.
The Shakti School. 300 hour level.
Dharma Yoga, New York. 500 and 800 hour levels.
In their words
WHAT CLIENTS SAY about working with Jenna
I got more out of 30 MINUTES with Jenna than I had in a year and a half of IFS therapy. I was able to process deeply rooted issues and core wounds that were keeping my toxic relationship pattern stuck.Gabrielle
I’m a therapist myself and I cannot BELIEVE the work I’ve done with Jenna and why it’s not more common- it’s that good. The way she works needs to be basic training for all therapists, period. It’s indispensable and I can see now how I was just putting band aids on everything before. I’m starting to make headway into very complicated physical and mental health issues that literally no doctor or therapist has been able to help me with before now.Michelle
After working with Jenna, I could only have dreamed of functioning at this level considering how much trauma I have. I used to not be able to get out of bed but also couldn't sleep, couldn't hold down a job and was constantly stressed about money. Now, not only did I thrive when I went back to work, I'm starting my own business and my anxiety about money has improved significantly.Carrie
MAJOR progress over the 5 years we’ve worked together: got fully sober, able to have healthy relationships now, graduated college, got a job in her desired field, got into grad school in her desired field. I learned to engage in therapy in a real meaningful way individuated from my emotionally immature mother after years of trauma symptoms and addiction.Lucy
I can't recommend working with Jenna more highly. Apart from her exceptional experience, her depth of knowledge (both academic and practical), she brings a breadth of vision that is rare in this field; combining an underlying spiritual practice and foundation, with a profound understanding of the body's physiology, the working of the nervous system; an enormously strong grounding in an up-to-date understanding of trauma and attachment. If this wasn't enough she brings to it a sensitivity and lightness of touch, that enables one to go to vulnerable and dark places and a genuinely loving, connected, compassionate and kind presence.John
I cannot thank you enough. I always felt like a kid pretending to be an adult and now I finally feel like I'm an adult at 44! I finally know what I have to offer this world because of the work with you it's changed me so much. I was never allowed to be who I was and was bullied so badly if I showed any confidence.Harry
Since working with Jenna I have noticed small but important victories in my external life - finding it easier and easier to vocalise my needs, to set my boundaries, to communicate with my family of origin safely, without feeling threatened by them and to feel increasingly more at home in my body and in the present moment. If I had to find one word, it would be "freedom" - working with Jenna has allowed me to let go of so much of my weighty past. I feel free, I feel light and I can now experience so much more joy in my daily life and in my body and give space to it.Paige
Despite a lot of talk therapy, mindfulness practice and other healing modalities throughout my life, before starting Somatic Embodiment work with Jenna, I was feeling lost, disconnected, anxious, lethargic with a persistent kind of low-level depression and low self-esteem. I struggled to recognise my own needs, to set boundaries and to feel safe in my own body. I can notice now how much of a positive impact this work has had on me.Arthur
I'm starting to recognize just how selfish being a martyr actually is, as well as the importance of being able to acknowledge both my privilege AND my pain/struggles. I'm learning how important it is to be present with my pain and struggles despite everything I am grateful for in my life. That it doesn't have to be one or the other because BOTH are part of my reality. And if I try to ignore my pain "bc I have it easier than others or so much to be grateful for" the pain just communicates more loudly & intensely.Kim
Frequency
I work with clients on a weekly basis only. Slots are typically available between 6-11 am PT / 9-2 ET / 1-7 pm BST GMT+1 / 2-8 pm Europe/GMT+2. All sessions are virtual.
These slots are for people who want to be immersed in this work and heal their life, for good, navigate the long term effects of traumatic events, PTSD, childhood trauma or having had a narcissistic or personality disordered or otherwise mentally ill parent.
I've seen people transform their lives when they're willing and able to commit to 1-2 years of work or more, especially if attempting to heal complex developmental or relational trauma. It's crucial for anyone considering this work with me to be fully aware of this commitment both emotionally and financially.
Specialization
As a licensed therapist, neuroscientist, coach and researcher with a specialty in the intersection of the brain, nervous system and immune system, I regularly support clients with "treatment-resistant" complex trauma and chronic illness, autoimmunity and other medical issues that doctors have a hard time figuring out or they've sent you to a psychologist because they don't understand the way the body and brain communicate at the molecular and interoceptive levels.
I am also a specialist in the interoceptive retraining of the brain or the brain-body communication system that keeps people locked in the same cycles despite years of self help work. We work through the way the brain and body are storing complex trauma from the molecular level (I often refer to functional medicine for lab work and will support you with holistic health protocols), through the nervous system to your daily behaviors.
I also specialize in stabilizing clients with severe dissociative disorders and am actively involved in research on dissociation and functional neurological disorder.
For a complete list of my training and education please visit my about page here.
My typical client has not been helped by 10-20+ years of therapy and works with me to finally make deep, lasting change.
Insurance and fees
My current fee is $300 per 50 minute session. I am out of network for insurance and can provide a superbill for reimbursement for clients residing in California and Oregon. For all others, superbills are not available. For my psychology today profile, please click here.
Please note: I do not accept clients with borderline or narcissistic personality disorder, psychosis, active addiction or who aren't committed to abstaining from substances even recreationally in order to make progress.
If the person who pays for your treatment is also the same person who is or has been abusive to you, please consider an alternative route of payment so your work is not interrupted due to your healing.
Meet Jenna
NEUROSCIENTIST, THERAPIST and researcher
I’ve owned Bend Trauma Therapy since 2020 and have been treating trauma since 2011. I love the outdoors, great (gluten free) food, and exploring all that Bend has to offer with my Great Pyrenees dog, Lennon. A few of my guilty pleasures include Yellowstone, Jack Ryan, fantasy fiction, Outlander and solo dance parties. Life’s too short!
With a private practice online and somatic skill-building groups for people around the world, I LOVE my job and I LOVE helping and connecting with YOU. I love my work because I’ve been through my own destructive habits and trauma. The kind-hearted people that helped me were like guides in the night, walking with me every step of the way. Once I knew what that felt like, I knew I wanted to be that person for others, whenever I could. When I found somatic therapy, it changed my life more than anything I’d ever experienced, even after years of talk therapy. It lights me up every day to share that work with you and help you feel better too – for good this time.
Before opening my private practice, I was a primary therapist at one of the premier wilderness therapy companies in the world. Our clinical outcomes were 30% higher than the industry average. Spending years in that role taught me how to be highly effective, dynamic and creative in getting to the root of the issue, all while applying it to primitive living in the wilderness. I’ve also been a parent coach since 2015, helping parents be more effective at such an important job – raising emotionally healthy and resilient kids.
My wilderness clients were clinically complex adolescents and young adults who had a history of acute and long-term trauma and other co-occurring struggles and disorders. I guided families out of acute psychological crises. My priority is and always has been, helping the entire family heal- each person needs to do their work. Many clients I worked with were at the end of their rope – wondering if they’d ever get better after years of therapy. They did heal-they just needed more innovative, creative and dynamic treatment.
During graduate school in San Francisco, I taught yoga full time. I have been devoted to a daily mindfulness practice since 2011. My personal journey started with grief and loss, which cracked my heart open enough for yoga and therapy to step in and change my life.
As my teacher Sri Dharma Mittra reminds us, “it is not you that requires Enlightenment, it is the mind.”
I am committed to connecting to this wholeness – and helping others connect to theirs as well. The greatest lie we can ever be told is that we are not already whole.
Overwhelming and traumatic life circumstances can sometimes make us forget that we’re still whole . Through my life’s work, I aim to help my students and clients find freedom from stress and trauma.
Experience
I was a Primary Therapist for one of the premier wilderness therapy companies in the world, with clinical outcomes 30% higher than the industry average. I treated adolescents aged 13-17 and young adults 18+ through their proven treatment model of whole-health and applied it to primitive living in the wilderness, free of distractions, and rich with metaphor. This experience consisted of backpacking and primitive living skills, coupled with personalized clinical treatment and individualized and group therapy. I tailored every client’s treatment plan to their unique needs and history.
I worked with clinically complex adolescents and young adults who had a history of acute or long-term trauma, grief, and insecure or disorganized attachment styles. I also worked specifically with trauma resolution by helping facilitate positive changes in the physiological states of depression and anxiety. My clients tended to be bright, strong-willed, and big-hearted but presented with depression, anxiety, suicidality/ideation and PTSD. They often felt overwhelmed and shut down due to difficult life events and family dynamics. I weaved Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, family systems, clinical aromatherapy, canine-assisted psychotherapy and mindfulness practices into my relational and transpersonal approach to psychotherapy. Many of my clients had been through significant amounts of treatment already to very little avail and were needing an innovative approach to therapy in order to truly heal.
Professional Memberships
- USABP, US Association for Body Psychotherapy
- CAMFT, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
- British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience.
Bend, Oregon
IN-PERSON intensives
Like my clients, you deserve to feel calm, present and connected to yourself. Having a peaceful, easy relationship to your feelings and being symptom-free is not out of reach. If you want to heal from the symptoms of stress and trauma, I’d love to help you get there.
Apply now.
Life can be more than this.
I can help.
