Trauma

This is not your traditional talk therapy. As a specialist in trauma and other stress disorders, I take an innovative, holistic approach to therapy and trauma resolution. As an Assistant for the Somatic Experiencing Institute, I teach other clinicians how to bring effective trauma treatment into their own practices.

As a licensed psychotherapist trained in Somatic Experiencing, NARM, EMDR and Brainspotting,

I’m not interested in putting band-aids on things – I work with you to get to the root of the issue – for good. We only go as fast as you want to go to get there. From there, I help you go from surviving to thriving, living life with passion and purpose.

When working to heal stress and trauma, we are often told to “re-tell our story” but this can feel utterly terrifying or downright overwhelming, depending on what we’re trying to heal.

Trauma does not exist in the event itself, it exists in the body and nervous system.

I’m not interested in putting band-aids on things – I work with you to get to the root of the issue – for good. We only go as fast as you want to go to get there. From there, I help you go from surviving to thriving, living life with passion and purpose.

Trauma does not exist in the event itself, it exists in the body and nervous system.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, there may be stuck stress or trauma patterns in your body:

I weave Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, EMDR, family systems, clinical aromatherapy, canine-assisted psychotherapy and mindfulness practices into my relational and transpersonal approach to psychotherapy. Many of my clients have been through significant amounts of treatment already to very little avail and are needing an innovative approach to therapy in order to truly heal.

Through Somatic Experiencing,

a profoundly life-changing, body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders, my clients consistently find a deeper flow, safety, and wholeness they have often never before experienced in their lives. From this place of regulation, connectedness and integration, you can reach your full potential in any area of your life. It is like a fine-tooth comb for stress and trauma that forms the foundation of my work.

A few facts about renegotiating stuck stress and trauma in the body:

You Don’t Have to Re-live It to Heal It

In the Somatic Experiencing approach, the traumatic event isn’t what caused the trauma, it is the body and brain’s overwhelmed response to a perceived life threat that creates an imbalanced nervous system. We will work together to help you access the body memory of the event, not the story. Simply put, we don’t have to talk about what happened if you don’t want to.

Cognitive-only (Talk) Therapies are Only Partially Effective

This is because the parts of the brain that are targeted in talk therapy and the parts of the brain and body involved in stress and trauma patterns are different. Accessing the parts of the brain involved in stress and trauma requires an innovative, bottom-up approach. Through research done on animals, Dr. Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing, discovered that animals are constantly under life-threatening stress yet show no signs of trauma. Humans have the same responses as other animals but it can get stuck in our bodies due to our powerful brains.

We Go Slow to Go Fast

We slowly release the energy, at a pace you are comfortable with and at a level you can handle. Through a gentle yet effective and rhythmic internal process, you will develop a greater capacity to handle stress and stay in the present moment. You will experience a sense of flow and ease in your life, often never before experienced.

I help you heal from an array of traumatic and stressful experiences including but not limited to:

Somatic Experiencing is one of the premier trauma trainings and treatment modalities in the world today. Clinicians are required to train for three years, unlike many other trauma treatment trainings that only require one three day training before letting clinicians practice that modality. The result is cohorts of clinicians who are deeply skilled, adept and competent at healing the roots of trauma.

EMDR

I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.

The American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment.

Brainspotting

Brainspotting locates points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. It gives us a tool to neurobiologically locate, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are usually out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.

Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body’s central nervous system. Brainspotting is a physiological tool and treatment that has profound psychological, emotional, and physical consequences.

Putting it all together...

In working with you over time, I will get to know you deeply and assess what the best treatment approach will be for our time together. I will create an individualized approach where I weave Somatic Experiencing, EMDR and Brainspotting together to best support your goals and needs. We will work collaboratively as well to go at a pace that feels supportive for you.