Your sensations, emotions and intuition are sacred guides.

Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that recognizes that trauma, stress, and other emotional issues can manifest in the body as physical symptoms. As a licensed mental health counselor and a somatic experiencing practitioner, I blend traditional talk therapy with a somatic approach, paying attention to not only what the mind has to say, but also diving into how the body communicates.

A somatic approach focuses on:

• Mind-Body integration, helping us feel more connected on the inside, leading to more connection and engagement in our lives and with others.

• Techniques that build body awareness and greater capacity for tolerating and exploring physical sensations, helping build security, self-trust, resilience and comfort.

• Exploring places that feel stuck, while maintaining strong connection to resources so that we don’t get overwhelmed or end up reinforcing the unhelpful patterns.

• Going at a slower pace to curiously explore signals from the body, and disrupt automatic patterns in the mind and body that contribute to daily suffering.

This is therapy that helps us break free from the cycle of automatic reactions that were created at a time of necessity, though are no longer needed to keep us safe. It also keeps a solid focus on the present. And to create real and steady change, we need to both address underlying issues that often relate to the past, while offering immediate, manageable steps towards feeling more empowered and capable in the present.

A key understanding of my approach is that it’s never too late to create feelings of safety and stability.

Positive healing experiences within the therapeutic relationship enhance feeling safe and secure, as does feeling more capable and comfortable in our own bodies. Somatic therapy can help us trust ourselves and our instincts, leading to feeling more in control and resilient.

People often report that they cognitively know they are safe, but that their bodies continue to feel a sense of danger, vigilance, fearfulness, and overwhelm, long after the threat is gone. This is because trauma gets stuck in the body. And it’s not enough just to tell our body we are safe. We have to learn and experience safety on the body level to truly find a sense of security, ease, and comfort.

As we begin our work together..

We start with a casual conversation about what intentions you have for our work, what might be getting in the way of what you want, and how we will know when you reach your end goal. From there we will build a flexible plan to support you and check in along the way, making adjustments as we go.

I offer a flexible approach to help best address unique needs through a variety of support including present moment reprocessing work and trauma release, intuitive movement, inner child work, education, mindfulness, and grounding exercises, all while helping create new neural pathways of safety and connection.

I’m your steady guide, who is here to collaborate and support you, while you build more confidence and trust in your own capabilities.