Services
What is mind-body Psychotherapy?
Mind-body psychotherapy, otherwise known as Somatic Psychotherapy, is a therapeutic approach that works with all parts of a client, both mind and body to achieve the most effective results. When therapy is limited to just cognitive awareness and discussion, clients can gain insight into their lives and become more self aware. However, there frequently is a sense that something is missing and a deeper approach is needed to achieve full relief. Mind-body psychotherapy is that approach.
Core Elements of This Approach:
It is more experiential than analytical.
For real change to take place it is not enough just to “know” something. Your body and brain need to feel this new truth on a tangible and experiential level. For example, if a child frequently didn’t feel safe in their home, even if as an adult they now “know” that they are safe, some part of them might still always feel unsafe. Through working on a mind-body level, we can help them, in real time, experience a new sense of safety and begin to rewrite how they feel in their body and the world.We work from the inside-out instead of the outside-in.
With plain talk therapy, sessions are limited to whatever is brought up by the conscious awareness of the client. However, frequently there are important issues or memories that have been forgotten or suppressed that are not easily accessible by one’s conscious awareness. Through helping clients “drop” into their body, they can access the full range of information needed for their healing.There is a focus on the nervous system and its integral role in mental and emotional health.
After one has processed a past trauma or painful event intellectually, they still might not find much actual relief. This is because their nervous system is still affected by what happened and cognitive processing doesn’t address the language of the nervous system. By working on an embodied, mindful and experiential level we can help the nervous system move from anxiety, hyper alertness or shut down to balance, resiliency, and health.See below the sections of psychotherapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing and Couples Counseling to read about the proven and effective techniques I use to help clients achieve the results their hoping for.
Areas of specialization
- Developmental and attachment trauma
- Stress, anxiety, and hyperalertness
- Depression
- PTSD and Complex-PTSD
- Couples Counseling
- Sexuality and intimacy
- Compulsively and addictive tendencies
- Balancing individuation and family or religious messages
- Chronic fatigue or emotional numbness
- Psychedelic guidance and integration services
Psychotherapy is the process of exploring and working through any issues, traumas, or struggles that are holding you back from optimal emotional and mental health. During this process you will gain insight into the various layers that are contributing to your struggles and how you can begin facing them and healing them.
Therapy allows for that which has been pushed away, not been processed, or left in the realm of the unconscious to make its way to the conscious and be worked through. This amazing process leaves one finally feeling more whole, present, and free.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is an amazing opportunity to experience the full depth and power of mind-body healing. Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle light touch technique that can help balance a client’s nervous system, help clients connect to themselves more deeply, and help the body and psyche heal whatever is needed at the time.
Working with the Craniosacral rhythm is very effective for working with trauma, stress and anxiety. This process helps the nervous system unwind from tension or experiences that it is holding onto and allows clients to finally experience feeling present, calm and grounded.
In addition, our conscious awareness is limited in what it remembers or is aware of. This limits how deeply we can heal with just talk therapy alone. Thankfully, the cells of our body hold a memory of our emotions and experiences. Through Craniosacral therapy, this deeper “body memory” can be accessed and healed.
Somatic Experiencing and EMDR
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is a highly effective technique for working with developmental trauma and trauma in general. SE is an approach that honors the nervous system and works therapeutically on the mind-body level.
Attachment Focused – EMDR is another highly effective modality for healing trauma on a core level that can achieve tangible and lasting change.
Couples Counseling:
Our romantic relationships play a key role in our lives and wellbeing. When they aren’t working well it can affect us profoundly in all areas of our lives. Influenced by the PACT model for couples counseling (Stan Tatkin), Imago therapy (Harville Hendrix) and Emotional Focused Therapy (Sue Johnson) I take a holistic approach towards couples counseling.
This approach includes a deep understanding of childhood wounding and attachment dynamics, communication styles, fight, flight and freeze responses as well as intimacy and sexuality.