Coming home to the body…
Many of the patterns that impact our mental and emotional health stem from stress and trauma that gets stuck in the body. We live in a culture that keeps us overstimulated, overwhelmed and over-focused on productivity. We learn to disconnect from our bodies to survive.
Your body may get stuck in anxiety, anger, or control. Your body may get stuck in depression, collapse, or helplessness. Your body may cycle back and forth. And, you can’t think our way out of it.
Thanks to neuroplasticity, we have the ability to repattern the mind body connection. We can reprocess painful experiences from the past so we are more open in the present. We can widen our tolerance for the full range of human emotions and experiences.
“And I said to my body softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’
It took a long breath and replied,
‘I have been waiting my whole life for this.’”
— Nayyirah Waheed
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic Therapy is an experiential approach to therapy that works at bridging the mind and the body for deeper lasting change. While there is talking and verbal processing in sessions, there is also tracking, movement and breath.
Somatic therapy is great for clients who are stressed, anxious, and/or depressed and want to learn tools to regulate their nervous systems and process deeper emotions. It’s also great for clients who have a history of early childhood trauma or emotional neglect who would like to reprocess those past experiences so they are no longer showing up as intensely in the present.
I have training in somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory, parts work, attachment-focused EMDR, ecotherapy, and trauma-informed yoga. I like to work collaboratively with clients to help them reconnect to the natural rhythms of the body and a sense of inner guidance. We build bridges of connection to your body, sense of self, relationships, and the earth.
“When your felt sense of a situation changes, you change -
and, therefore, so does your life.”
― Eugene Gendlin
Sessions may include…
Creating Sacred Space
We start with what you love, explore your gifts, and help you carve out space and time for a routine of body awareness.
Widening Compassion for Pain
We practice focusing and titration exercises to build compassionate awareness of pain and the movement of emotion.
Grounding & Resourcing
We explore grounding techniques, visualization, and tapping in resources to widen tolerance for rest and support.
Reprocessing & Transforming
We move through present and past experiences to re-pattern our reactions and find a sense of resolution.
Nervous System Regulation
We learn about stress cycles, how to track the autonomic nervous system, and tools for regulating back into safety and connection.
Honoring Cycles
We listen to messages of the body, trust it to heal itself, and honor it’s natural rhythms and cycles with ritual and expression.
