Approach
Body
Heart
Mind
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
- Maya Angelou
Body
Heart
Mind
Relational
Sharing our stories while being safely held in the presence of another brings a new kind of insight through direct experience. At the forefront of my work is the quality of the relationship that I offer to those I work with. I lead with listening and offer a relationally-attuned, fully embodied, and heart-centered approach in which your needs and values determine the direction that our work together will take.
Conversational
Let's be honest: therapy IS conversation. It is simply two people in a compassionate environment talking about things that matter. I approach our time together with a "beginner's mind" - recognizing my role as both the observer and listener of your story in knowing that we, as individuals are far greater than our past experiences.
However, the words contained within the narratives we often tell ourselves and others have an incredibly powerful impact on our ability to heal. Therapy offers a vantage point to bear witness to these narratives that block the inner wisdom of our mind and body. The clearing away of these self-limiting beliefs creates the healing space necessary to reclaim your authentic voice in a way that is genuinely self-serving to the person you are becoming.
It is in the telling of our stories that heals.
Yet when we tell our stories, we also FEEL our stories
Somatic-Experiential
Often times, traditional talk methods that emphasize analysis and behavior modification may leave us feeling even more "stuck." This is why I offer a somatic psychodynamic approach that emphasizes the development of body awareness to support each person in their growth and healing.
Body awareness involves understanding the meaning of our internal physical sensations and expressing them as emotions. Without this awareness, we may become overwhelmed by extreme emotional states that make us react from a threatened state (fight/flight), or shut down from a disconnected state (freeze/fawn). Both alert the nervous system that "I am not safe." The part of our brain that makes the assessment of safety or threat, however, speaks through the language of sensation and movement.
Through the use of body-based approaches, we learn specific mindfulness techniques to support our ability to self-regulate emotions and behavior when challenges or tragedies arise.