Philosophy
Are you having late night ruminations? Is your anxiety hitting the roof? Do you find yourself wishing you were somewhere—or someone—else? You may feel trapped in the past and anxious or uncertain about the future, unable to live in the present moment.
Maybe you’re not sure where these feelings are coming from, but nevertheless feel bogged down, listless. This malaise of modern living is not always, but often, a sign of a past trauma, or a constellation of traumatic events. I work to help you uncover these experiences that might be keeping you from living a full and zestful life. Often this means revisiting the trauma for the very first time. In therapy with me you’ll explore the feelings that arise in your body, and notice their links to negative thoughts. By revealing and untangling these connections, and integrating EMDR and EFT—two body-based techniques—you can get to a place where trauma no longer influences or even ruins your experience of life today.
My primary focus is with women and parents, particularly those with a history of trauma, whether that stems from medical issues, an accident, or physical or sexual abuse. Often these individuals ask themselves what they’ve done to deserve this; they feel victimized, helpless, hopeless, or worthless. All of this can be remedied by working through the trauma in a safe way. I strive to empower survivors, and particularly women, to change the way they think about themselves and their lives. You might feel wrapped up in your past, or the destructive stories you tell yourself. But you have a choice: once you start to take dominion of the mind, you’ll be able to choose a new and more positive narrative, to look at your life through a different lens.
Practice
In over twenty years working as a psychotherapist, I’ve come to hold two truths as essential to healing. Clients need me to see the full depth, breadth, and intensity of their suffering. At the same time, no one is in need of being fixed. Rather, each person is already whole, perfect and complete—even if we forget this at times.
I don’t do anything to or for you; rather, I support you in taking leadership of your own healing. I won’t judge you. Through my training in Nonviolent Communication, I’ve learned to move beyond right/wrong, good/bad, all/nothing thinking. I help you consciously observe judgment if and when it does arise, while always maintaining the option to simply not judge or rate every experience.
Everything we do is done with your consent. I may hold the map, but you’re at the helm. I’m not diagnostic. I interpret only with your permission, and urge you to take my interpretations lightly. Diagnoses can limit the humanity and breadth of your suffering, and it can limit the process of healing. Instead of telling you what’s wrong, I help you listen to your own moment to moment experience in your body. By gently inclining the mind toward observing these sensations, you can find ways in which your body already guides you, lets you know what’s working and what isn’t. I also offer practical tools for daily living. Sometimes a shift in diet, or mindfulness movement like yoga, can effect drastic and positive change.
Many years ago, when I was first trained in psychodynamic therapy, I was taught to adhere to the mind/body split. Over the years I’ve moved toward a more holistic and integrated approach. Today I practice body-based methods, such as yoga and meditation; whole foods nutrition, plant-based nutrition, and herbal remedies; and my work with EFT and EMDR also strives to bring together the spheres of body and mind.
Many people think of the therapist as someone who knows more than they do, who’s further along on the healing path. On the contrary, I’d argue that my humanity—faults and foibles included—allows me to relate on a deep level. My own experiences with grief and the dark night of the soul have informed and strengthened my practice. By looking inward in a deep way and struggling to find compassion for myself, I have become a better therapist. I know what it means to extract meaning from the most horrific experience, to turn burden into blessing.
Both professionally and personally, I have experience working with international, transracial, and domestic adoption. I also have experience working with parents with children with medical issues and disabilities. For many years I worked as a massage therapist and in physical therapy, with individuals with acute and chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, strokes, cerebral palsy, diabetes, post-surgery, chronic back conditions. I also worked with pregnant women, and have experience with sports massage and other wellness issues.