Somatic Psychotherapy

Talk therapy can be helpful in analyzing thoughts and emotions but keeps us tense and reactive in our nervous systems, often coloring the way we see and relate to ourselves and the world. Many of our personal stories and traumas live in our cells and tissues, bringing tension and dis-regulation to the body and mind, Without mindful awareness, emotional holding patterns and defensive strategies get reinforced, resulting in physical, mental, and emotional distress.

Somatic psychotherapy’s primary focus is on the awareness of the mind-body connection. It stems from the understanding that once we connect to sensations and feelings held in the body, the nervous system can begin to unwind and release tension and unconsciously held patterns. As we expand our capacity to tolerate experience and sensation, we create space for awareness and curiosity to grow. Our ability to relate to our pain and trauma changes. Our sense of suffering and reactivity decreases and our level of comfort and ease increases, both personally and collectively. We become less reactive and more responsible, gaining a more intimate understanding of why we do what we do, and we learn how to respond in ways that help us maintain a sense of inner connection, balance, and equanimity.

What To Expect

In our sessions, I meet you where you are. I listen for the core issues and track your body and breath, gathering information about your psyche, your emotions, and your nervous system’s response to stress. My interest is in the present moment, helping you to keep attention on whatever is arising, be it thought, feeling, or emotion, so we know how to best approach the issue and learn what is most needed for healing.
We can’t heal what we are unwilling to acknowledge. One of my main tasks is helping you turn toward those harder, more stuck, more reactive places inside you by holding your attention there long enough to uncover what is being held. It is from here that you begin to move toward the next steps necessary to take you toward total health.

Drawing from my skills in western psychology, somatic intervention, and yoga therapy I will help you gain a thorough, integrated, and well-informed understanding of who you are at your most authentic and what you most need to thrive.