How I Work

There is still much to learn about the mind-body connection; but, one thing I know for sure is that healing cannot be fragmented. In my previous experience with Ayurveda, herbalism, and body work, I got a deep foundation of healing through hands-on work, and I learned how interconnected the mind and body are. For this reason, whether I’m practicing therapy, ayurveda, or other hands-on methods of healing, I work from a holistic perspective. What this means is that I help you look at all aspects of yourself, instead of focusing on fragmented parts like just your body, your diet, your mindset, or your emotions. With a more complete picture of yourself, you can have a deeper, more whole experience of healing.

What does this look like?

A good way to describe how I work is with the term somatic therapy. What does that mean?

To me, somatic therapy means finding ourselves at home inside the body. When we talk about our emotional experiences, we can often feel disconnected from the emotions themselves. Bringing the body into the experience by noticing what physical sensations we’re feeling allows us the opportunity to pause and to be with what is alive in the present moment. This then allows for the integration of wholeness. 

We hold a lot of information within the body. There is an intelligence that takes a cultivation of stillness and mindful awareness to access what is yearning to participate in the healing process. 

What can this look like?

In sessions, I might invite you to take a breath, take a quick mental scan of your body, and notice what physical sensations are present: tightness, spaciousness, warmth, a lump in the throat, etc. I might invite you to stay present to those sensations while continuing to share what you’re discussing. I might ask, “what is it like in your body right now when you are telling me this story?” or “what sensations arise within you when this emotion is activated?”  I might offer that you bring your attention fully to your physical sensations to identify what stories might be underlying them (eg. I notice a tightness in my chest because I feel angry at my partner). We then follow those threads, knowing these threads weave the tapestry of our experience.

Somatic therapy will look different to each unique person, and I will meet you where you are. Sometimes it looks subtle and small, like offering pause and breath; or, it could look big and loud and powerful. I often offer self-touch: inviting your own hands and body to participate in cultivating sensation and comfort by asking if it would feel comforting to place your hands on your heart or other part of your body to learn to self-soothe and regulate yourself. 

There is something to be remembered, discovered, connected when we include the body’s knowing into the verbal intellectual knowing. Somatic therapy creates a bridge between the mind and the body.

Ready to take the next step or unsure if therapy is for you? Contact me for a free consultation.