therapy services

We, at our core, are compassionate, curious, and connected beings. When trauma happens, associated emotions and beliefs are stored differently within us as “parts” that make up our internal family system. It may be comprised of critical parts, perfectionist parts, wounded parts, and painful emotions such as guilt, anger, shame, or self-loathing. They are often in conflict with each other and with our core self. Though seemingly unforgiving and relentless, these parts are protective in nature and trying their best to help us.
 
We’ll identify and honor your internal parts, explore how they function with one another, examine how they have derived from childhood traumas and cultural beliefs to become stuck as burdens imposing on your core self. Then, by liberating them from their roles, as part of this transformational therapy, we’ll turn them into powerful allies to restore trust in your core self, helping you find harmony and balance within.

Our eye positions correlate with unconscious, emotional experiences, and our brain associates certain eye positions with traumatic memory and emotional reaction. Often referred to as 'the new and improved EMDR', Brainspotting involves tapping into the connection between the mid brain, which is responsible for eye movement, and the deep brain that regulates emotion, mood, and body, to process trauma. By identifying spots in an individual’s visual field that are connected to buried emotions and memories in parts of the brain that are not accessed through most types of therapy, an individual can access trapped trauma, quickly process it, release it from the body, and “reset” the brain’s memory of a particular trauma to lessen its burden. 
 
We’ll track your eye movement to find an eye position that triggers the physical and emotional memory of an issue and hone in on the feelings emerging from the spot where you are “stuck” or activated. We’ll engage your innate ability to heal and release unresolved experiences so they no longer manifest in harmful ways. By activating the natural healing ability of the deep brain, we’ll work to switch off the cognitive brain and reset it to release the negative effects of trauma and reveal new insights and a higher sense of connection to your core self.   

Our trauma responses are automatic and stored in the body. They originate in the nervous system and happen unconsciously. Symptoms can be both mental and physical. Somatic therapy is a body-centered practice that works from the premise that mind and body are intimately connected – that thoughts, emotions, and sensations influence one another. Rather than focusing exclusively on thoughts or emotions associated with a traumatic event, somatic experiencing includes natural bodily (somatic) responses in trauma processing. Somatic experiencing is rooted in feelings and sensations in the body and encourages self-regulation of the nervous system.
 
We’ll engage in mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to connect directly with the autonomic nervous system to understand how your trauma impacts you physically. Shifts in posture, changes in breathing, fidgeting, facial expressions, and hand gestures are all examples of physical responses to trauma stored in the subconscious that may be observed. We’ll focus on regulating intense memories and emotions and restoring a sense of agency between body and mind. Somatic techniques are designed to help you embody a sense of safety, learn ways to calm and regulate your nervous system, redirect bodily energy, and enhance emotional resiliency.

Our need to foster deep connections is innate, for we are relational beings not biologically designed to be alone. How we “attached” with our parents and caregivers as a child impacts our relationships later in life. Feeling safe in our connections to others is vital to our ability to form meaningful, healthy bonds. Childhood attachment wounds manifest in our adult relationships in various ways affecting how we manage vulnerability and relate to loved ones.  
 
We’ll tap into the bonds that developed between you and your early caregivers and formative relationships and explore these events to discover how your attachment style is impacting current relationships. Through deep introspection and “re-parenting,” we’ll work to resolve unwanted feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that hinder a secure self.