“It’s not that settling is good and activation is bad.
Your body needs to be able to do either one, based on the needs in the moment.
Ultimately, your body will learn to activate, or settle, or move back and forth
between the two as you need to, whenever you need to.”
-Resmaa Menakem

After almost 10 years in the field of clinical social work, I realized that there was a missing piece in traditional talk therapy, that piece was connecting with the body and our physical-emotional experience.  Enter somatic therapy as an embodied way to be present with emotional wounds.  Now 20 years into being a social worker and 12 years into integrating emotional and body-centered work, I am even more convinced that our bodies must be a part of how we heal.

**I have a strong passion for working with mixed race and bicultural folks as well as parents working to heal intergenerational patterns to shift the trajectory of their children's realities. 

Sessions are not your traditional talk therapy sessions although they may include conversation and naming shifts and insight.  

*Luna- a therapy dog who is with me on Tuesdays  (Luna generally greets clients and then either lays near you or rests near by offering what I like to refer to as "vibration therapy" (a.k.a. snoring).  Having a therapy dog present is believed to " reduce blood pressure, provide physical stimulation and assist with pain management. Social benefits {may include}  greater self-esteem and focused interaction" (www.therapydogs.com).

What does healing look like?
Healing is an ongoing process and I do not believe that any one of us is ever fully “healed”
and am not sure anymore if that is even the real goal.  “Healing” may look like:

Trusting your intuition, capacity and your body’s wisdom even during times of increased stress
Improved sleep 
Improved digestion
Decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression or trauma
Increased sense of choice
Increased ability to pause before reaction
Increased sense of Embodiment
Decreased pain/tension 
Increased ability to connect with others

How will I know if this is worth trying? 
Body-centered therapy is often a good fit if one of the following is true for you:

*you have done talk therapy a few times or for a long time and either find that that doesn’t work
for you or it’s worked but now you have hit a wall and feel stuck.
*you love your talk therapist but want to add somatic work- (Co-regulating touch can be a great addition to talk therapy)
*you struggle to find the words for what  are experiencing but have
a lot of headaches, belly difficulties and other physical responses to stress/emotions
 *you are curious about but feel disconnected from your body 
*you have chronic tension, pain or ongoing medical issues
​*you have an upcoming surgery or are recovering from a medical procedure
*you experience significant life events early on in their lives (neglect, abuse, immigration, caregiver limitations)
*you have or currently experience systemic oppression
*you believe that part of your experience is connected to intergenerational experiences
*you have been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety or PTSD


What might not make this a good fit right now? 
Body-centered therapy is often NOT a good fit for folks who:

*you are currently experiencing active suicidal ideation or homicidal ideation
or were recently discharged from a higher level of care
*you are not comfortable with or open to touch 
*you want a traditional talk therapy experience
*you do not currently have a stable/safe housing situation 


How long does treatment last?
There is not a hard and fast rule as this is not a protocol type of therapy.  It is unique to each person.  I generally recommend trying at least 4 sessions within a 1-2 months to see if you notice a benefit and if you do, we will collaboratively determine a frequency for your ongoing sessions.  Most people who do find this to be effective notice short-term shifts even after the first or second session but for the shifts to be more rooted, we will likely work together for 6 months or more with varied frequency.

Walk me through a session:  
When you arrive, I will offer you tea or water and we will settle into the seating area to check-in.  Before getting on the table, we will  connect about how you and your body are feeling noting any significant insights, experiences or sensations that may have occurred since we last met.  For initial sessions, we will also talk about your hopes for our sessions, your history (both emotional and body-centered) and anything else you want me to know before we start. 

We may during this check-in identify an intention or a question that you want to pose to your body.

When our check-in has finished (usually 5-10 min, a little longer the first session) I will have you lie down fully clothed (often taking shoes off feels good) on the table.  We will take some time figuring out what you might need to feel the most cozy and comfortable.  Options include positioning (face up, face down, side-lying or seated) heating the table, heating pads or rice bags on top of you, blankets, bolsters, and a weighted blanket.

Once you are cozy, your job is simply to be.  You do not need to breathe a certain way or try to relax or figure anything out.  You just get to be, just as you are.  Your body and the connection between our nervous systems through touch will do the work. All touch work is collaborative and consent is discussed at length.  It is okay and encouraged for you to acknowledge if you need us to stop or make adjustments.  

This work can be still and sometimes people fall asleep. And that is completely okay, this work is happening at a nervous system and body level and will happen awake or asleep.  Most people fall into a space between wake and sleep where there is space for new perspectives and shifts to occur.