Trauma is our emotional response to a stressful or dangerous event that has become imprinted in the physical body, nervous system and psyche. In other words, it’s a wounding. There are many different degrees of trauma – from acute one-time events like a car accident, a fall, or an assault, to chronic ongoing and complex developmental traumas, such as emotional and physical abuse, neglect, bullying, discrimination, loss and disease. When unprocessed, trauma can affect every aspect of our lives, from the way we feel, to how we behave and what we think about ourselves and others. The body can become stuck in defensive survival strategies that become the filter for how we live day to day and see the world, preventing the body from relaxing and feeling safe. Over time, unprocessed emotion can show up as prolonged physical pain, overwhelming emotional responses, numbness, dissociation, depression/anxiety, and even disease.

Because trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens inside of us as a result, it is important for us to tend to the leftover wounding. As many of my clients discover through talk therapy, it is often not enough to talk about what happened to you. By attuning directly to the body and autonomic nervous system in real time, we can access the traumatic imprints as they’re happening and assist the body in naturally resolving the incomplete, stuck defensive strategies. Then, with added and practiced internal resourcing and the accessing and reprogramming of limited belief systems associated with the traumatic imprints, we can safely and effectively rewire the brain and retune the nervous system to support the natural functioning of your mammalian body wired for connection and healthy attachment.

This work may be beneficial for you if you have experienced talk therapy and are finding that it’s not quite enough to tap into the trauma that you are dealing with, and are wanting more effective, lasting results. You may be in the midst of navigating a major life challenge, blockage, and/or disconnection from yourself. You may be a chronic over-thinker, a perfectionist, and/or experiencing chronic anxiety and indecision. You may just simply want a safe space to slow down in to listen to what your body has to say. While extraordinarily gentle and slow in practice, this work is intimate and can go deep quickly, and often involves being with discomfort. It is best to show up curious and ready to engage in your own healing process. What this looks and feels like to you individually is the true beauty and discovery.

Both in-person and online sessions are extremely powerful and effective. In-person sessions involve physical touch (with permission)—specifically neurosomatic point-holding that helps stabilize the nervous system as we access traumatic imprints. While online sessions do not involve the physical point-holding, the use of mirroring and verbal dialoging of body sensations and belief sessions can trigger beautiful somatic releases and integrations of traumatic imprints. Online sessions are often ideal for clients who live far away, for regular clients who are continuing their work long term and have practice accessing their physical sensations, emotions and thoughts, and also for those on a lower budget. I personally have had profound experiences over Zoom that have exceeded my expectations, and feel confident about offering this work virtually.