Embark on a Healing Journey
Transform Your Life
Healing Trauma
As an EMDRIA-certified therapist, I am qualified to treat C-PTSD, PTSD, and trauma. EMDRIA certification ensures therapists have met the highest standards of training and practice, guaranteeing you a safe and effective therapeutic experience.
Did you know that the majority of mental health diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety, are rooted in unresolved trauma? By addressing the root cause of these issues, we can significantly reduce or even eliminate these co-occurring disorders.
Together, we can:
- Process past trauma and release its hold on your present
- Develop healthy coping skills to navigate life's challenges with resilience
- Cultivate mindfulness and find inner peace
Managing Emotions
I am highly trained and experienced at teaching individuals and therapists DBT skills. This evidence-based therapy is specifically designed to help individuals manage intense emotions, improve interpersonal relationships, and regulate their behavior. By choosing a licensed DBT therapist, you can be confident that you're receiving high-quality, evidence-based treatment from a qualified professional.
Expertise
- Complex PTSD
- PTSD
- Trauma
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Dual Diagnosis
- Impulse Control
- Relationships
- Self Esteem
- Boundaries
- Co-dependency
- Women's Issues
- Coping Skills
Practices
EMDR Therapy
Internal Family Systems IFS
Internal Family Systems IFS
Are you struggling with the lasting effects of trauma?
EMDR Therapy is a highly effective therapeutic approach that helps individuals process and heal from trauma and PTSD. As an advanced EMDR therapist, I have dedicated my career to guiding countless individuals on their journey toward recovery from complex PTSD.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR i
Are you struggling with the lasting effects of trauma?
EMDR Therapy is a highly effective therapeutic approach that helps individuals process and heal from trauma and PTSD. As an advanced EMDR therapist, I have dedicated my career to guiding countless individuals on their journey toward recovery from complex PTSD.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR involves using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to help the brain process and reprocess traumatic memories. This process can help individuals:
- Reduce distressing symptoms: Anxiety, depression, nightmares, and flashbacks.
- Improve emotional regulation: Develop effective coping mechanisms and manage emotions more effectively.
- Enhance self-esteem: Rebuild a sense of self-worth and confidence.
As an advanced EMDR practitioner, I have specialized training and experience in working with individuals who have experienced complex trauma, including:
- Childhood trauma
- Abuse
- Military trauma
- First Responders
- Natural disasters
- Accidents
If you are ready to take the first step toward healing from complex PTSD, I invite you to schedule a consultation. Together, we can explore how EMDR can help you find relief and reclaim your life.
Internal Family Systems IFS
Internal Family Systems IFS
Internal Family Systems IFS
Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a transformative perspective on the human mind, viewing it not as a singular entity but as a collection of distinct "parts." These internal parts, encompassing our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs, develop as adaptive responses to life's experiences and are neither inherently good nor bad. S
Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a transformative perspective on the human mind, viewing it not as a singular entity but as a collection of distinct "parts." These internal parts, encompassing our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs, develop as adaptive responses to life's experiences and are neither inherently good nor bad. Some parts take on protective roles, acting as "managers" to maintain control or "firefighters" reacting intensely to perceived threats. Other parts, known as "exiles," carry the weight of difficult past experiences and associated emotions like sadness, fear, or shame.
At the core of this internal "family" resides the "Self," the essence of our being characterized by qualities such as compassion, curiosity, calmness, clarity, courage, connection, creativity, and confidence. The Self is the natural leader of our internal system, possessing innate wisdom and a capacity for healing. However, traumatic experiences can disrupt this internal harmony, causing the part that experienced the trauma to become "stuck" in time, carrying the intense emotions and beliefs from that period. This can lead to the development of protective mechanisms that, while initially helpful, may become maladaptive in the present.
Often, the parts holding the pain of trauma are the most vulnerable, leading to feelings of shame and attempts to suppress or disconnect from them. This internal disconnection can foster feelings of inadequacy and the belief of not being "enough." For instance, a child experiencing inconsistent care may internalize this as a reflection of their own worth, developing negative core beliefs. IFS offers a compassionate approach to these wounded parts, aiming to understand their positive intent rather than eliminate them. When integrated with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, IFS provides a powerful pathway for healing trauma by fostering inner safety, understanding traumatic memories, providing needed support to "stuck" parts, facilitating the release of burdens, and strengthening Self-leadership.
- Preparation and Stabilization: IFS aids in identifying and understanding trauma-activated parts, fostering inner safety for EMDR processing.
- Accessing and Understanding Traumatic Memories: IFS offers a framework for compassionate understanding of the perspectives and emotions held within traumatic memories during EMDR.
- Providing What Was Needed: IFS enables conscious connection with "stuck" parts, offering the love, support, connection, and validation that were lacking during the traumatic event.
- Unburdening and Transformation: As EMDR processes traumatic memories, IFS facilitates the release of burdens carried by parts, allowing them to adopt healthier roles.
- Strengthening Self-Leadership: IFS cultivates connection with the Self, empowering individuals to lead their internal system with compassion and wisdom.
Somatic Therapy
Internal Family Systems IFS
Polyvagal Therapy
Welcome to a Path of Embodied Healing
Are you experiencing persistent physical discomfort like tension, headaches, neck or shoulder pain, joint stiffness, teeth grinding, or digestive issues such as stomach aches, nausea, and vomiting? Do you notice your heart racing or feel your blood pressure elevated? These physical symptoms can often
Welcome to a Path of Embodied Healing
Are you experiencing persistent physical discomfort like tension, headaches, neck or shoulder pain, joint stiffness, teeth grinding, or digestive issues such as stomach aches, nausea, and vomiting? Do you notice your heart racing or feel your blood pressure elevated? These physical symptoms can often be the body's way of communicating unresolved emotional experiences, trauma, and stress that have been pushed aside or "shoved down."
When we consciously or unconsciously avoid unwanted memories, feelings, and body sensations, these experiences don't simply disappear. Instead, they can become trapped within our physical being, manifesting as a wide range of somatic symptoms. These can also be common physical expressions of anxiety, including muscle tension, rapid breathing, dizziness, sweating, and digestive upset.
Understanding Somatic Healing
Somatic healing, also known as somatic therapy or somatic work, recognizes the profound connection between the mind and body in the healing process. It emphasizes that our physical body holds a wealth of information about our past experiences, particularly those that have been overwhelming or traumatic.4Instead of solely focusing on cognitive understanding, somatic approaches work directly with the body to release stored tension, emotions, and trauma.
Our Approach: Integrating EMDR and Somatic Practices
At our practice, we understand the intricate link between emotional and physical well-being. We offer a holistic approach to trauma healing that often integrates Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with various somatic healing exercises and techniques.
- EMDR Therapy: While EMDR is primarily known for processing traumatic memories, it also has a powerful impact on somatic symptoms. By facilitating the reprocessing of distressing events, EMDR can help to release the physical tension and discomfort associated with those memories.
- Somatic Healing Exercises: We incorporate a range of somatic practices designed to help you reconnect with your body, increase awareness of physical sensations, and safely release stored tension and emotions. These exercises may include:
- Body Awareness Techniques: Cultivating mindful attention to physical sensations without judgment.
- Movement and Dance Therapy: Utilizing expressive movement to explore and release emotions held in the body.
- Breathwork: Employing specific breathing patterns to regulate the nervous system and release tension.
- Grounding Techniques: Practices that help you feel present and connected to your body and the earth, reducing feelings of anxiety and dissociation.
- Somatic Experiencing®: A body-oriented approach that helps resolve the physiological impact of trauma by tracking and releasing sensations in a safe and gradual way.
Targeting Somatic Symptoms for Lasting Relief
Our goal is to help you address the root causes of your physical symptoms by working directly with the body's innate capacity for healing. By integrating EMDR and somatic healing practices, we can help you:
- Release chronic muscle tension and pain.
- Alleviate headaches and migraines.
- Reduce digestive distress and other gastrointestinal issues.13
- Calm heart palpitations and regulate blood pressure.
- Lessen the physical manifestations of anxiety.14
- Re-establish a sense of safety and connection within your body.
- Move towards greater emotional and physical well-being.
If you're experiencing persistent physical symptoms that you suspect may be linked to past experiences or ongoing stress, we invite you to explore how our somatic-informed approach to trauma therapy can help you find lasting relief and a deeper connection to your own body's wisdom. Take the first step towards embodied healing today.
Polyvagal Therapy
Polyvagal Therapy
Understanding Your Nervous System and the Path to Safety: Polyvagal Theory
Have you ever wondered why certain situations or interactions trigger specific physical and emotional responses within you? Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, offers a groundbreaking understanding of how our autonomic nervous system – the system that
Understanding Your Nervous System and the Path to Safety: Polyvagal Theory
Have you ever wondered why certain situations or interactions trigger specific physical and emotional responses within you? Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, offers a groundbreaking understanding of how our autonomic nervous system – the system that governs involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion – profoundly influences our sense of safety, connection, and overall well-being, especially in the context of trauma.
Beyond "Fight or Flight": The Three Pathways of Your Autonomic Nervous System
Traditional understanding often describes the autonomic nervous system as having two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the "fight or flight" response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (associated with "rest and digest"). Polyvagal Theory expands on this, revealing a more nuanced system with three distinct pathways that influence how we respond to stress and perceive safety:
- Ventral Vagal Complex (Social Engagement System): This is the newest and most evolved part of our autonomic nervous system. When the ventral vagal pathway is dominant, we feel safe, connected, and socially engaged. Our facial expressions are warm, our voice is prosodic (melodic), and we are open to connection and communication. This state promotes calmness, trust, and emotional regulation.
- Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight): This is the well-known survival response. When we perceive danger or threat, the sympathetic nervous system activates, preparing us to either fight off the threat or flee to safety. Physiologically, this can manifest as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, and heightened alertness. While crucial for survival, chronic activation of the sympathetic system can lead to anxiety, hypervigilance, and exhaustion.
- Dorsal Vagal Complex (Immobilization/Shutdown): This is the oldest part of our autonomic nervous system and is activated when we perceive a life-threatening situation where neither fight nor flight is a viable option. The dorsal vagal response can lead to a state of immobilization, characterized by a drop in heart rate and blood pressure, dissociation, numbing, and a sense of being "shut down." While a survival mechanism in extreme danger, prolonged dorsal vagal activation can contribute to feelings of depression, isolation, and chronic fatigue.
Activation and Deactivation: The Dynamic Dance of Your Nervous System
These three pathways are constantly interacting and influencing each other. Our nervous system is continuously scanning our environment and internal state for cues of safety and danger.
- Activation: Stressful situations, perceived threats, or reminders of past trauma can trigger the sympathetic nervous system or, in overwhelming situations, the dorsal vagal system.
- Deactivation: When we encounter cues of safety, connection, and predictability, the ventral vagal system can become dominant, downregulating the sympathetic and dorsal vagal responses, leading to feelings of calm and security.
Polyvagal Therapy: Cultivating Safety and Connection
Polyvagal-informed therapy utilizes the principles of Polyvagal Theory to help individuals understand their nervous system responses and learn how to consciously shift into a state of safety and social engagement. It recognizes that many trauma-related symptoms stem from a nervous system that is chronically in a state of hyperarousal (sympathetic dominance) or hypoarousal (dorsal vagal dominance).
Harnessing the Power of Polyvagal Exercises
A key aspect of Polyvagal-informed approaches involves using specific exercises to directly influence the vagus nerve – the primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, with significant influence on both the ventral and dorsal vagal pathways. These exercises aim to send "safety signals" to the nervous system, promoting a shift towards ventral vagal dominance and fostering a sense of calm, connection, and regulation.
Examples of Polyvagal exercises that can help induce relaxation, safety, and connection include:
- Slow, Deep Breathing: Rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and signals safety to the nervous system.
- Vocalization: Gentle humming, singing, or making soothing sounds can activate the vocal cords, which are connected to the vagus nerve.
- Mindful Movement: Gentle movements like rocking or swaying can help regulate the nervous system.
- Safe Social Engagement: Engaging in positive and supportive interactions with others can directly activate the ventral vagal system.
- Orienting to Safety Cues: Consciously noticing and focusing on safe and pleasant aspects of the environment can help downregulate threat responses.
Integrating Polyvagal Theory for Trauma Healing
By understanding Polyvagal Theory, we gain valuable insights into the physiological underpinnings of trauma responses. Our trauma-informed approach utilizes this knowledge to help you:
- Identify your own nervous system states: Learn to recognize the physical and emotional cues that indicate when your sympathetic or dorsal vagal systems are activated.
- Understand the adaptive nature of your responses: Recognize that even seemingly negative reactions were once survival mechanisms.
- Develop strategies to regulate your nervous system: Learn and practice Polyvagal exercises to consciously shift towards a state of safety and connection.
- Build resilience: Strengthen your capacity to navigate stress and return to a regulated state.
- Foster deeper connection with yourself and others: By promoting ventral vagal dominance, we can enhance our ability to engage in healthy relationships.
Our evidence-based trauma healing practices incorporate Polyvagal principles to help you move beyond survival mode and cultivate a felt sense of safety, connection, and well-being. Embark on a journey to understand your nervous system and unlock your innate capacity for healing.
DBT Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills provide a powerful framework for managing emotions, improving relationships, and reducing distress. As a experienced DBT therapist, I have helped countless individuals overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
What are DBT skills?
DBT skills are a set of techniques that focus on mindfulness, dist
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills provide a powerful framework for managing emotions, improving relationships, and reducing distress. As a experienced DBT therapist, I have helped countless individuals overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
What are DBT skills?
DBT skills are a set of techniques that focus on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills can be invaluable for individuals struggling with:
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Bipolar
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
By learning and practicing DBT skills, you can:
- Manage unwanted emotions: Reduce the impact of negative emotions that can hinder your progress.
- Improve relationships: Build stronger connections with others, fostering support and encouragement.
- Set and achieve goals: Develop effective strategies for goal setting and overcoming obstacles.
- Increase self-esteem: Boost your confidence and belief in your ability to manifest your dreams.
As a DBT therapist, I am committed to helping you develop the skills you need to create a life beyond your wildest dreams. I have personally experienced the transformative power of DBT and have trained countless clients and mental health professionals in these techniques.
Are you ready to unlock your full potential and manifest your desires? Let's work together to develop the DBT skills you need to succeed.
Mindfulness Teacher
Mindfulness and meditation have gained widespread recognition for their profound benefits on mental, emotional, and physical health. By cultivating present-moment awareness and reducing stress, these practices can enhance overall well-being and quality of life.
Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation:
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Mindfulness
Mindfulness and meditation have gained widespread recognition for their profound benefits on mental, emotional, and physical health. By cultivating present-moment awareness and reducing stress, these practices can enhance overall well-being and quality of life.
Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation:
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Mindfulness helps to calm the mind and body, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.
- Improved focus and concentration: Regular meditation can enhance attention span and cognitive function.
- Enhanced emotional regulation: Mindfulness can help individuals better manage emotions and cope with challenges.
- Improved sleep quality: Practicing mindfulness before bed can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
- Boosted immune system: Research suggests that mindfulness can strengthen the immune system, reducing susceptibility to illness.
- Increased self-awareness: Mindfulness helps individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
- Improved relationships: Mindfulness can enhance empathy, compassion, and communication skills, leading to stronger relationships.
As a dedicated practitioner of mindfulness and meditation for over 10 years, I have personally experienced the transformative power of these practices. I continue to reap the benefits of reduced stress, increased focus, and a greater sense of inner peace.
Are you ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and well-being? Let's explore the transformative power of mindfulness and meditation together.
