We all have a story, a history, a whole inventory of experiences that inform our understanding of how we got to be who and where we are now in our lives.  Because we come into this world hard-wired for connection, we also have a basic universal need to be seen, to be heard and to feel like we matter.  As a therapist whose roots are firmly planted in my psychodynamic training, I am deeply interested in hearing how you believe your experiences shaped you and the meaning that you have ascribed to your successes, your struggles and the things that have happened to you along your journey.

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Not everyone comes into therapy with a coherent, organized narrative, however. So sometimes the work is putting the pieces together and collaborating with each other to recognize patterns and to make sense out of how your past plays a role in your present.  Then there are others who enter therapy so attached to their narrative that they have come to believe that their story defines them or that their history is a blueprint for what they can expect from their future.  In either case, there are parts of the story that you have come to tell yourself that are likely based on self-limiting beliefs that were influenced by messages that you got from people that mattered to you. These are the beliefs that often show up in how you do relationships, including friendships, marriages and parenting. Our work is then focused on how to shift out of a place of self-judgment, anger, or shame and into the energies of compassion, forgiveness, and worthiness.

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As a human being who has devoted my career to the treatment of trauma, I am reminded on a daily basis that one simply cannot be alive and not be exposed to trauma.  This is not to say that all traumatic experiences are created equal.  While any trauma can interfere with one’s capacity to feel the joy that is each of ours’ birthright, there are vast differences between the impact of the misfortune or hardship in everyday life and that which comes from unspeakable harm or abuse.  The reality is that you do not have control over much of what comes your way in life….but you do have choices about how you think, feel and respond.  Our work is an opportunity for us to develop a safe enough relationship in which we can explore your vulnerabilities, harness your strengths, and use your experiences as openings to growth.

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While traditional talk therapy has it’s merits, it also has its’ limitations.  For therapy to be truly effective, I believe that we need to pay just as much attention to what is happening in your body as to the goings on in your mind.  There is tremendous wisdom in your body.  I feel a responsibility to help you learn how to notice when your nervous system is activated and what you can do to calm it down.  I am trained and certified in a number of body-centered practices, such as LifeForce Yoga, Reiki, Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Integrative Energy Technique (IET), that we can incorporate into our work together.  My goal is to give you tools that you can use to support your own healing.