To witness another is a sacred gift. I am here to support you to see and honor yourself.
Therapy is a tailored relationship to assist you with gaining insight about yourself, in the service of becoming the best version of you. I'm interested in helping you feel more present and at ease in the world. I'm curious about investigating patterns that no longer serve your sense of purpose. I like to follow images and body sensations to uncover deeper memories and desires that may be running your reality undetected. I'm here to accompany your experience of yourself however that wants to show up. My role is to assist you with having experiences outside of expired self definitions or conditioned expectations that don't suit you anymore. Who are you when you aren't doing anything, when you're simply being? Who are you underneath whatever pattern or behavior you are wishing to change?
What does a typical process look like?
A process is as long as a piece of string, and something that we weave together. I tend to take a more active role in assisting you with identifying goals and guiding you to learn more about yourself through a deepening of what appears on the surface of your consciousness. There is no typical process, but I usually see a client for a good year, and recommend weekly or regular sessions to maintain the momentum of the work. Therapy functions by creating a designated landmark for your psyche to reveal itself. I incorporate a variety of modalities, including interdisciplinary/expressive arts and ritual interventions, to customize the nature of the work with you. As an artist, I draw upon the imaginal realm to develop creative experiments both within and outside of sessional space. Ultimately, the client always holds the reins on how we proceed.
“We don’t solve our problems. We grow bigger than them.” - C.G. Jung
I offer suggestions based on what organically rises in the room. That occurs as visualizations inside a container of focused attention, as well as somatic investigation into the meaning of a gesture or tension in the body. It can also appear as experiential invitations, such as writing, visual, or poetic prompts, to explore outside of our meeting time. I also encourage any dreams, fantasies, or spontaneous images to be untangled together. I resonate with the concepts of ritual and reciprocity, and find that creating a tangible symbol or ceremony is a way to cement and expand your exploration. The idea is that what is essential often lies at the edge of our awareness, so turning to symbolic or somatic representation is a way to interface with this core material that plain insight often doesn't budge or reach.
Who comes and what framework holds the space?
I meet with individuals and couples.
I am involved in a somatic training modality known as Hakomi, which is a present centered approach that uses feedback from the body coupled with missing attachment experiences within a space of mindfulness. Centered on Buddhist philosophy, Hakomi establishes a great faith in our natural movement towards wholeness and resolution. For a larger understanding of the loveliness and depth of Hakomi, please read an interview with its founder, Ron Kurtz, here.
I am drawn to working with artists, or those in creative fields, who wish to unfurl blockages and understand the true thrust of their work. I feel comfortable with assisting people in discovering and piecing together their life's purpose. I specialize as well in supporting those with terminal or chronic illness, and those who identify as highly sensitive or empaths. I often explore and help people metabolize histories of sexual trauma, including childhood sexual abuse.
While Hakomi includes the use of touch, I have expanded that to involve work on a massage table to complement talk therapy, using a combination of craniosacral therapy and energy based practices. Touch is the foundation of all attachment, a survival need without which, I believe, longstanding healing and transformation cannot fully occur.
As a client, we go over your history with touch, and identify what safe touch feels like to you. Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a biomechanical and biodynamic form of bodywork that entails a series of light holds from the feet to the head. CST works directly with the nervous system to activate a restorative, parasympathetic state in which the body can balance itself. Some experience this as an assisted nap. Others report a more spacious kind of mindfulness. Table work is always clothed, consensual, and optional.
My study of embodiment practices and trauma resolution would be incomplete without an understanding of sexuality. I am trained in the Somatica method, which is an experiential sex and intimacy coaching. Rooted in embracing our desires and committing to repair and vulnerability, Somatica is a cutting edge approach to having the hottest sex you’ve always wanted, and to connecting more deeply to yourself and your partner. Hint: this is not about “spicing” up your sex life, but rather finding out what turns you on and learning how to ask for it. Find out more about their philosophy as well as read some great articles on relationships and sex on their website.
Healing our nervous systems does not stop at our navel point. There are several key nerves that innervate through our genitals, and when we are blocked sexually, the nervous system is also prevented from its natural flow throughout the entire body. I work with people to inhabit their bodies and claim a fuller aliveness for themselves. My specialty in the realm of sex and relationships is in sacred partnership and in holding a polarity framework with the masculine and feminine.
The foundation of sovereignty lies in taking responsibility for your emotional state: that means knowing how to regulate your nervous system.
What is a Marriage and Family Therapist?
I earned a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, which is an accredited school devoted to depth psychotherapy. I started seeing clients in 2011, and have been in private practice since 2017. The professional license covers expertise in relationship issues, personal insight, and the treatment of mental health. I am not qualified to prescribe medication. My license is #115646.
Where?
Now serving all of California online.