Embodied Connections

As a therapist, I am rooted in attachment- and somatic-based approaches.  I am informed by AEDP, Polyvagal Theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology.

It is important to me that, whatever the content of our work, our process unfolds at a pace that is sustainable for both of our nervous systems.

In our session together, this means I will slow us down often, checking in, pausing, noticing.  What is happening as you tell your story?  What responses do you sense in your body?  Your thoughts?  What images are you visualizing?  What else is here?  Who and what is here to support you?  I also offer the Safe & Sound Protocol as an additional tool for working with the nervous system.  Read more here.

Neurodiversity-Affirming

We are all wired differently, and for those of us who are neurodivergent, it can be overwhelming to navigate the stressors of a world that is not welcoming of our bodies. minds & nervous systems.  Whether via telehealth or in-person sessions, my intention is to foster full permission to take care of our embodied systems when we work together.  Full permission to stim and fidget, have multiple beverages, move & stretch, take a break from eye gaze, make no eye contact, swivel in the chair, rock, bounce, utilize non-verbal modes of communication & creativity.  Share your SPINs (special interests) with me, bring your infodumping!  Let this be a space to explore what it is to lean into autistic joy and neurodivergent empowerment.

Generative Listening

I am interested in collaborating with you to slow way down; pause in the unknown; ask questions that have no ready-made answers; listen for your deepest longings; sense the spark of support and generativity in the least likely places; delight in the glimmer of intelligences that are embodied, wild, dynamic, and alive.  ​​
There are practices that can help us with generative listening.  We all have the ability to enter into states of absorption, play, and flow. With gratitude to Stephen Gilligan's teachings on Generative Trance, I have cultivated my own style of tapping into generative flows.  Together we will explore what the entryways may be for you.  Perhaps it is visualization, centering, meditation, or devotional practices.  It could also be playing with sand, movement, or engaging intuitive arts.  Everyone's way is different.

Ancestral Tending

Most of our entrenched patterns and stumbling blocks did not begin with our individual lives.  Likewise, the roots of our greatest resiliencies and gifts extend from origins that we may not even fathom.  

​There is increasing discussion of intergenerational healing in our world today.  The violent legacies of of colonization, patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism are stored in our DNA and in the patterns of disconnection in our bodies, our peoples, and our relationships.  Part of our exploration together may be tending the web of ancestral connection, healing the ruptures that leave us feeling isolated and rootless.  We can explore and attend to these ruptures with care, and with help, so that the gifts of our connectedness can be received and reclaimed.

However, I also make space to take this even further. I suggested that we, as a species, are in need of a radical paradigm shift.  Our civilization has been built on the illusion that humans are somehow separate from "nature."  Nature is not some place "outside."  We are nature.  The human species is but one among vast communities of beings that come together to create the dynamic interconnected web known as Earth.  We are born of Earth. Earth is alive.  Earth is our primary attachment from whom all other attachments flow.