How I Work
When confronted with a stressful, challenging, or dangerous situation, our bodies and minds reach for any strategy to deal with it. And if it works—if we survive that situation—we'll unconsciously repeat that strategy again and again, even if it leads to more suffering.
These are complex responses that show up in your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and in your body and nervous system as well. As such, they require more than just insight or intellectual understanding to resolve. The work I do is focused on untangling these complex responses so you can process them on multiple levels and heal what’s lingering in your system.
My style is conversational and collaborative. I’ll ask questions and be engaged with you as we sift through what’s going on and how you’re feeling. I take a holistic approach, which means I attend to all aspects of your well-being, including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness. I know that context, cultural background, and relationship with systemic power all have tremendous bearing on your health, so we’ll look at those too.
Our first few sessions will be focused on getting a picture of what you’re grappling with, what you’d like to be different, and whether we’re a good fit. We’ll know that based on how it feels between us and whether the methods I use are appropriate or effective for the issues you’re facing. If we decide to work together, we’ll get more specific about your goals and talk about how the treatment I offer can get you there.
Many of the approaches I use are rooted in conventional talk therapy, but I will likely recommend at least one kind of experiential approach for more long-standing patterns or traumatic experiences. These approaches go beyond talking about content and instead help you have a different experience of that content during the session. Some experiential therapies I use are Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization (EMDR), as well as mindfulness practices.
In our work together, I might draw from:
Mindfulness - It may be a buzzword nowadays, but mindfulness is simply noticing and observing your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judging or reacting to them. It’s key in therapy because you can’t change or relate differently to what’s outside of your awareness or what’s engulfing you completely.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - Where did you learn what you think and how you respond to things? What hidden beliefs do you have that are perpetuating your problems? CBT involves examining your automatic narratives and behaviors, how they’re contributing to your struggles, and how you might challenge or reconstruct them.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Each of us has inner “parts” that can be in harmony or conflict. We already refer to these parts in casual language (“Part of me feels glad but another part feels nervous…”), and IFS helps you build relationships with these parts so you have more choice in how you respond to situations and show up in the world. IFS is effective for working with CPTSD or anything that feels like… well, that feels like it’s been a part of you for a long time.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Flash Technique - EMDR is one of the most widely-utilized therapies for treating PTSD and uses eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation) to help the brain and body process traumatic experiences. The Flash Technique is a newer innovation in EMDR that processes traumatic experiences without evoking any of the distress that accompanies these memories.
Somatic Psychotherapy - Somatic Psychotherapies, like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Hakomi, are approaches that focus on how our past experiences show up in the body. Paying attention and mindfully responding to sensations on a moment-by-moment basis helps the body process experiences on a physical level.
Neuroscience - Understanding how the brain and nervous system work is essential to decoding how your physiology is operating and reinforcing your patterns. Trauma treatment in particular requires knowledge of the neurobiological impact of traumatic experiences and what works to resolve them.
Attachment Theory - How we connect with others is shaped by our earliest relationships. Looking back on our family and other formative relationships explains much of how we relate to others now and the patterns we can fall into.