Overcome your past, heal in the present, live the future you want.

“Trauma” can mean many different things. The major events that we usually associate with the term, like assault, abuse, bullying or a natural disaster, create understandable distress and impact on your sense of safety, self-worth, and trust in others. And so often, there are more “invisible” experiences, such as early attachment loss, shaming and dismissive relational patterns, and racial and familial messages in our environments that create more subtle impacts to our sense of self, our communication style, and our relationship patterns.

It’s not what happened to you as much as how your mind and body processed the events that influences the ways that these events and experiences affect us even years and decades later, at times. The hurt parts of yourself - and the ways they learned to protect you - may keep driving your emotions, behaviors, your coping and your ability to trust and relate to others openly.

It is possible to break free from the pain and burdens of your past to live as you choose authentically today, rather than continuing to be constrained by past events and experiences. As we connect the past to the present, it opens up a whole world of possibility.

I incorporate trauma-informed interventions that work from the inside out:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR focuses on healing trauma through thinking about aspects of traumatic events while experiencing bilateral stimulation - usually eye movements - in a manner that reduces the vividness and distress associated with the traumatic memories. Learn more here: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

Brainspotting: Brainspotting is a therapeutic tool using a “brain spot” or single focus of the eyes and attention as you process and release traumatic emotion and experiences that have become stuck in the body, creating neurobiological healing. Learn more here:  https://brainspotting.com/about-brainspotting/what-is-brainspotting/

Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS conceives of all of as having inner Parts that sometimes hold extreme roles in the service of protecting us from the pain of wounded parts of our experiences. Through getting to know these valuable parts, we are able to release some of the ways that we cope that may no longer serve us as we heal. Learn more here: https://ifs-institute.com

Do you find yourself living with stress and anxiety daily? Feeling stretched to your limits trying to meet other’s expectations and needs? Those demands may come from bosses or colleagues, your partner or kids, and even the messages we get from society at large. Somehow your own needs, sense of self, or even awareness of who you are - separate from the roles you serve - may have gotten lost. You’ve come to ignore or invalidate your own feelings or needs, and when you do take time for yourself, you feel guilty. You may be going through a transition in your life where roles are changing, throwing you off balance, unsure what still brings meaning or purpose for you.

Too many women struggle with confidence or decisiveness in their life, attuned to the emotions and needs of others but you may be less so of yourself. It can be hard to set boundaries for yourself or say “no” in ways that protect your peace and self-worth. You crave the approval of others and want to feel better about yourself, yet sometimes those needs seem at odds with one another. Does the idea of breaking free from some of the “rules” or expectations you may have for yourself sound freeing, but scary?

I get it.

You want change, real change. Understanding the roots of these beliefs, your relationship patterns, and where you may have gathered the messages for how you feel about yourself are invaluable… For creating change where you want it in your life, and for accepting the parts of yourself that you’ve had trouble feeling kindness toward. You want to be seen, accepted and valued for who you truly are by those in your life.

You need more than just symptom relief to live free and authentically you.