Discovering Self in Relationship Connection is at the core of all human experience. We all share the need to be seen and understood. We long to belong and to experience ourselves within the context of loving, nurturing relationships. Sadly, childhood … Continue reading
Embracing the Mystery Carl Jung believed that disconnection from the deeper “Self” is the root cause of psychological distress. However, it is easy to over-identify with superficial aspects of ourselves and the world. In any therapeutic experience, we aim to … Continue reading
Explore The Satisfaction Cycle The satisfaction cycle is a concept that comes from Body Mind Centering (BMC) which was developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. This influential work in the field of somatic psychology proposes that our early learning of developmental … Continue reading
Enhance Embodiment in Trauma Treatment (Through the end of December 2018, you can order the EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology book directly from W. W. Norton at a 20% discount with free shipping. The coupon code is EMDRSP18 — Click … Continue reading
Reclaim the Life You Want to Live A common goal in therapy is to learn how to handle painful emotions skillfully. We refer to this as building distress tolerance. It is important to learn how to be with difficult feelings … Continue reading
Finding Freedom through Trauma Recovery This post discusses the therapeutic treatment of preverbal trauma. Sometimes the most persistent PTSD symptoms are connected to events for which you have no clear memory. This might be the case if you were told … Continue reading
Understanding Inner Conflict One of the biggest reasons that we do not achieve our goals in life (or in therapy) is because we have unresolved conflicts between different parts of ourselves. This isn’t meant to minimize legitimate barriers—such as poverty, … Continue reading
Connecting to the Earth Within somatic (body-centered) psychology, grounding refers to our ability to experience ourselves as embodied. Grounding refers to your ability to sense your body, feel your feet on the earth, and as a result calm your nervous … Continue reading
Empathy (or how to adjust your faucet…) Empathy is a key element of the work that I do. As a psychotherapist, I am literally trained to not only listen to another but to sense and feel their experience with them. … Continue reading
Mind and Body in Trauma Treatment Effective trauma treatment requires a holistic way of addressing cognitive, emotional, and somatic symptoms. Traditional therapy attends to the cognitive and emotional elements of traumatic experience, the somatic experience is often left out of … Continue reading