Somatic Psychotherapy

Somatic psychotherapy uses mindfulness to support a gradual, clear understanding and integration of the past and present self. Integration, here, means one redefines one’s relationship with one or more aspects of the self that have been pushed aside, consciously or otherwise. The application of mindfulness in this approach is to keep the client’s mind steady and aware of sensations and feelings in the body while exploring present thoughts and past memories. Fundamentally, the client engages in an active study of themselves with all of themselves–not just the brain and not just with words.

Our Work Together

At a high level, what are the aims of our work together?

Mindfulness is first and foremost. We will engage in both an active development of a mindful practice in your life while gradually applying it to gain new perspectives of yourself. In examining limiting patterns in your present life that cause anxiety, stress, conflict, or paralysis, we will mindfully come to see the roots of these patterns. As we carefully examine the roots, we also come to transform our self-image that stems from these roots.

We will work together actively, in person, applying mindful techniques and you will learn approaches of your own you will apply outside of our time together.

What sets our work apart from other places or people you may go to to receive counseling or more formal therapy?

Attention, compassion, understanding, and invitation founded on a body-centered approach.

Attention is what we work with. When attention is mindful, it is able to see the thoughts and feelings in the mind and body more clearly. When attention is held with compassion, it is able to develop understanding. When each action taken is done with an invitation first, it creates room for mindful attention.

Mindfulness plays a large role in our work. As we strengthen your mindful practice, you grow your conscious ability to notice what’s happening inside you and be with it with growing peace. Healing takes time, intention, and effort. Truly, it means learning what self-compassion actually looks like and practicing it. This happens in real-time as we work together and on your own time between our sessions as you learn new tools and techniques to practice with yourself.

Our work together is holistic.

However old you are, consider that you’ve spent that many years building a way of thinking and doing. If something doesn’t feel right inside and hasn’t for some time, it likely took many years to develop, often without awareness or, at least, without a clear way of being with it. If you haven’t already, let today mark the beginning of a new path. Let each day hold a small movement or decision toward self-compassion; 1% more courage in your life; 1% closer to greater ease; 1% more toward grace with change. This is a life long journey.

What does healing mean to you? What does it look like?

Whatever approaches to healing you have explored or may be in the process of exploring, the mindful approach can enhance or accompany your discoveries. It is, in a word, intimate. To be mindful is to practice knowing yourself deeply. To honor this, I ask you to take some time to understand what, inside you, you are intent on healing and what you envision for a future-you who has experienced healing.

Objectives and Outcomes:

• Transformation in how you see and hold old memories and patterns
• Integration and acceptance of parts of yourself that create conflict or suffering
• Develop a new sense possibility and opportunity
• Solidify your sense of wholeness and home within yourself
• Practice and learn applications for different breathing techniques for release, for healing, for calming/grounding, and, of course, for mindfulness
• Explore questions about meditation and mindfulness as these apply to your healing process, spirituality, and related philosophies
• Work with and learn new approaches to obstacles that arise, both spiritually and in life

I use various elements from somatic psychotherapy and proven mindfulness techniques to guide your self-study during our time together.

Arc of Our Work

The arc we will follow together based on meeting once a week looks like this:

1. Alignment: Understand your definitions of “mindfulness” and “healing” and what they look like to you
2. Building Brave Space: Establish a unique flow and style of interaction that allows you to find a brave space to open and close as you need to
3. Mindful Foundation: Introduce mindful techniques we apply together and that you work on separately to connect more deeply with the mind and body
4. Growing Self: Discover new insight, new ways of seeing yourself, and deepen your mind/body relationship
5. Checking In: I’ll occasionally send check-ins between our sessions together
6. Our Future: As you find regularity or balance in your practice, we may choose to change our format together

Tip: Remember CALM

In mindful work, I offer a simple system to reset and remind us to come back from the thinking, doing mind that’s often either in action or vegetation. I call this system “Remember CALM”:

• Remember to practice mindfulness–to de-identify with your thoughts and to turn the wandering, thinking, doing mind back to the self. This is called sati in Buddhism.
• C is for Compassion. This is a practice in and of itself: learn to see your actions and thoughts with less and less judgment and attachment (attachment is also its own little world of things we’ll explore).
• A is for Alertness. Ensure your mind is awake and that there is energy to keep you from falling asleep when you are practicing mindfulness. But sometimes, we just need a nap!
• L is for Listening. Focus your attention, again and again, on the breath and the body, and notice sensations and thoughts that come and go.
• M is for Moment. Be in the moment. Practice letting go of thoughts when you remember to be mindful. Practice not following thoughts. Practice listening. When I sit for meditation, and often during my working day, I’ll say to myself “Let go. Don’t follow. Focus on the breath.”

Rates & Payment

We’ll discuss fees for our work together, but I like to be up front and set expectations. So, here’s what you’ll need to know:

Session Rate: Individual sessions are provided at a rate of $220 USD and range from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. This allows for both the spiritual work as well as the emotional and psychological work that may arise.