“Your mind is a reservoir of potential; your heart an ocean of strength; your soul a well of talents; and your body a vessel of power.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
As a therapist, I will be fully present and engaged, listening and responding to you in a curious, nonjudgmental manner. I will create an environment that enables you to feel safe, so that you may develop trust and can feel heard and seen. I will help you develop tools to live in the present moment more fully and will assist you in identifying and shifting core beliefs that no longer serve you.
I consider myself a therapist who integrates mind, body, spirit approaches. These include: somatic approaches, mindfulness, the physical practice of yoga, breath work, internal family systems, and EMDR. I help clients learn to live in the present moment more fully so they can be in the here and now.
Somatic approaches, mindfulness and yoga will assist you in deepening your connection to your body so that you can sense and be with the these experiences whether they be sensations, emotions, or thoughts without judgment or without becoming overwhelmed by them. Yoga, breath work, and mindfulness also assist you in resourcing, grounding, regulating your nervous system, and increasing your window of tolerance so you experience feelings of being calm and being capable while also being with emotions, sensations and thoughts without judgment or feelings of overwhelm. This enables you to have more agency so you are less reactive and can allow the emotions and thoughts to flow through you so you can be in the here and now. I can help you to develop self care routines that support your well being, whether that be breath practices, asana practices, healthy diet and water intake, healthy sleep, meditation practices, journaling, art tools, being in nature, etc.
During traumatic events and childhood attachment trauma, the brain is not able to fully integrate these experiences and these experiences get lodged in the body as sensations and emotions and in the brain as unhelpful belief systems about self and the world. When we experience something in the present moment that reminds us of the past, the neural pathways in the brain that were active in the past get activated in the present moment and we feel what we felt when we were young or when we were traumatized. EMDR and internal family systems assist you in processing traumatic experiences so they are less distressing and link the past memories to the present moment sensations of being safe and capable of caring for yourself. EMDR and internal family systems actually rewire the brain and integrate fragmented experiences that the brain and body were not able to fully process at the time of the event. The goal of this approach is to help you to feel balanced and whole, so that you can live in the here and now and be fully present in this moment and not be in the past or the future.
Types of Issues Treated
- Anxiety, managing life stresses
- Chronic pain
- Individuals seeking to develop self care routines
- Individuals seeking tools for somatic body awareness
- Individuals seeking to process and heal single case incident traumas (like a car accident), developmental trauma, sexual abuse, or negative beliefs about self with EMDR
Treatment Tools (all are evidence based and research shows that these modalities lead to healing and not just symptom management)
- Yoga Asana practice
- Breathing practices
- Mindfulness practices
- Internal Family Systems informed / Parts Work
- Somatic practices
- EMDR
To schedule an appointment or to learn more about my services, please email allison@blossomingheartcounseling.com or 503-880-7190