Why Psychotherapy?
Early in life we learn to fit in. We want to feel loved, accepted and safe -- to feel we belong. We learn to disconnect from our deepest selves due to the limitations of human relationships and repeated experiences of being hurt. Our needs and feelings often get buried in unhealthy patterns of mind, body and behavior in an attempt to adapt to situations that were too difficult to absorb and integrate.
I work in an active and collaborative way to help people understand and feel safe enough to experience what has been previously too painful or unconscious. The therapeutic relationship illuminates relational patterns that make it possible to understand why these emotions had to be buried in the first place. Together, our therapy provides an opportunity to transform the important developmental injuries that continue to disrupt our lives. Because the focus is on the present, on people's current lives, there is an immediate sense of relief, confidence and freedom.
The self is repaired by creating an environment of insight, compassion and emotional fluidity. With safety established, emotions naturally emerge and are now a source of vitality and information rather than a source of anxiety, depression, shame or self-blame. The capacity to feel happy and fully alive is restored. This process catalyzes evolving changes that continue long after treatment has ended, sustaining a lasting impact on our lives.
My Approach to Therapy
My practice blends Psychodynamic Therapy, mindfulness and somatics. The Psychodynamic approach draws upon the the client/therapist relationship to reveal our conscious and unconscious mental and emotional patterns. These patterns shape our personality, motivations and interpersonal dynamics.
Through mindful attention, we enable a curious and non-judgmental perspective to illuminate the flow of internal experience. The internal focus brings us into the sensations in our bodies, home to all of our feelings. The access to the body allows the release of buried emotions that have been avoided and frozen in time, causing our suffering.
This release restores us to a feeling of liberation and confidence.
My specialties are working with individual adults struggling with anxiety, depression and trauma. This may include self-critical thoughts and sabotaging behaviors, unworthiness and shame, strained relationships, identity, purpose, loneliness and overwhelm. Together we identify the emotional blocks and destructive thinking that are constantly sabotaging your efforts to feel better. Loosening the grip on these emotional patterns helps to stimulate your innate healing capacities, allowing you to make the powerful changes you've been longing for.
