My Approach
Mind meets body,
body meets mind
A holistic approach to healing
My work is based on the premise that the mind and body are a unit, the mindbody unit. Healing can come in many forms, however, in my experience when both body and mind are considered, there is greater depth to healing.
My areas of expertise are Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Dance Movement Psychotherapy. I am also an Embodied Movement facilitator, and help guide groups and individuals to reconnect to the felt-sense of the body, release built-up tension, and find more space for joy and peace. (If you are interested in improving your mindbody connection, please see Somatic Movement Sessions.)
Together we create space for the parts of you that use logic and narrate to reconnect with the parts of you that sense and feel — so healing, understanding, and expression can happen in the whole of you, not just the mind.
What sets my work apart
Why the body matters in therapy
When insight isn't enough
So much of our emotional world happens below our neck. Traditional talk therapy works mostly through language and analysis, which can help you understand your wounds and patterns and where they came from. This insight can be incredibly healing — but this kind of rational thinking often isn't enough.
Pioneering mindbody psychologist Bessel van der Kolk helps us understand the key role of the body in healing trauma and finding self-regulation.
“Long after the actual event has passed, the brain may keep sending signals to the body to escape a threat that no longer exists.”
“Self-regulation depends on having a friendly relationship with your body. Without it you have to rely on external regulation — from medication, drugs like alcohol, constant reassurance, or compulsive compliance with the wishes of others.”
Many people can explain exactly why they feel the way they do and still feel stuck, because the body and nervous system hold experiences that words alone can't reach. I help you slow down and listen to sensation, movement, and breath as sources of insight and change.
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approaches in Therapy
Understanding the Differences
Both approaches offer valuable pathways to healing, but they operate in fundamentally different ways. There are many therapy modalities today, however, therapy usually prioritizes one of these two systems.
Top-Down
logical, verbal, narrative
↓
Uses your thinking brain to process experience
You work through your experiences with thoughts, words, and meaning-making.
e.g. CBT, DBT, and narrative-based therapies
Bottom-Up
sensory, somatic, embodied
↑
Starts with your body and nervous system
You work by becoming aware of breath and sensation. You use movement and body awareness as a pathway to changing emotive states.
e.g. somatic work, Dance Movement Therapy, and IFS
We function as a unit: a two-way highway where there is a constant flow of information between the mind and the body, body and mind. My work aims to integrate the two.
If you are curious, I'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch →