FAQs

What is ‘somatic' therapy?

Somatic refers to the intelligence of the body rather than the mind. Ultimately, there is a mind-body connection, all part of one system of knowing. But in Western culture the wisdom of the body has been minimized for centuries. Somatic therapy is part of a larger effort to reclaim the body’s wisdom — which is essential to processing trauma, hearing intuition, and stoking aliveness. See Philip Shepherd’s excellent work as an introduction: https://embodiedpresent.com/pages/philip-shepherd

What is ‘relational mindfulness’?

A range of techniques in which a practitioner helps another person remain and/or return to the present moment experience (e.g., the senses, body sensations, etc. that are present in this moment). Guided meditation is one form of relational mindfulness, which I sometimes use, but it’s also in the form of touch-supported counseling in which the client immerses more deeply into what is happening right now rather than the past or future.

What happens in a typical session?

Something I love about this work is that there really isn’t a “typical” session - but the building blocks include: identification of the client’s longing/wish to change, exploration of that longing within mindfulness and body-centered awareness, and the co-creation of new experiences — built on safety, connection, trust, space and play —  that will help connect the client more deeply to their own inner wisdom and sense of innate wholeness. 

What type of healing do you focus on?

My work is focused on what I broadly call "relational wounding," in which people are orienting to other people in ways reflecting past traumas and their wounds. Unknowingly, by bracing for these incidents to reoccur, we can limit the connection, intimacy, and joy possible in our relationships, while increasing the likelihood of re-experiencing similar painful dynamics again and again. This plays a key role in the loneliness epidemic which defines our current era -- and makes happiness quite elusive. 

How does touch play a role in your work?

Touch plays a central role in my work. When a baby cries, what does it want? If you tell it "you're safe," will that help? No, of course not -- the baby wants to be held and cared for. While we're not babies anymore, we're in those same bodies, with nervous systems that still depend on touch to be soothed and feel safe. 

The touch I use is rarely similar to massage -- it's slow, only done with consent, and more about emotional care and energetic support than your muscles or knots. It's perhaps most similar to craniosacral work. 

What if I’m not comfortable being touched?

That's totally ok! My method does not depend upon touch. I have helped many people over zoom or with an agreement not to use touch. Sometimes, as safety increases, the concern about touch decreases -- but I will never pressure you to receive touch and it is not required to work with me. I deeply understand the fears we rightly have about touch in a society in which touch is so consistently sexualized, abused, and used without true consent.  

You mentioned supporting psychedelic integration -- how does psychedelic assisted therapy work? 

The truth is that we are only just beginning to understand the healing process enabled by psychedelics in conjunction with therapy, and it's different with each substance and each person. But in general, it works by harnessing the opening power of certain substances to spark the innate healing intelligence of the human body and soul. This intelligence emerges in proportion to the safety of the container and the skill of a trusted sitter, therapist or guide to hold it and support the process. 

Does psychedelic assisted therapy really help people change or is it just getting high? What is integration?

Yes, it definitely can lead to long term change. Sometimes, this can result from a single journey. More commonly, people require a series of journeys to experience lasting change. Results are a function of a number of related factors: a client’s feeling of safety and trust with their practitioner,  their openness to experiencing discomfort as part of the process, their ability/desire to release some degree of control when feeling safe enough to do so, and perhaps most importantly, their commitment to integration work, in which the lessons and experience of the journey are intentionally brought into everyday life.