InnerWild Counsel
The cycles of overwhelm, internalized aggression, and self-abandonment are not solitary experiences - they happen as complex responses to trauma, stress, depression, grief, and disconnect, even to success and expansion. Whether you are struggling with addiction or any challenging life pattern, the impulse to escape the present moment can influence a painful cycle of suffering.
My work is centered around the sacred, cathartic, and restorative process of embodied creativity in the natural world. Developing an intimate relationship with our internal and external wilderness can play a pivotal role in healing the rupture between our minds and bodies and ultimately act as a mirror to our inherent resilience and wisdom.
The path through recovery and re-connection to self is not linear. It is spiraling, winding, up and down - it is life long. Learning to stay kind and present with yourself on that road is one of the most profound gifts you can give to yourself. I'm here to help you claim that gift.
In the process of reclaiming the self, we cannot approach healing on a solely cognitive level. Every aspect of the collective self holds the wounds and wisdom that, if honored in mutual regard, can guide an individual towards profound growth.
somatics
Coming from the Greek word 'soma' meaning “the living body in its wholeness.” Body centered psychotherapy appreciates the body as the home for all lived experiences, and provides direct access to a more complete, trauma responsive, and evidence based approach to process and integrate psychological and emotional complexities
ecopsychology
We are of the earth - bones, muscles, tissues; bodies of salt water; air moving through our lungs; electromagnetic currents sending neurochemical messages through out our entire beings. Understanding oneself as nature, and not othered from it is a critical pillar in re-claiming the whole self and healing the various disconnects often internalized by traumatic experiences.
Whether we work outside, in direct connection to nature or on a more subtle level, tuning into the seasons and tides of your inner world, connection to the ecological self will be a foundational part of our time together.
mindfulness
Whether you are struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety, stress, grief, or chronic illness, mindfulness can offer a pathway back into compassionate and curious contact with the self. Learning to be fully present within the moment, whatever it may hold, is a radical act of kindness you can gift yourself.
Start now: just a pause, a deep breath in, a long breath out, and a gentle hand to the heart.
expressive arts
Whatever you have come to believe about yourself and your "artistic abilities", the truth is you ARE an inherently creative being. The very fact of your existence is a testament to your ability to respond and adapt to an unpredictable world. Utilizing embodied expressive arts forms can empower the capacity to speak to the nuanced experiences that otherwise cannot be spoken. Art and movement therapy takes a bottom-up approach, giving parts of you a voice that may have been long silenced. Evoking and nourishing the unique creativity you utilize to process and navigate this world will support a fuller healing process.
socio-cultural identity
It can be profoundly confronting and deeply clarifying to understand oneself as innately connected to an intricate web of social and environmental systems, influencing and influenced by our identities of privilege and marginalization. Our lived experiences take place within many overlapping layers in which we are both an autonomous individual and part of a collective whole.
When we can appreciate a more wholistic view of ourselves operating as a dynamic system within and amongst many others', we may be able to better navigate the complexities of our intra and inter-personal experiences.
life skills
An investment in personal growth is enriched and sustained when we develop tangible life skills, and integrate routines and rituals into our daily lives. This may include learning new ways to communicate effectively with the people in your life, daily practices to complete the stress cycle and regulate the nervous system, or techniques to respond adaptively to emotional overwhelm, anxiety and panic attacks.