I learned everything I could to help clients coping with chronic pain and illness that were not being served well within our existing medical model. Through the years and as I took on more complex cases, it became evident that many of my clients were trauma survivors. Understanding that connection and responsibly addressing their needs while keeping them safe intrigued me and became increasingly important in the evolution of this work. I still feel compelled and fascinated as I continue to dive ever deeper into the study of neurobiology, trauma, and attachment with some top trainers in the fields.
Clients often report how frustrating it’s been to not have health professionals who can connect the dots or even have the time or experience to listen and understand their whole story. The lack of integrated, practical resources for addressing complex, multi-layered conditions in a truly holistic approach drove what I needed to study.
I, myself, was someone for whom medical and pharmaceutical intervention had caused more harm than good, so I understood the limitations of chasing symptoms and killing pathogens without supporting and regenerating the health of the whole system.
I had a background in dance, psychology, yoga, and movement and went back to school to study clinical orthopedic massage and oriental manual therapy at first, which I practiced, innovated, and refined for years before adding structural yoga therapy, Ayurvedic medicine, and other somatic movement disciplines. For my own healing, I needed to challenge common beliefs to discover a personal healthy diet of nutrient-dense food, from the soil it’s grown in to how it’s prepared.
In my work as an environmental organizer, I’ve been awed by the connections between climate change, ecosystem regeneration, biodiversity, soil health, forest ecology, water and carbon cycles, and human ecology. This study of natural systems has also informed my understanding of human systems, and I’m glad to see the growing awareness and interest in ecological medicine. The disconnect we humans have from the nature we are part of is another tragic aspect and symptom of not knowing who we are. I cofounded the Regenerative Farming, Forests, and Food Systems group of Climate Action Now WMass to help bridge that divide and educate about the connection between personal and planetary health and healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, and climate. In this video, I shared some purposes and origins of the group’s work.
I have had a meditation practice since I was 16, so it was only natural for me to carry that awareness and respect for my client’s innate capacity and inner resources into the therapeutic setting.
I had been searching for trainings in somatic psychotherapy focused on trauma for years and finally came across Hakomi and then Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, founded by Pat Ogden. That was the missing piece I had always wanted to study, even back in college, but it didn’t exist as such yet. It has given me a greater neurobiological understanding of what was happening in sessions with clients and a robust bottom-up (vs. only cognitive) psychotherapeutic protocol to integrate the work even further. For more info on this wonderful method, visit https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/resources/#client-education.
More recently, I became certified after studying Janina Fisher's Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment through the Academy of Therapy Wisdom, of which I am also a member of their Trauma Wisdom Circle continuing education program. Though TIST was developed originally as a model to treat structural dissociation, it is applicable and can be modified for any of us, especially given what we understand now about our neurobiology.
I’ve developed curricula in holistic health education for health care professionals and college students, presented to the public, assisted at somatic psychotherapy trainings, taught manual therapy to massage therapists and athletic trainers, and continue to learn as much as I can to contribute what I can.
Attached is a professional work summary.
