HEALING IS SHOW, NOT TELL
After years of training in somatics, Polyvagal theory, trauma training, and working with clients, one of my core beliefs is that the primary reason for most of our unhappiness, stuckness, struggles in relationships, and pain is unhealed trauma.
Unhealed trauma is stored and relived in our bodies. We experience this somatically, which means in the form of reactions, sensations, behaviors, feelings, and eventually, thoughts.
When we are activated, the parts of our brain that process language go offline. Therefore, we can't talk ourselves out of these experiences, we have to somatically show these parts we are safe.
Below you will find the philosophies that are the cornerstones of my practice. Together, we will use these to support you in creating internal safety, which will allow you to safely step towards the life you want to be living.
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING
Trauma is stored, relived and experienced in and through our bodies.
"The foundation for Human Enrichment, DBA Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, is a 501(C)(3) Non-Profit dedicated to resolving trauma worldwide by providing state-of-the-art professional training and public education in Somatic Experiencing® (SE™).
Somatic Experiencing is designed to support individuals in processing trauma in a titrated (tolerable) way that allows for integrated healing to transpire and brings freedom from the overwhelm that past traumas leave us with.
We have all experienced traumas and if they have yet to be resolved they will cause problems in our bodies, relationships, purpose and overall life. Somatic healing work is foundational in healing trauma.
In essence, somatics heal. And that means we no longer have to cope and instead can step into the lives we are meant to be living.
POLYVAGAL THEORY:
WHY YOUR PROTECTIVE PARTS ARE SO IMPORTANT.
“Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, offers a way to understand the human autonomic nervous system and directly engage with habitual patterns of response. Through a polyvagal lens we can learn to listen to our embodied stories.”
-Deb Dana
Our Autonomic Nervous System is what you’ll hear me refer to as your own private navy seals. This incredible protective force within each of us is here to protect us from threat and danger and also support us in being in safety.
When traumas are stored and/or an insecure attachment style is developed, our Autonomic Nervous System becomes dysregulated as a brilliant and beautiful way to self protect.
This is experienced by spending the majority of our time in either our Sympathetic Nervous System or our Dorsal Vagal Complex. This means being in fight/flight/freeze/immobility or shut down for long periods of time.
A dysregulated nervous system is an incredibly common experience and is a primary marker for unhappiness in our lives.
Through somatic healing you will begin to regulate your nervous systems, which will allow you to step into the life you want to be living and support you in feeling more in control of your internal experience, so that outside circumstances aren’t chronically effecting your state.
WORDS DO NOT
COMPUTE TO THE
PROTECTIVE PARTS
OF OURSELVES.
OUR MINDS AND BODIES ARE BRILLIANT,
BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMS ORGANIZED AROUND
A PRIMARY PURPOSE: KEEPING US SAFE.
ATTACHMENT THEORY
“Early-life experiences lay the blueprints for attachment patterns. When the primary childhood caregivers are unable, for whatever reason, to meet the child's needs of safety, trust, attunement, love etc., a secure attachment is inhibited."
- Diane Poole Heller
This lack of a secure attachment with our primary childhood caregivers results in the development of insecure attachment styles in order to cope and find safety.
These include ambivalent (anxious), avoidant or disorganized. We all have a combination of all four attachment styles with one being more predominant. Insecure attachment styles are here to serve the purpose of providing safety among other things.
An intrinsic part of healing is coming into a secure attachment with others and ourselves.
Our work together is helping you safely step towards this.
INNER CHILD HEALING:
"It's never too late to have the childhood we deserve."
-Peter Levine
Inside each of us, there are many parts. Each of those parts have ages and if they were subject to trauma of any kind that was not able to process through, those parts are then left to relive that experience over and over.
Remember, trauma is not simply physical/emotional/sexual abuse. Trauma is also not being emotional seen, or attuned with, being left alone to process parents divorcing, being a parentifed child and much more.
Part of our work is to somatically come to the aid of these younger parts, giving them completed experiences, protecting them, providing them safety, reparenting them and eventually, integrating them fully. This work is imperative in the healing process.
INSIDE EACH OF US, THERE ARE
MANY PARTS.
Boundary setting is a struggle for so many of us...
If we did not have a secure attachment with our primary childhood caregiver or if we experienced traumas in childhood where our boundaries were encroached upon or we experienced boundary abandonment, we will likely struggle to set boundaries in our adult life.
Boundary setting is directly linked to understanding our limits, our needs and our truth. Part of healing is gently coming back into our felt sense experience of being in our bodies where we gain access to our truth, limits and needs.
In our work, you will gain an understanding of your internal truth, then take therapeautic somatic steps to implement these boundaries in your current life. Boundaries create safety!
