"You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather". - Pema Chodron
Somatic and Mindfulness-based Anxiety Therapy for Women in Washington State
Providing psychotherapy for older teens and adults who identify as women, female or non-binary. All sexualities, races and cultures are welcome.
Welcome. Maybe you found this page because you are looking for answers or companionship on your journey with and through your symptoms of anxiety. I know, I’ve been there too. Anxiety can rob us of feeling safe, of our joy and connection, of our vitality, and of our sense of well-being. It can leave us feeling exhausted and burnt out, unable to relax, sleep, eat well, and trust that everything is going to be okay. And as women, so much is asked of us from a culture that does little to support us, leaving us with little time to slow down, rest and care for ourselves (much needed resources as we heal from anxiety). So how do we heal?
Through my own journey, as well accompanying countless women on theirs, what I have come to understand as “symptoms” of anxiety are messages from a nervous system that has become stuck. Whether that stuckness is in a parasympathetic state (anxiety, anger, irritability, racing thoughts) or dorsal vagal state (depression, extreme fatigue, feeling of hopelessness, numbness), it can be brought on by chronic stress, trauma, lack of attunement by early caregivers, and other ways that put our systems into states of survival that can be challenging to recover from.
I believe that healing is possible because our systems want to heal. We just need to learn to listen. My work is deeply informed by Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing, Stephen Porges and Polyvagal Theory, Buddhist Psychology and Depth Psychology. Once we are able to access a level of regulation and safety in our nervous systems, our inner world does not seem so foreign and we are then able to tap into the depths of our wholeness and potential. Once we feel safe, we are able to access these tools again and again as we continue to heal. I would love to help you get there.
Individual Therapy
In my sessions, you can expect that your body will always be part of the conversation. I use somatic practices inspired by Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal Theory, as well as yoga and mindfulness. I also incorporate more traditional “talk therapy” from psychodynamic, depth and existential traditions.