Hakomi somatic Therapy for individuals & relationships in Portland, OR

MY APPROACH

Drawing from extensive training in Hakomi Somatic Psychotherapy and adjacent modalities, my primary goal is to support people along their paths of re-finding home within themselves.

My therapeutic approach is organized by a belief that our bodies hold the secrets of our wounds as well as the intrinsic wisdom to heal them. At this site of embodiment, profound transformation naturally occurs: wounding becomes self-knowing, constriction unfolds into aliveness, and pain transmutes into resource.

I practice attachment-focused, mindfulness-based and trauma-resolving somatic therapy, inviting you to slow way down and bring curious attention to the fabric of your inner world. Together, we explore how your unique system organizes experience, practicing non-judgmental awareness of your moment-to-moment experience in the context of a safe, supportive relationship. Through this collaborative map-making process, your system naturally reveals what it needs to process pain, repair stuckness, expand your capacity for self-regulation, and root more deeply in a felt sense of safety, nourishment, and aliveness.

In addition to Hakomi, my approach is informed by current neuroscience and attachment research, drawing from Interpersonal Neurobiology, CIMBS (Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems), Janina Fischer’s parts work (similar to Internal Family Systems), and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I have a special interest in working with complex trauma (CPTSD) and early attachment wounding, so my orientation is deeply relational. Depending on your interests and needs, we may also integrate aspects of expressive arts therapy, dream work, nature therapy, or spiritual inquiry.

My therapeutic style has been described as deep, warm, collaborative, sometimes directive, and often infused with a gentle playfulness. The time I spent living and practicing at Zen monasteries also informs how I hold this work, fostering presence that is rooted in mindfulness and compassion. I also approach therapy from a systems perspective, recognizing the profound effects of marginalization and oppression. I am affirming of all relationship structures, the LGTBQIA+ rainbow, kink, and am actively (and forever more) learning anti-racism.

Fundamentally, my hope as a therapist is to be a supportive presence along that oh-so meandering path of deepening inner-knowing, holding steady as you follow its unwinding towards an unshakeable home within.