Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhism and has been practiced & taught for the last 2500 years. The practice of mindfulness is the key to transformation. It is a tool which we can use to reduce stress, create profound change in our lives, improve our relationships and increase joy. With loving awareness we are able to identify patterns in our thoughts, behavior, and emotions. In that moment a choice becomes available to us and change is possible. Mindfulness is available to everyone.

The trauma-informed approach utilizes a framework known as the “Four R’s”: Realization about trauma and how it can affect people and groups, Recognizing the signs of trauma, having a system which can Respond to trauma, and Resisting re-traumatization.

Scientific study shows that emotions, memory and trauma live in the body. Somatic emotional release is the process of identifying where stuck emotions are being held and in what symptomatic ways they might be showing up.

Our brains can’t tell the difference between the reality we experience and our thoughts, therefore an imagined experience is quite powerful. Using guided visualization, I call upon the power of your imagination to assist in the healing of your body and mind. We co-create a calm, serene space you can access again and again. In this container we can recreate a past experience and alter it. We can heal our bodies, our minds.

Creativity itself is therapeutic. The action of processing thoughts and emotions through alternative communication methods like paint or clay or torn paper, or perhaps physical expression such as stacking rocks or breaking sticks, can all be beneficial in releasing as well as transforming stuck feelings. I like to call this Art Inquiry or self exploration through art. If this modality resonates with you, we might include it in sessions or suggested activities you do at home.