THE JOURNEY.
Embarking on a healing journey can be challenging and takes great courage. Though, the most remarkable transformation can occur in the midst of what feels like the bleakest, darkest, night.
​Life has a way of teaching us to forget our essence. Trauma, loss, abuse, illness and rejection can lead to self-abandonment and the erosion of our inner-knowing. We forget ourselves. We discount our intuitive nature. We give our power away. Therefore, healing requires us to cultivate a process of remembrance -- of all the wisdom, knowing, and wholeness we already possess.
The journeyer who works with me is guided to creatively reconnect with courage, intuition, self-trust and relentless self-directed love. Healing is rarely linear, and more akin to a spiral, where each pass takes you closer to wholeness, even if you encounter recurrent themes, lessons, stories and emotions along the way.
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A committed journeyer learns to inhabit their True Self -- their Spirit, their Home -- and find greater embodiment of compassion, curiosity, and self-love. They learn that the answers were inside all along -- one only needed to know where to look to find them.
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THE GUIDE.
Though the answers lie within you, it's not always easy to find the path home.
I am a licensed psychologist who spent many years studying, researching and applying knowledge about the human psyche. After attaining my doctorate from The University of Memphis in 2015, I spent 7 years serving veterans in the VA medical system. I completed a fellowship to specialize in the treatment of trauma, and learned to apply "gold-standard" evidence-based treatments. ​But, when my own health deteriorated suddenly and seemingly without cause, I had to grapple with healing in ways I never had before.
The illness became my guide, revealing ways my academic knowledge had fallen short. I had to deconstruct all I thought I knew about the human condition, and sift through what I was now seeing as the mysterious interplay between mind, body and spirit. I found that a catastrophic impact can occur on all three levels when we have severed the connection with our True Self. And, I subsequently learned the astonishing power of reconnecting with this healer within.
I now view symptoms, dis-ease, and discomfort as benevolent teachers with important messages and stories. But, we must develop ways to listen with reverence, curiosity and unconditional love to hear them.
The most precious gift is to experience yourself as your own healer. And, it is my honor to have walked this spiraled path of healing so that I can better serve as a guide for those who need help along the way. ​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​
THE PATH.
There are many paths a journeyer can take. The path I guide people on is one that teaches the power of intuition, curiosity, forgiveness and love. We create a sacred space together. Using mindfulness and heart-centered meditation, we set our intentions for each session and connect with the healer already within you.
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This path requires the journeyer to be prepared for a deep level of commitment to honest and compassionate reflection that extends beyond our weekly sessions. It is vital to extend the work (and play!) we co-create into your everyday life. Your life is where the path is truly lived.
While some of my clients are new to therapy, many have engaged in talk therapy of various forms, but have reached barriers to taking their healing further. This work is highly engaging and aims for transformation, which asks of the journeyer to arrive with openness, curiosity, and a tenacious desire to grow. Sacred work can be emotional, evocative, and even playful. This therapy should yield results, and at the end of each session you should expect to have journeyed closer towards the healing you seek. On this path, I am the guide, but you are the healer.
I have been trained in multiple therapy modalities across the cognitive-behavioral and humanistic therapy traditions. However, I now offer Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy to the majority of my clients, as I have experienced it to be the most dynamic and empowering approach I have encountered. This therapy relies on your innate internal wisdom as a guide to healing, and also allows for the inclusion of somatic and spiritual elements in addition to emotional, cognitive and behavioral.
This approach teaches you to connect with your own internal "family" of "parts" that are innate to all humans. Our work is to learn to connect with the various "parts" that might be causing confusion or difficulty for you. We see all "parts" as holding valuable information, and with help of the True Self -- where your deepest compassion and curiosity is generated from -- we are able to help heal and integrate layers of emotions, beliefs and behaviors in a way that moves towards wholeness and harmony within your internal and external world.
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Finding a proper match with a guide for your journey is vital. My practice serves those in Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi & Oregon -- and is completely virtual, allowing you to skip traffic and the waiting room and engage from the comfort of your home. I offer a free 20 minute phone consultation so that we can determine if my approach would be the right fit for you.
As the ancient Chinese proverb wisely states:
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
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Whatever step you take, may you lead with courage and love.