My Philosophy

The innate desire to be Authentic is what creates symptoms that get our attention

When we are born, we are our pure, authentic selves. As we are exposed to our caregivers and the world, we learn to layer "personality" on top of our authentic selves for attachment, for love, for acceptance, and ultimately safety. This is as true for people that had "perfect" childhoods as it is for those who suffered trauma. My focus is help clients remember and reconnect with who they are. To move them from victim to empowered. To reconnect them to their strengths, skills, and resources. So many of us harbor the subconscious fear that we won't be accepted if we’re ourselves. And when we let those personality layers rule the choices in our lives, it creates unwanted symptoms - both physical and mental. We have to people please. We have to control what others think of us. This feels safer. I create an environment where it's safe for the subconscious to explore your unique authenticity. "It's the light that makes the shadow appear."

My Influences

My approach is varied and intuitive. A blend of insight, and the influences I’ve had along my journey.

  • Positive Psychology

    First, Martin Seligman and the field of positive psychology. I started as a positive psychology coach and I remember when I found that field of study how incredibly overjoyed and excited I was. The science of happiness! How cool. A science of how to get into flow. How to flourish, not just survive. How to harness our strengths, resiliency, identify values, how to slow down and savour – a science that created tools to help you create meaning and direction in your life. I was hooked. I use an adaptation of the "broaden-and-build theory" developed by Barbara Fredrickson in my hypnosis sessions. It's an exploration of positive emotions to increase resiliency, creativity, and help process the residue of negative emotion.

  • Brooke Castillo's "Thought Model"

    Second, from cognitive behavioral therapy, the understanding that thoughts create our feelings. And of course, spent several years learning from Brooke Castillo and utilizing her thought model. The power of our conscious mind IS powerful, but can only take us so far. If you've ever practiced an affirmation over and over again, and not received the benefits, you'll know what I mean.

  • Marisa Peer & RTT

    Third, from hypnosis – the power of the subconscious mind. When I did my RTT training with Marisa Peer, I really thought this was the missing link. Why some clients didn’t respond to cognitive coaching even when they did the work. It had to be a subconscious program running and taking over – after all, it’s 95% of our operating system, a system largely created when we’re small children and don’t know much about the world and are dependent on the adults around us. Often the beliefs created are misguided, not true, and down the road as adults can be harmful, creating unwanted symptoms. The most harmful subconscious program is the belief that it’s not safe to be authentic. That we have to hide our true selves in order to find love, attachment and safety.

The Nervous System

  • Irene Lyon & SBSM

    Finally, my exposure to nervous system education with Irene Lyon has been life changing. Irene Lyon, Peter Levine, Feldenkrais, Somatic Experiencing, and Kathy Kain have all forever changed the way I work with people, as individuals. I first discovered this work in a session with Seth Lyon, and later took Irene's course. I'm currently working with a SE coach and learning more every day.

  • Peter Levine & SIBAM

    I love Peter Levine’s SIBAM method: sensation, images, behaviour, affect, and meaning. He says “it’s not the traumatic event that happens, it’s what happens to us after – the patterns we create”. It was revolutionary when I heard it’s not necessary to revisit trauma, nor is it necessary to work to heal everything single trauma. Thank goodness our healing is not linear! And I love the definition of trauma that says “anything to fast, too soon or too much for the nervous system to integrate”. It’s not necessarily a horrifying scene but if it was too intense to integrate, we’ve got stored trauma that is affecting the way we live our life and the way we show up.

  • The Feldenkrais Method

    I've always loved yoga, and Feldenkrais just takes movement so much deeper. It's a powerful approach to improving your life through gentle, mindful movement to bring new awareness. As my SE coach (who also teaches this) says, "you just get to be more of your self. Bringing more of your own uniqueness into the world by finding what’s authentic for you.”

Trauma Defined

Not what you think!

Trauma is anything that happened that was "too soon, too fast, too much" for the system to integrate and didn't receive resolution. If your parents discouraged showing emotion, if you fell off your bike and were immediately scooped up and told "you're ok", if you were ever told you're "too much", if your words or actions were ever shamed - these are examples of potential trauma locked in the body, which can create unique symptoms. "Trauma is an unintegrated resource".

So....what do you do exactly?

In short: guided visualization, subconscious exploration and reprogramming

  • What's subconscious coaching?

    I love utilizing the subconscious mind - 95% of our operating system! It's incredibly underutilized. I use hypnosis to visit thought and behavior patterns, examine subconscious beliefs and attitudes and invite your imagination to work with the sensations and patterns of emotion in the body – in the way that supports nervous system regulation through gentle investigation and resourcing, Every session is different, because every human is unique.

  • Memory Regression

    I was trained to regress folks back to the memory that created the unwanted symptom. Often this included revisiting trauma. Something I'm not cool with anymore! I started experimenting with regressing clients back to a memory that reflects how they WANT to feel - and got great results. We still find the two beliefs that got linked that shouldn't be; we still remove unwanted thought patterns; we still update the subconscious mind; we still incorporate how it all feels in the body. Most importantly, clients got the change they desired all while working gently and safely with the nervous system.

  • NLP (neuro linguistic programming)

    I create a personalized hypnotic recording with the information that gets revealed in our session. You listen to this recording for 21 days to solidify the new neural pathway you've created.

  • What if I don't like the sound of regression?

    Some clients prefer to skip the regression all together. In this case, I utilize hypnosis, subconscious coaching tools, and work primarily with sensations and emotions in the body. Clients still experience relief from symptoms, long held beliefs get reprogrammed in the subconscious and they gain clarity and agency. Regression is not necessary.

  • What about spiritual bypassing?

    Spiritual bypassing was coined by the late psychologist John Welwood as, "using spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional 'unfinished business', to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks (to become enlightened)". My hypnotherapy sessions are not compensation for emotional or physical issues. Most of my clients have done the tour: years of talk therapy, tried several modalities, and yet, they're still stuck and they're sick of talking about trauma. It's not about turning away from the dark; it's about looking at the light to understand the dark. "Seeking holistic or "alternative" solutions is not spiritual bypassing. That's a varied approach to healing and it's smart." - Danielle Laporte

One client's experience

For more visit "client love" tab

I've done A LOT of different modalities and this was one of the best experiences I've had.

Holly Heilman

"I experienced a deep level of relaxation and inner wisdom that I haven't felt together in that way in years (maybe ever). Before the session I had been experiencing a constant level of stress and overwhelm, during the session I became so deeply calm and embodied (sank into my body), and after the session the feeling of being calm and grounded remained for days. I feel like my anxiety and overwhelm have remained reduced by at least 90%. I've done A LOT of different modalities and this was one of the best experiences I've had. The biggest difference that you offer for me is that I really felt the combination of the nervous system regulation with the subconscious reprogramming. In the last few years I've done a lot of subconscious reprogramming work which has been profound, but often lacking the deep relaxation and regulation, which I think accelerates the integration and felt experience of noticeable change. Also, I love the recording to help me stay on course until the next session!"