When I first embarked on my journey to become a therapist, I had a limited view of the full spectrum of therapeutic modalities. I, of course, was aware of talk therapy and behavioral therapies. Most graduate schools, including mine, focused on teaching these band of the therapy spectrum. In my previous experiences as a client, I was exposed to spiritually-based therapy and hypnotherapy.
Somatic therapy, however, wasn’t even on my radar until I stumbled upon it during graduate school.
It all started when I was searching for a part-time job to support myself while studying. I came across an job advertisement for a support position with a healthcare practitioner. The description was incredibly vague, and I had little idea of what I was getting into.
To my surprise, the practitioner turned out to be Dr. Scott Walker, a chiropractor in North County San Diego and the developer of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET).
”Working with Dr. Walker opened my eyes to the fascinating world of mind-body therapies
Working with Dr. Walker opened my eyes to the fascinating world of mind-body therapies, now more commonly known as somatic therapies. He developed a technique that bridges physical ailments and psychological traumas, blending muscle testing, Chinese Medicine, homeopathy and trauma work. As I delved deeper into this field, I eventually became certified in NET and discovered a world of less mainstream, yet highly effective techniques for understanding the profound connection between our minds and bodies.
When I began my private practice, I was eager to master and integrate somatic and spiritual approaches. However, while I was still in the early stages of building my practice, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed everything. With in-person sessions no longer possible, I could no longer rely on techniques that required me being in the same room as my clients.
Although this was a daunting time for many practitioners, I saw it as an opportunity to evolve. I set myself on a path to learn a style of somatic psychotherapy that can be offered virtually and that didn’t require touch.
Specifically I focused on learning Internal Family Systems (IFS), a psycho-spiritual-somatic approach. I honed my skills in guiding clients to trust their intuition and attune to their physical sensations. Additionally, I deepened my training in energy work and harnessed my psychic abilities to see and sense others’ energy.
”I deepened my training in energy work and harnessed my psychic abilities to see and sense others' energy.
After years of intense study and refinement, I developed an approach that draws the most effective elements from the multiple schools of which I’ve been a student: NET, Internal Family Systems (IFS), hypnotherapy, energy medicine, Buddhist psychology, and post-modern therapy.
Practicing from a lens that is authentic to my skills has been immensely rewarding. I’ve witnessed many miracles in my therapy sessions: profound forgiveness of self and others, release of long-held familial beliefs, and the building of deep love for self.
I attribute it to a holistic style of therapy where the dimensions of trauma, body, intergenerational trauma, and the energy field all intersect.
