As a therapist I continuously think about healing. What does it mean to heal? What is required for healing? Where can healing be found?

As I sit with this question year in and year out, my idea of healing as a practice expands, getting richer with details and more rooted in my own deeply held values as a human oriented toward collective liberation and anti-oppressive practices.

Today I would like to share with you some of the values I hold as a human and as a therapist, and elucidate why I believe these values need to be a part of the overall practice of therapy.

When it comes to describing identity many people use language with the goal of being polite rather that with the goal of being inclusive.

How many of us follow language trends simply because we heard others’ rules about what is proper and what is rude, without ever examining why or what alternatives exist? How do we move from our desire to be “nice” toward being advocates for better language, better access and even a better world?

In this blog we will dive further into the two types of language used when it comes to identity, discuss why it matters and make a case for choosing one over the other.

How many times have you found yourself sitting down on the sofa only to be immediately going through your mental to-do list and deciding you’ll rest later? Or looking at your accumulated paid time off (if you are privileged enough to have it) and thinking, “I don’t have anywhere I want to go, I don’t need to take time off. I’ll just keep working.” What about pushing past your body’s signals for rest as you are coming down with a cold and deciding to “power through it” anyway?

These types of responses may signal that you have been conditioned to disregard your need for rest in favor of productivity.

So in today’s blog post, let’s look at the different types of rest that humans need and how to begin moving toward restoring your relationship with rest.

What does trauma have to do with how we eat or how we talk about food? It turns out - a lot.

Read more to find out where our dominant food narratives originate and how to move toward body trust instead.

While it can be tempting to approach autism, ADHD and trauma from the standpoint of what came first, it is important to look at how these conditions overlap and what the prevalence of co-occurrence is.

In this blog, we will look at why autistic and ADHD folks have higher levels of trauma experienced, what the research says and how to heal with this knowledge in mind.

Autism and ADHD are neurotypes that share many similarities, but that does not make them the same.

In order to differentiate between them, we will take a look at where they overlap and the important aspects that make each of them unique.

As conversations about neurodiversity become more mainstream, so do the characteristics of certain neurotypes. Learning about autism and ADHD may introduce the idea of fidgeting and stimming, yet in many online resources the two are conflated as essentially the same thing.

In reality they are not, and in today’s blog post I will discuss what is fidgeting and stimming, what is the difference between them and why it's important to delineate them as unique.

Whichever corner of the Internet you frequent, you have likely stumbled upon the term neurodiversity, neurodivergence or neurodivergent and want to learn more about their meaning.

In today’s blog post we will talk about the terminology of neurodiversity and its meaning, both on a collective and on an individual level.

Every therapist conceptualizes healing differently, based on their training, education and their own, personal experiences and views.

To learn more about how I think of healing in my therapeutic work with clients, check out this vlog.

Self-sabotage has become somewhat of a dirty word. The negative connotation to it is simple: it’s bad and you should avoid it.

But is anything in life so simple?

In this blog post we look at ways we may engage in self-sabotage and how to move toward a different narrative.

Our bodies are calling us back, whether with a gentle whisper or a more urgent plea.

We invite you to listen, and we will listen alongside you.

Learn more about our online embodiment support/process group and register to secure your spot.

We all want to know how to heal. So what universal pointers can I provide that can help you on your own journey?

Read more in the blog.

Have you ever driven home from work and did not remember the journey? Or perhaps you’ve noticed yourself staring off into space only to see that minutes have gone by without your awareness?

These experiences along with others can describe a process of dissociation. What exactly is dissociation and how does it manifest itself in our daily lives?

Which of us hasn’t raced along the various tracks of Mario Kart as kids or held a sword to a fantastical creature as Link in The Legend of Zelda?

Whether you are a fellow video gamer, or just someone considering getting back to holding a joystick, these games below are sure to provide an experience that is not just memorable but therapeutic too.

For some the holiday season is a time of year that brings about positive associations. They may remember their childhood Christmas celebrations or look forward to gathering with loved ones to engage in family traditions of celebration.

For others, especially folks who are survivors of cPTSD or childhood trauma, the holidays can be a particularly hard time of the year.

Do you struggle with body image and shame? Are you tired of the infinite diet and weight-obsessed antics of the world around you and want to choose a different path? One of body acceptance, respect and trust?

Learn more about our group and how to join.

You may have heard the term cPTSD or complex PTSD but have wondered what it is and how it differs from traditional PTSD.

The truth is that while there are certain overlaps between the two terms and diagnoses, complex PTSD - also referred to as complex trauma - is unique in its presentation, symptomatology and treatment.

Let’s dive in and explore more below.

For a change of pace from the usual written content, I would love to share one of my favorite creative people with all of you - Arielle Estoria.

She is a poet, author, actor and artist, and this particular piece talks about bodies, embodiment and the magic of the body you are already in.

What is embodiment and why is it important? How do we practice embodiment in our everyday lives?

Learn how you too can begin to come home to your body.

Triggers are a way our body communicates important information to us about what is and isn’t tolerable. While many people immediately want to know why they are triggered, a more important question to ask in the moment is “What is happening right now?” and get very detailed about the answer.

In this blog post I will talk about how to recognize you are getting triggered using the clues your body and its response may be giving you.