My therapy practice recognizes mental health symptoms as a manifestation of trauma. Often, trauma is caused by systems of oppression. We live in a settler colonial state that is shaped and fueled by anti-Black and anti-Indigenous transmisogynoir violence. The memory of violence is carried in each body uniquely. When offering a space for trauma recovery, intersectionality summons me to use multiple interventions; for example, I may use Narrative therapy with one person, and draw more on Somatic Experiencing with another person. The interventions we use together are fluid and can be redirected by you at all times.
BODY-CENTERED
Trauma is energy trapped in the nervous system caused by incomplete protective responses. Different from cognitive talk therapies or psychiatry, I believe that you need to center your body in order to transform your mental health. By becoming more aware of sensations, we can support your body to complete self-protective responses and release trapped energy (trauma). Sustained stability and recovery happens when your nervous system is regulated.
PARTS AND SYSTEMS
Many symptoms result from long-term exposure to violence and multiple, overlapping traumas that your body carries the memory of (with or without your knowledge). Trauma-related flashbacks may surface when you are asleep or you may experience involuntary movements or chronic physical pain as a result of your mental health. You might experience gaps in time and struggle with memory, or you may notice when you switch between parts. Not all plural systems are traumagenic. I frequently support people with dissociation and invite you to get to know and care for your system in harmony. Through storytelling, we can approach the burdens your parts or alters are carrying and relationships between your system members with curiosity and reverence.
SUICIDE GRIEF
I have personal lived experience of the loss of a beloved one this way. I believe that suicide grief is a distinct grief that needs care. It is a time we must rely on our communities and our cultural stories. I am here for you when you are ready to practice speaking, moving, or listening to your body again. I lean on ancestral worship and trans spirituality. I actively resist the criminalization of suicide and I hold the topic with reverence.
SELF-HARM
I recognize self-harm as a nonverbal code. Self-harm may be attacking the shame and trauma that you are carrying in your body. You may experience strong urges, dissociation, or relief from dissociation when you self-harm. I practice harm reduction and I will support you to minimize risk. Self-determination indicates that only you decide if anything about your relationship with self-harm needs to change. I do not practice nonconsensual active rescue.