Services
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy sessions are part of a longer term relationship where we meet weekly or biweekly to clear past trauma, rewire old beliefs, and form a deeper, richer relationship with your inner world. I primarily use three main modalities in my psychotherapy sessions, though I incorporate many other tools and techniques.
* Currently, my practice is 100% online using a HIPPA-secure Telehealth site.
I offer a free 20 minute phone consultation for psychotherapy so we can get a better idea if working together may be a fit.
In order to sign on with me as a psychotherapy client, you must live in Colorado, New York, or Massachusetts. If you do not live in one of these states and want to work with me longer term, please check out the Spiritual Coaching page.
Internal Family Systems is a strengths-based model that provides a language to look at yourself and others differently. IFS is based on the idea that we have a Self, as well as an indefinite amount of parts, or subpersonalities. Sometimes we express ourselves with "part of me feels this way" while another "part of me feels that way." Similar to a large family unit, where each individual has their own perspective, history, beliefs, and feelings, IFS works to understand the internal world through this lens.
As we develop as individuals, so do our parts, each one of them with distinct needs and functions within our system. No part of you is ill-intentioned; each one wants something positive for you and will try to take the driver's seat. Ultimately, we want the Self leading the way, as it is the core, compassionate, center of you. The Self can approach life with confidence, perspective, and acceptance.
Therapy using the Internal Family Systems model is focused on identifying your parts, feeling into each part, and communicating with them to gain more information. For example, you may have an Anxious part that when invited to speak to you, will express it’s point of view, beliefs, feelings, and history to you. The Self is there to listen, stay curious, and offer compassion.
I will teach you the language around types of parts and together we will explore those parts that keep you stuck. We will learn about parts that are usually not available to you, and honor the hard work that many parts have done to keep you safe.
IFS is an evidence-based practice that works for general well-being. It also is helpful with the following: anxiety disorders, panic, phobias, physical health, depression, and self-concept. The transformative relationship between the Self and the parts is where the healing can happen.
For more information on IFS, click the button below.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is special. It’s special because it is non-shaming. It honors our animal instinct. It doesn’t value thinking as the most important part of us, but rather what happens in our bodies when we go through a traumatic event or experience chronic stress. SE helps us slow down and appreciate moments, memories, and sensations. It teaches us that less is more and that the best way to learn about ourselves is to create the space we need.
Based on over 45 years of study and development, Somatic Experiencing was founded by Peter A. Levine, Phd, who introduced it to the mainstream in 1997 in his book Waking the Tiger. This psychobiological therapeutic model is based on Levine’s observations of the behaviors of animals in the wild. He found that animals, who possess nearly identical survival mechanisms to humans, are rarely traumatized even after experiencing major life threatening events. Animals have the ability to discharge the built up energy from the fight, flight, and freeze physiological responses. Levine observed them enacting this discharge by shaking, trembling, and breathing deeply.
Humans tend to have difficulty resetting our systems after experiences that require survival states of fight, flight, and freeze. Because of cultural expectations, cultural norms, and societal messages, we tend to override the natural discharge of our own survival energy. Fear of body sensations, self-judgment, shame, and other human responses can disrupt our innate ability to self-regulate. The energy from trauma stored in our systems leads to symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic pain, hyperactivity, anger, numbness, etc.
Somatic Experiencing also uses several specialized techniques to help with distressing symptoms. These include but are not limited to the following:
+ Tracking sensations in your body – when we practice noticing the difference between pleasant, unpleasant or neutral sensations, it is easier to bounce back to a place where we are the most flexible and adaptable.
+ Resourcing – identifying positive things in our life, both external and internal, can help our nervous system come into balance.
+ Grounding – bringing our awareness to the direct contact of the body with the ground or a support to the body (the floor, a chair, etc.) can bring us into the present moment.
When I first entered the Somatic Experiencing community, I remember hearing the question, “What if everyone knew about this work? How different our society would look and feel!”
Somatic Experiencing and Somatic Psychotherapy can help with the following issues: anxiety, not feeling present, depression, confusion, chronic pain, shame, hypervigilance, insomnia, anger/rage, flashbacks, panic attacks/strong feelings of fear, disconnection, uncomfortable physical sensations, feeling amped up.
For more information on Somatic Experiencing, click the button below.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. It targets distressing experiences that have become stuck in the brain and body. In the same way our body can be overwhelmed by an illness, parts of our brain processing can be overwhelmed by a traumatic life experience or a series of experiences. The memory of these experiences remains undigested, becoming “frozen in time,” and can be unknowingly triggered by current events or experiences. EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and has been shown to be effective in dealing with anxiety, grief, panic attacks, and negative beliefs.
Originally, EMDR was implemented by moving your eyes back and forth while following the hand of your therapist. Over time, other forms of bilateral stimulation (alternating from left to right) have become more common, including tapping on the knees, holding hand-held pulsers, or listening to alternating sounds via headphones. Starting from a traumatic memory, negative belief, or body sensation, the processing happens as the bilateral stimulation helps the brain move through past experiences and come to new understandings.
EMDR usually leads to greater insight regarding previously disturbing events and long-held negative thoughts about the self that have grown out of the original traumatic event. Following successful treatment, you may no longer relive the images, sensations, and feelings of the stressful event. The memory is still there, but your relationship to it has changed.
For more information on EMDR, click the button below.
Things that other therapists had spent years trying to help me with, Eri helped me to heal in a matter of weeks. If what you seek is radical growth then look no further. I can’t even begin to list the ways in which 50 minutes a week with Eri has transformed my relationship with myself. Trust Eri and you will learn to trust yourself. You will learn to make space between your Self and your parts, thoughts, and emotions. You will heal your inner child’s wounds and learn to work with—not against—your psychological barriers. If you are genuinely interested in becoming your best self, you will find no better guide.
