Wissahickon Somatic Therapy

I grew up in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains during the 1980’s, where imagination was my media and nature was my screen. My love for solitude in nature began early - it was a place I felt understood, free and most importantly, safe from the chaos, violence and grief I was often engulfed with at home. I pondered a lot and found my peace quietly amidst the creeks and meadows - nature was steady and predictable - I could trust it. I spent most of my life out of body and in survival mode, often missing out on the blessing of presence and expressing wildly and dramatically from an ongoing unsureness of how to move in relationship to others. For decades, I buried myself and made choices for others peace rather than my own, adding up to a giant mountain I would later have to excavate. Though it did not become clear until I became an adult, the tug of finding myself through spirituality was a driving force in my life. Sychronicities kept hope alive while I navigated my own wilderness back home to myself.

​

My own healing and my learning have gone hand in hand. 

I had been road tripping since I was 10 years old and fell deep into connection with the red rocks of the west. On my first solo trip as an adult, I was gifted an awakening experience with someone who I'd later call a spiritual teacher in the Utah desert. At the time, I was putting a lot of effort into my own growth with talk therapy, and began to see how healing needed to be approached beyond the confines of the mind. Diving deep into my spiritual connections allowed new pathways to show themselves and I found myself travelling to North Carolina and privately apprenticing under the Collard Method of Bodywork - a modality that incorporates healing in mind, body, and spirit using touch, dialogue and Kafuta Energy Work. During this time I was initiated into the world of interdimensional healing and energetic artistry, training on rescued farm and exotic animals while receiving the work myself. This apprenticeship and the intense directness of this modality uprooted my life and I was confronted with rebuilding myself with a new awareness of choice in my belief system. 

 

We must have stability before there can be mobility.

Again I found myself in a state of instability and began to re-seek predictability and the ancient trust I had in nature. The stable geometric structures and proven science of crystals brought safety as I explored spiritual and energetic realms of healing. I found myself intuitively reaching for stones as tools, and decided to hone my skills and understanding at the science based Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy through which I became a Certified Crystal Practitioner where we were taught how to administer vibrational layering using minerals, sound, color, and plants. 

 

I am exactly where I'm meant to be.

The further I dove into more interdimensional work, the further I felt from connection with other people and to my own experience here on earth. There is much we can learn and heal through energetic work, but I believe our souls chose to be here in these bodies and with these surroundings for some reason. I found myself wanting to give my soul the experience of truly being here and in my body while using earth as a stable support. I was learning what healing in mind, body, and spirit actually meant.

 

Recognizing the need for a truly holistic approach, I decided to deepen my understanding of the mind body connection and began training with the Somatic Therapy Center in Philadelphia where I have recently relocated to from Croton NY. Through their program I understood I had been in an ongoing state of dysregulation my entire life and learned how to safely navigate my own internal world and build stability and safety within myself. Each day I see the impacts of this work in my own life as continue to discover, experience, and express more authentically. I was certified as a Somatic Therapist in Transformative Touch in 2023 and am continuing to deepen my education with their ongoing levels of training. 

 

To strengthen my abilities to guide with safety, I've also studied with the Loka Yoga School where I was certified as a Yin Yoga instructor and am continuing to train as a breathwork and meditation teacher. I am an Ordained Minister and I earned  my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from SUNY New Paltz in 2005 where I trained as a Crisis Counselor.