You have an unconscious mind. Our work will explore what may be hidden or outside of your awareness. This includes dreams, fantasies, memories, beliefs, assumptions, and thoughts. So much of human behavior is driven by what we don’t know about ourselves. Understanding what’s unconscious means we are getting at the root of the problem and also addressing repetitive and unhelpful patterns in your life. This will help you find new ways of responding and being.

Your early life and relationships still have an incredible impact on who you are today. What situation were you born into? This is not just a story of the past, but part of the now. We will be curious about your attachment style. This may lead to exploring the ways the world feels unsafe and how people are difficult to trust. The relationship we build together may feel similar to those early relationships and also provide a way for you to experiment with entirely new ways of being in relation to another.

We will explore issues of identity, culture, and our social world. Your multiple, intersecting identities will be integral to our work together. The social and cultural contexts you grew up in are an important part of you. Issues regarding power, privilege, and domination play a crucial role in your experience of yourself and in your healing. What is it like for you to live in this world and for this world to live in you?

We will pay close attention to the body. What story does your body tell? Trauma shows up in the body– how we move and feel, physical sensations, and even illness or pain. My approach will emphasize physical sensations, internal felt sense, feelings, and emotions with the goal of metabolizing trauma that’s stored in the body. The body has its own language and this is also driven by what’s unconscious.