WELCOME
About My Approach
True healing occurs when we feel a sense of trust and safety, when we are in the presence of kindness and unconditional acceptance, and when we can co-regulate with another whose presence is attuned and nonjudgemental. I look forward to providing a welcoming and supportive space for our work together and discovering how I can support you in your healing. My approach is influenced by the Somatic Blueprint work of Ray Castellino, the teachings of Peter Levine, my background working with mothers and babies, years of training in bodywork and energy therapies, my studies in mindfulness meditation, and the teachings of the Diamond Approach.
My Journey
I began my healing journey in 2001 when I first received Reiki after a debilitating accident. I experienced a powerful opening through that healing touch that opened me to the possibility of deep inner transformation. This inspired me to begin a lifelong path of personal growth and healing. I found my way to the Yellow Springs Dharma Center and began practicing meditation.
After graduating from Antioch College with a BA in Cultural Interdisciplinary Studies in 2004, I began to deepen in my meditation practice. I eventually made my way to Burma where I practiced with Sayadaw U Tejaniya, known for teaching insight meditation in a way so as to make the practices of mindfulness and self-awareness accessible in daily life, not just on the meditation cushion.
I trained as a massage therapist through the Institute for Conscious Bodywork and the Berkeley Acupressure Institute, incorporating Swedish, deep tissue, craniosacral work, acupressure, and other modalities into my practice. I worked at a spa in Mill Valley, California and saw clients at a small private practice.
Curious about healthcare, I volunteered through the Institute for Health and Healing at Marin General Hospital, providing gentle therapeutic massage to patients throughout the hospital. I graduated as a registered nurse from the College of Marin in 2014 andI volunteered as a doula at San Francisco General Hospital, supporting women during their birth journeys. Between 2015 and 2018 I worked as an RN in the Family Birth Center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon. I have received additional education in Lactation Counseling. I currently work for Ventura County Public Health for the Maternal Child Adolescent Health department, supporting mothers, children, and families in the community.
Inspiration & Study
Inspired and moved by the support I received by skilled practitioners during my own healing journey, as well as the writings of Dr. Peter Levine, I became certified to be a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) in 2017 through the Trauma Healing Institute. I am currently assisting the Somatic Experiencing Beginning year training in San Diego facilitated by Abi Blakeslee.
My experiences working with newborns and mothers led me to the work of Dr. Ray Castellino. In 2018 I completed the two- and-a-half year Pre & Perinatal Foundations training co-taught by Ray, Mary Jackson, and Tara Blasco, where students learn to support the resolution of prenatal and birth-related trauma for individuals in small process workshops called Womb Surrounds. I am currently in their Family Practice training, building the skill-set to work with families and small children. I am apprenticing in this work by assisting Womb Surrounds and volunteering in the BEBA clinic.
I have deep gratitude for the Diamond Approach (also known as Diamond Heart), a school of spiritual development and self-inquiry of which I have been a student since 2012. Diamond Heart has been a primary source of spiritual sustenance for me and has supported me in bringing a spirit of inquiry and compassion to session work.