Across time and place humans have looked to the skies for deeper understanding of life on the ground. Astrology is a language derived from the intuitive, symbolic and spiritual interpretation of data from astronomy. The natal chart, a snapshot of the sky when we were born, can be interpreted to reveal our personality, life path and purpose, relationship compatibility, health issues, and more. While receiving its messages requires a certain suspension of logical thought, its usefulness in our healing comes through giving us a little distance from aspects of self we may struggle to see clearly. Suddenly we see options, opportunities for choice, limits, outlets, resources, where none existed before.

The nervous system is our physical hard drive, storing every experience from before birth so as to always be prepared to protect us from danger. Many of those experiences are only remembered by our nervous system: when overwhelmed and lacking connection, our rational mind (secondary consciousness) stops recording and all focus goes towards survival. When such a memory gets triggered by a passing scent, a specific sound or thought pattern, we experience a cascade of physical alarm bells - anxiety symptoms, panic attacks, numbing out - without understanding why. Learning how our system functions helps us respond instead of react to our life circumstances, and allows for discharge from past experiences. The end result is present moment connection to our immediate experience. We are able to feel our emotions and express them, physically or verbally, in real time. They can move through us unencumbered. This opens the door for connection with loved ones, friends & coworkers, our wider community and the rest of the natural world, as well as for the ability to avoid harm and protect ourselves from danger.

The majority of our memory, and therefore so many of the experiences that make up who we are and what we know about the world, is not recorded in language by our rational mind / secondary consciousness. Therefore, we cannot talk about it. We can only feel it. While talk therapy can be very valuable at arriving at personal insights, it falls short when we wish to change deeply engrained protective patterns and behaviors. Listening to the body’s sensations changes the game.

Expressive arts are any creative process that help us express an emotion, a viewpoint or experience symbolically, beyond the limits of language. They can be as simple as tying a knot in a piece of string, to as elaborate as a theatrical production, and everything in between. They require no pre-existing artistic talent. They function to help us make concrete what is otherwise a very internal experience, to allow us to witness ourselves and invite others to witness us.

After many years as a patient/client and then a student and practitioner of Western mental health modalities, I cultivated a set of practices and tools built from the study of healers, artists, activists and scholars around the world. While Western modalities often invite us to look outside ourselves to “experts” for guidance and diagnosis, I learned, as cultures here, around the world and across time know well, that “here too”, in our physiology, our astrological birth charts, our communities, our storytelling, our cultural heritage, our relationship with the land, our creative practices, we can find restoration, resolution, resilience, and the courage and stamina for transformation. In addition, I only offer skills and practices I use in my own life, as I am ever here too, on my own evolving healing journey.

I do not accept insurance, but I can provide a receipt for you to submit to your carrier who may cover my services. Up to half of my sessions are offered at a sliding scale, as well as limited pro bono work.