Hello

Drawing on over 25 years of practice, I have learned that we are born with an innate need to connect with others.  Much suffering comes from frustrations of our need to see others and to be seen by them.  I have observed how much we strive to connect not only with others, but with our Selves, and how devastating it can be when we feel alone.

 

I have come to believe that many mental health challenges arise when this innate need for connection is not met.  Or worse. 

 

As an academic, therapist and consultant this belief is informed and supported by therapeutic modalities that draw from the intersecting fields of Neurobiology and Psychodynamic Theories. 

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I believe that studies - from attachment theory - to public health research such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACES studies - to functional magnetic resonance imaging studies - show us that, across the lifespan, highly stressful experiences such as violence, injury, or loss are far less likely to lead to physical and/or mental health problems when we feel connected, seen and heard.

 

What this means for me, as a therapist, is that I work actively and attentively to promote your capacity to be seen.  I help you to heal by promoting your capacity to connect with others, and strange as it may seem – to connect with your Self. 

 

How?

 

We help you to feel connected and secure in your Self by first envisioning what you want for you. 

How do you feel now?                             How would you like to feel? 

How do you love now?                            How would you like to love?

 

As you may notice, we start with a dual focus on how your past affects you in the present AS WELL AS how you want to be now and in the future.  Where and when past experiences of stress and aloneness contribute to feelings of anxiety, sadness, or loneliness, we explore further.  We focus on your thoughts/beliefs, feelings and how these show up in your body and mind.  

 

From here, I am fortunate to draw on extensive education and training in insight-oriented therapies alongside cognitive restructuring, somatic healing, clinical hypnosis, mentalization, emotion-focused modalities, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, among others - to aid you in your healing journey.  

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If you would like to learn more, here are some sources that I consider important to my work. 

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Anda RF, Felitti VJ, Bremner JD, Walker JD, Whitfield C, Perry BD, Dube SR, Giles WH. The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006 Apr;256(3):174-86. doi: 10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4. Epub 2005 Nov 29.

 

Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss, Vol. 1: Attachment. Attachment and Loss. New York: Basic Books.

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Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 759–775. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.28.5.759

 

Cera N, Monteiro J, Esposito R, Di Francesco G, Cordes D, Caldwell JZK, Cieri F. Neural correlates of psychodynamic and non-psychodynamic therapies in different clinical populations through fMRI: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Dec 20;16:1029256. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1029256. PMID: 36644207; PMCID: PMC9832372.

 

Cushing T, Robertson S, Mannes J, et al. The relationship between attachment and posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Development and Psychopathology. 2024;36(3):1055-1069. doi:10.1017/S0954579423000299

 

Herzog JI, Schmahl C. Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Consequences on Neurobiological, Psychosocial, and Somatic Conditions Across the Lifespan. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Sep 4;9:420. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00420. PMID: 30233435; PMCID: PMC6131660.

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Insel, T., Young, L. The neurobiology of attachment. Nat Rev Neurosci 2, 129–136 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35053579

 

Ogle CM, Rubin DC, Siegler IC. The relation between insecure attachment and posttraumatic stress: Early life versus adulthood traumas. Psychol Trauma. 2015 Jul;7(4):324-32. doi: 10.1037/tra0000015. Epub 2014 Nov 10. PMID: 26147517; PMCID: PMC4493437.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html

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