Humans, like animals, are biologically designed to move through difficult experiences and to recover. When we get overwhelmed or when our environments are highly stressful, however, our natural and innate healing processes can get disrupted. This might show up as recurring pain in one person, as PTSD in another, and as fatigue in a third. It is as if our bodies get stuck in a "survival mode", caught in patterns of hibernation or high vigilance. The good news is that, when sufficient safety and resources become available, our bodies are capable of recovery and renewed resiliency.

Individuals with chronic illness and unusual physical symptoms have experienced traumatic events and stressors in early life with surprising frequency. Chronic symptoms tend to vary moment to moment or day to day, and change according to stressors that are unique to each individual. The same thing happens with symptoms in PTSD, which reflects a "nervous system issue", rather than a "tissue issue". From this perspective, chronic illnesses and unusual physical symptoms may be driven by altered patterns of nervous system regulation, just as they are in PTSD.

My work as a psychotherapist is informed by my background as a family physician and assistant professor of medicine; published research linking trauma and early bonding disruptions in the origins of chronic illness and patterns of symptom variability; an MA in Somatic Psychology; and body based trauma therapies such as Somatic Experiencing ("SE") and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. (more)

I work with adults with chronic illness such as fibromyalgia, lupus, diabetes,chronic fatigue, Parkinson's..., and/or unusual symptoms, such as atypical pain, numbness, fatigue...

I specialize in working with physical symptoms that:
- are often poorly understood from a medical perspective
- may fit no clear diagnosis despite extensive workup
- come and go in seemingly unpredictable ways
- may have been unresponsive to treatment
- have no known effective treatment
- began after, or are influenced by, stressful or traumatic events
- ... more

The type of work we do together involves recognizing and following the "footprints" held by the body, which mark the places where we have gotten stuck. These footprints, which are experienced as sensations, images, thoughts and emotions, show us when and how to move through these places to the inherent sense of safety, joy, and calm that lie beneath. This is what symptoms are actually attempting to do. This is also why we hold great respect for symptoms and do not judge them, for they represent a deep intelligence.


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