Experiential Therapy

Talk therapy alone is ineffective without experiencing your growth through applying skills to gain consciousness, awareness, and insight, along with skills and processes to work with the conditions of our lives that challenge us. One must "experience their life" to make actual change.

Recognizing that the therapeutic relationship is itself intended to be restorative.

Since artmaking is inherently experiential, my graduate training incorporated an understanding of how experiential therapy works to create shifts in people at physical, emotional, and intellectual levels. Experiential therapy involves the use of in-session experiences to initiate positive and integrative changes in the mental images that become a client’s thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. The experiences that are introduced are specific to the client’s unique nervous system patterns.

Experiential therapists believe we need new experiences to heal from past experiences, especially when those past experiences have gotten stuck and unprocessed. Experiential therapy refers to treatment approaches that are more interactive, such as sand tray, art, music re-enactments, and others.

Hakomi is a type of experiential therapy, which means going beyond talk-therapy to focus on the moment.

A variety of experiential therapy techniques are used in one-on-one therapy as well as group therapy. Experiential techniques utilized include the use of reflective tools such as the Tarot, psychodrama and role-playing techniques, family constellations, music, meditation, and guided imagery, and expressive arts when deemed appropriate. Experiential therapies can be worked on in session or assigned as homework.

Hakomi and Somatic Experiencing are types of experiential therapies, which means working in the present moment experience of what is happening in your body. Sometimes it's helpful for my clients to take a break from using language in order to listen to their bodies.

Adventure Therapy, Experiential Therapy, Wilderness Therapy, Nature-Based Therapy… all of these names describe an approach of inviting clients to engage in an experience so that they can learn about themselves. Together we’ll decide what activity would be most helpful to you each session. We’ll engage in that activity together in a mindful, trauma-informed way and have deep, reflective conversion, weaving together relevant threads from Evidence Based Practices.

Experiential therapy is about feeling the room and giving each client an experience that suits them best. It's basically "meeting each client where they're at", including mood, disposition and pace.

In Experiential Therapy, the client uses their body to recreate or create neurological pathways that eventually can override 'destructive' behaviors that at one point in time were constructive and permitted the client to survive.

Experiential therapy is a holistic approach by which we engage the entire body in the therapeutic process. This engagement leads to the utilization of more regions of the brain which then leads to better integration.

Experiential therapy is about what is happening in the moment. So, whatever we are talking or thinking about, we notice the experience it is bringing up for you and work with those feelings or body sensations. It's about healing in the moment with all the support that being with a caring therapist offers.

I have extensively studied the work and careers of Carl Whitaker and Virginia Satir, two pioneers in the field of experiential. Each approached clients differently, but both approached clients in a deeply human way that doesn't shy away from saying or experiencing what is necessary to affect change.

Effective communication skills which are taught through a variety of hands-on step-by-step practical exercises. Exercises for increasing emotional intimacy in relationships are conducted. Gestalt psychotherapy techniques used to assist the client with finding ways to express thoughts and feelings that were previously too difficult to say.

Experiential therapy incorporates activities or exercises that you enjoy or would like to try to further explore your feelings and experiences. It might include things like role-playing, journaling, art, music, photography, or movement. But no pressure, just your pace. You’re in control and I’m here to support you.

Effective communication skills which are taught through a variety of hands-on step-by-step practical exercises. Exercises for increasing emotional intimacy in relationships are completed. Gestalt psychotherapy techniques used to assist the client with finding ways to express thoughts and feelings that were previously too difficult to say. Master resources are built for learning to manage painful emotions. Virtual reality therapy is conducted to assist with simulating real world circumstances

Experiential Therapy is experience based processes. It utilizes techniques such as role-playing, music, guided imagery and re-experiences of emotional situations or relationships. Through the processes clients begin to identify the emotions associated with their experiences. I empower clients with these processes to let go of negative feelings, shame, anger and hurt while recreating positive thinking patterns. Experiential Therapy is used to treat trauma, behaviors and debilitating emotions.