Amy J Gartner (she/her)

Treating PTSD is about honoring that something happened to us and we need to learn to manage the responses in our brain and our bodies to those traumatic events. I use Brainspotting and Somatic work in ways that feel supportive and human not clinical or intimidating. Trauma is held in the body so much of our work will be nervous system based. It's about learning how to regulate our emotions, honor our triggers, and respect our protective adaptations.

I started my career working in a hospital setting where the specialty was treating Dissociative Identity Disorders. Treatment starts with safety and stabilization which hinges on the client and therapist building a trusted relationship. Once a safe relationship is established we can begin processing traumatic experiences gradually and collaboratively. I prefer to use Brainspotting and Somatic Therapies in ways that feel supportive and human. Finally, were will work on integration.

Grief therapy is my passion. We live in a culture that sends the message that we need to "get over it." Grief is not something that we get over, it is something that we learn to live with, that we learn to carry and make room for in our lives. Grief must be witnessed, normalized, and accepted. Grief therapy is not just about death, it is about navigating losses from trauma, discrimination, health challenges, infertility, the list goes on.

Trauma and grief are held in the body at a cellular level. In order to heal we need to listen to our bodies and ground in the present moment. This will allow us to expand our window of tolerance, shift our nervous system from survival mode to regulation, integrate our body sensations with our thoughts and feelings, and manage our trauma responses (fight/flight/freeze/fawn).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how our thoughts create our feelings and affect our behaviors. When our thinking becomes distorted or rigid it maintains anxiety and depression, reinforces avoidance and keeps us stuck in destructive cycles. By identifying and challenging our thought patterns we can be intentional around changing them to create healthier reactions. A strength of CBT is that it has a very clear structure, practical tools and measurable outcomes.

Brainspotting is a gentle therapy approach that helps your brain and body heal from trauma, stress, anxiety, grief, and emotional pain, especially when talking alone hasn't been enough. Brainspotting is based on the idea that your body holds onto experiences, even when we don't have words for them. By paying attention to where your eyes naturally want to rest, we can access parts of the brain that store emotional and traumatic experiences and allow them to process and release.