Annalise Oatman (she/her)

I have ten years of experience working with a broad range of issues (all of which were either trauma specifically, or had a traumatic underpinning). I am trained in EMDR therapy (considered the gold standard therapy for treating trauma), and I weave it with gentle somatic inquiry techniques, deep imagination work, parts work and dream tending. Having done many deep dives into somatic work and depth psychology, I consider these to be indispensable influences on my work and often the best approaches for getting gently underneath the surface. As I continue to develop as a therapist and attend Hakomi Somatic Therapy trainings, I am becoming more and more heart-centered in my approach. I consider the sacred dimension of my work to be a process of gently softening and detangling the thickets of trauma that protect the tenderness of the heart. So our work is really about alchemizing everything getting in the way of your ability to be present with a heart that is open to spontaneous joy.

I studied Philosophy in Ireland, volunteered in an orphanage for HIV-positive orphans, and trained as a hospice volunteer before studying to become a therapist. And, full disclosure, it was a bizarre mystical experience that occurred around my quarter life crisis that led to my decision to do this work. I was raised Catholic, then became Agnostic, then Atheist. Then I read The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and became very interested in Tibetan Buddhism. I also explored Wicca, Druidry and other esoterica and earth-based, feminine spiritualities for many years. For a time, I collected esoteric certificates to the point that my therapy practice started to look like a mystical emporium. Finally, after a series of ayahuasca ceremonies, I came to the belief that the most important devotional practice is one of listening to the heart and watering the seeds of tenderness there. This practice provides all the feelings of sacredness I craved, and now influences all my work with clients.