Autumn Marler (she/her/hers)

Trauma can be a single event trauma such as sexual assault, car crashes or surgery. It can also be layers of relational traumas that build up over time. Trauma damages our sense of safety in the world. I use somatic experiencing to gradually work with trauma in small manageable chunks. It isn't about just "retelling the story" or "reliving it" it is rather moving it through the body bit by bit til unexpectedly you find yourself in a different place.

Are you a person who thinks deeply about the world? Do you just take in more information than is typical? It might be reading people more deeply or perhaps your five senses work in technicolor. Therapeutically, I can help you to balance your nervous system, understand how to set boundaries that keep you safe and manage the strong physical and emotional experiences that can overwhelm. I use relational, mindfulness based and somatic tools (somatic experiencing).

Sometime anxiety is specific (ie social anxiety) and sometimes it is nebulous. That feeling in your body that seems waxes and wanes. In my practice we get curious about anxiety. I have learned that the more you push it away the stronger it gets. I use somatic experiencing, a trauma based modality, to help rework and stabilize the physical body. I find this is much more effective than using only talk therapy. Somatic work creates a strong framework for lessening anxiety.

I use somatic experiencing to treat issues such as trauma, anxiety, depressive thoughts, self esteem and relational difficulties. In my experience, working with the nervous systems is the most effective treatment for many issues. We think our minds or emotions run the show but really it starts with the body. Sometimes this looks like feeling into your body, but other times it is talk therapy that focuses on meaning, images or emotions that can also help balance and heal body.

I am trained in contemplative therapy. While I can teach meditation, I often do not in individual therapy. The contemplative approach is rather to cultivate awareness, curiosity and friendliness toward ourselves. Easier said than done. We are often harder on ourselves than others. Through my own meditation experience and social justice work, I bring a nonjudgemental attitude that fosters safety and openness to all the parts of your experience.

Do you prefer to be alone? Do you fear losing your independence? Or maybe you are anxious in relationship, wanting reassurance ? Do you sometimes focus on the other person's faults than gifts? A baby never prefers to be alone. When a small child falls they look to a parent to soothe. When we have relational experiences that are not ideal, we unconsciously form a framework based on disappointment or abandonment. Attachment therapy reworks this framework to foster healthy connection.