I work with people in three different ways: somatic psychotherapy, life coaching, and spiritual counseling. You can use them at different times of your life or simultaneously as conditions fit. I hope this helps you understand each process and when they are useful to use.
What is Somatic Psychotherapy and when is it useful?
Somatic psychotherapy combines talk-therapy with somatic experiencing (body-based awareness), which slowly accesses the sensations, feelings, and thoughts that are held deep in our tissues and cells. It is useful for clearing trauma we hold in our bodies.
It is often more effective and longer lasting than traditional talk therapy because it incorporates elements of our heart and mind that live in our body and require making a connection so they can be released, healed and transformed. Talk therapy is useful at the level of cognitive and emotional difficulties but often doesn’t fully access the level of trauma, which is often the driver of our cognitive and emotional issues.
Somatic psychotherapy tends to be slower and deeper and at times uncomfortable as we access pain points and heart wounds that live beneath the surface. It is a means of connecting with the deeper parts of our minds in a safe and careful way so that true enlivening can occur. It is often referred to as Somatic Experiencing.
Time Frame: once per week, usually, with a steadfast commitment
What is Transformative Life Coaching and when is it useful?
Transformative Life Coaching focuses on accomplishing identifiable and specific goals or outcomes so you can meet meaningful life challenges and create the life you most want to be living. The focus is on you taking your own action. Coaching keeps you focused, challenged, and motivated for living your life on purpose. Coaching is about possibilities and the coaching relationship is the vehicle that can shift and change everyday life into realized hopes and dreams.
A coach guides you through the your own thinking, feeling and beliefs so you can achieve your vision, clarify your goals, and be held accountable for achieving them. A supportive and deep-questioning coach can help you achieve greater success, in a more supportive environment, in a shorter period of time.
Coaching is often for those people who are ready to move forward in their life and have fewer internal issues that might hold them back. The focus of the session is on seeing and developing possibilities for the future.
Time Frame: once per week, twice per month or once per month; 4 session minimum
What is Spiritual Counseling and when is it useful?
Spiritual counseling helps sincere seekers understand, reflect on, and adjust their spiritual practice to best meet their goal of spiritual awareness and mastery. It is useful for those who want a regular time to reflect on their spiritual life in a focused environment with a someone experienced in the science of spiritual transformation.
The goal of my spiritual counseling and guidance is to support your spiritual life by strengthening your subtle body’s nervous system, and increasing your spiritual understanding, focus and energy. I work with your intent, spiritual practices, lifestyle, diet, breathing, philosophy, psychological inner work, and faith.
Time Frame: usually once per month or once every two or three months
Can I do more than one at a time?
Yes, it’s possible and depends on your focus and financial and emotional capacity. It is certainly possible to add in spiritual counseling as it happens less frequently and is a complement to either somatic psychotherapy or life coaching. It is recommended that you start with one for some period of time before adding in another so you can get your bearings with that modality before adding in another. Still, all the modalities have been used at the same time informally throughout history and even your own life. Your friends, family and colleagues do some of this with you already. This is just more focused and professional.
TO SCHEDULE A SESSION:
Contact me if you would like to schedule an in-person, phone or Zoom session or if you would like to set up a 30 minute introductory meeting.
