Bodily, emotional, and mental reactions to abuse and neglect are survival-based, adaptive responses (we learn to act and relate in a certain way to keep ourselves safe in an unsafe environment). Those survival-based responses to personal and collective trauma are intrinsically built into the nervous system, and affect our mental and physical health, and the way we are able to relate to people and spaces.

I honor the process of creating trust between us, and I know that the courage to be vulnerable in a new relationship and receive genuine care can be in itself transformative. I like to think of trauma work as akin to the ancient Japanese practice of Kintsugi (golden joinery), the process of mending and repairing broken pottery with seams of gold, embracing imperfections and scars as part of history. When we feel brave enough to acknowledge our breakages and repairs as part of our history (in your own time, there is no right or wrong way to process trauma), we can re-signify our present, cultivate awareness and agency, and celebrate growth and resilience.