Sudden Change

To experience trauma is to have life suddenly take an unexpected and unwelcome turn.

The experience often undermines our sense of safety, security, and well-being. We often feel isolated and misunderstood.

Physical responses include the fight/flight or freeze responses. The body reacts to the situation(s) with rapid heartrate, holding the breath or shallow breathing, a change in digestive functioning; feelings range from terrified/scared to anger and hopelessness.

If one is unable to process the trauma within a reasonable window of time, the trauma is ‘held’ by the body. There are theories (and some scientific data) that say that chronic disease is the result of held trauma.

A long history of helping trauma survivors

I started working with trauma survivors in the early 1980s, while working at the Burn Center at the University of Virginia. I was also volunteering at the Charlottesville Rape Crisis Group – now Sexual Assault Resource Agency. My quest to find ways of helping trauma survivors started there.

In my education, research, and experience, I found talk therapy alone was not enough. I went with my clients to many alternative therapies to support them and to learn the treatment options.

I found Reiki (a form of energy medicine) to be one of the most helpful treatments. I took the first course and then found Healing Touch (Healing Beyond Borders: Educating and Certifying the Healing Touch). I found the curriculum and techniques very helpful in working with clients for just about any issue.

How I Help

My goal is to assist the client in calming the Nervous System and learning techniques that will allow them to find a new level of functioning.

Talk therapy, Ecotherapy and Healing Touch are the approaches I have found to create the most healing.