My own brand of working with neurobiology and trauma resolution was deeply informed by Peter Levine’s beautiful - and profoundly effective - work called Somatic Experiencing. This pioneering approach was developed over Dr. Levine’s lifespan and is based on the understanding that trauma is stored in the body and nervous system - not in the story. He emphasized how important this distinction was, and how the gifts of our hard-wired Fight, Flight and Freeze were also importantly the gifts of our healing. For many trauma survivors this sounds confusing and contradictory. But it is an important distinction, and suggests the possibility of freedom, of healing and even of new awarenesses that are not typical daily experiences of life regarding the power of your Life Force Energies.

I am also inspired by the attachment work I have witnessed working with adults, arising from the years I spent on the floor with children and families, as well as current research and findings on healing adult attachment wounds.  We realize that the impact of early relational traumas, known as insecure attachment styles, impacts all areas of our adult lives. The attachment system never “turns off.” We are wired for connection, affiliation, collaboration and bonding throughout the lifetime. Fortunately, those same nervous systems which have been impacted by neglect, trauma or abuse are also very flexible with neuronal plasticity. Having the wisdom to work somatically with neurobiology is key, since the earliest experiences arise from the felt sense of how it was to be with another -  in the pre-linguistic and pre-cognitive memory states of the body. My 12 years of collaboration with Diane Poole Heller & her DARe workshops was a remarkable journey of healing, both personally and professionally.

Are you an inquisitive, open-minded and somatically oriented therapist with an active caseload? Reach out to join me in an SE Consult Group.

Excited to share my SpokenWord event August 30th! Please join Patti & Friends at the Story Parlor of Asheville - click image to learn more & purchase tickets.

Most Recent Live Teaching in February 2024:

Check out the Trauma Healing Week at Blue Spirit Costa Rica, along with Bessel van der Kolk, Dick Schwartz, Licia Sky, Jack Saul and other somatically oriented, body based teachers.

Trauma Healing and Our Unbroken Essence