Somatic Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA

Would you like to feel empowered and at ease with life and yourself? Whether you're going through life transition, having relationship problems, dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma or looking for a deeper purpose in life, I would be honored to support you in your process of growth and healing. When the deepest parts of you get to be seen, held and accepted, it transforms into your light and strength. In this process you'll learn how to listen and trust your innate wisdom and guidance, you'll become resourceful, empowered and free to consciously create the life you want.

Your soul is ready to heal. Too many of us are suffering in isolation, with complex challenges and big feelings that we were never meant to carry on our own. Bring me your grief, your sadness, your anxiety and your overwhelm. Bring me your wounded parts, and let's hold them close, together. Once you have a place where you feel seen, heard and held without judgment, you naturally begin to heal. Allow me to be that place for you. I love supporting people with grief and loss, life transitions, anxiety, depression, trauma, and issues around self-worth and self-esteem. I am so glad you found me.

My approach as a somatic practitioner and educator is to witness and help facilitate your access to, and awareness of, your essential nature. Somatic Experiencing supports this process by helping you to be more aware of your body and its sensations and allowing this process to lead you to a more holistic awareness of your whole being, which can facilitate healing, growth, and transformation.

As a human, you are guaranteed pain and stress in your lifetime. Yet, perhaps one of the most creative invitations of all on offer is what you do with this suffering. You are not your suffering. By using the foundations of mindful awareness, embodiment, and connection, suffering can be transformed into strength, a deeper knowing of oneself, and a greater intimacy with life. Your journey is unique and beautiful with all of its etches, glories, and downfalls. It is not one you must walk on your own. I am here to witness, support, and join your journey.

If you work with me, I start with the basic premise that you are already whole, precious, and loveable. You have all the goods to make it in this world. Our job together is to uncover how to connect you with who you actually are, so that you can be with yourself and others in a way where you like how you are being and live the life you actually want to live. I specialize in addressing the impact of traumas and reorienting clients toward their innate wholeness. You may feel limited or stuck in cycles of anxiety, depression, or general off-ness. Together we can explore your patterns and develop new ones.

I integrate all my training in helping clients heal and transform their lives in the direction which honors living one's full potential/purpose. I work with individuals, couples and groups. The areas I have worked with include: mild - moderate anxiety, mild - moderate depression, stress reduction, communication skills, codependency, low self- esteem, relational issues, grief, social skill building, marital/divorce/relationship issues, women's issues, racial/ethnic/cultural concerns, meaning of life, life transitions, life purpose, identity questions, spiritual issues, and eco-related issues.

As I see it, the primary role of a counselor is to serve as a mirror to help reveal what the client hasn't yet been able to see-especially those patterns of relating to self, others, and the environment that might be causing suffering. At the same time, the counselor is there to reflect, affirm, and strengthen the client's unique gifts and talents.One of the biggest impediments to healing, growth, and creativity is shame. To help clients move through this debilitating emotion, I use a combination of mindfulness, body awareness, and other healing modalities.

I can help you clear through the clutter of daily life. I have 20 years of experience working with people of all ages, in a variety of settings. My therapy work includes somatic (body-centered), mindfulness, "parts work”, as well as traditional talk therapy. Sometimes my job is to simply hold a space for you to gain clarity. Other times, I offer exercises to help you access and work through the unconscious.

We live in an inter-connected world. Our old models of rigid individuality and self-reliance are failing us now, not addressing our deep innate need for belonging, for purpose, for awe and transcendent pleasure. At this time, we need a capacity for processing intensity, a range of emotions from grief to ecstasy. And the planet needs us to be awake to it, in our full authenticity and hope. I believe being present to our inter-connection is key to living a fulfilling life. This opening to awareness will bring new questions, new boundaries, new paths to explore. Are you feeling a calling for more intimacy with all that is?

Welcome. If you’re reading this, it probably means you are looking for something different. If you are looking for individual therapy, I believe I can be of best support to those who have already begun their healing work and are ready to dive deeper. This might involve utilizing current high-tech approaches such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Somatic -based therapies, as well as mindfulness and present-moment focused therapy, or possibly delving deeper into your psychological history. However, I am confident, ready, and willing to meet people wherever they are at on their journey. Additionally, I enjoy working with couples.

Ryan approaches each session with warmth, genuineness, and empathy. He believes in meeting each individual where they are and creating an environment that is built on trust, safety, and a strong, caring relationship. Therapy with Ryan is a safe and comprehensive exploration into one’s life that focuses on growth, evolution, insight, awareness, and understanding. Therapy with Ryan is a space that allows one to unfold and make sense of life’s complexities, resulting in a life and a way of being that feels authentic and meaningful.

I have a somatic focus, which means I can help you discover what is happening in your body as a fast track to healing whatever is on your mind. By slowing down and getting present, we can unwind difficulties, move through stuckness and create more capacity for closeness and connection. I have specialized training in Hakomi, EMDR, EFT, PACT and Stanford GSB's Interpersonal Dynamics Facilitator Program. Please call me for a free phone consultation.

I believe that every person carries the potential to heal and grow from the challenges of life. We are all experts in our own lives, and my job as your therapist is to help guide and support you on your path toward reconciling past and present in order to create a better future. Healing blossoms from connection, collaboration, compassion, and the courage to explore our innermost selves. I love working with adolescents, young adults, couples, and polycules. As someone who identifies as non-monogamous, I am dedicated to providing therapy to the CNM community because I know firsthand the struggles and joys of this relationship style.

I trust your capacity for moving toward healing, change and growth. My holistic training in applying mindfulness to trauma and anxiety can allow you to experience a new relationship with all the parts of yourself and with others, which helps you feel more at ease. As a somatic psychotherapist, I use a mind-body approach to help you compassionately discover unconscious patterns in your nervous system, body, and mind that keep you from living your life as you wish. Somatic -based therapy has you deeply listen to all parts of yourself, which allows access and support to places in you that talk therapy does not reach.

Personal, professional, family and community issues can be challenging. Compassion, honor of the unique individual, plus methods to navigate positively, heal wounds, make wonderful shifts needed! People seek ways to change emotional, spiritual and mental habits internally, while navigating real life difficulties. Honor for your sensitives and uniqueness is given here. I have effectively helped people from a vast array of cultural backgrounds to find ways to healing and positive life change. I go deeper than talk therapy offering all kinds of tools for change from IFS, to EMDR, to hypnotherapy, to somatic to expressive, and more.

Suffering comes in many forms. It is personal and intimate and often times overwhelming and sometimes debilitating. But you don’t have to face it alone. Many people have sought my help for feelings of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and an out of balance work-life; others, for unresolved trauma , PTSD, and other stress-related disorders which keep people trapped in disregulated states of being; still others because they were unhappy with their life and the spark of their passion was dim.

Life can feel overwhelming, hopeless at times, full of stress, anxiety and loneliness. My approach with my clients' is to create a safe and comfortable environment to share these experiences without fear of judgement. I have deep empathy for those who are challenged by their current life circumstances and have a desire to make changes to better themselves. I work to help my clients' gain insight into their behaviors and develop alternatives ways of coping that feel more honest and productive. I find that when clients' can access their strengths within themselves, they are more able to facilitate healing.

I provide support for new or expecting mothers and partners, couples, individuals struggling with body image and disordered eating, relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, and women's issues. I do this work because I believe that it is every human being's right and potential to live a fulfilled and healthy life, and often, we just need to feel safe, seen, and heard in order to find our way there. If you are ready to experience relief, cultivate new tools that support your healing and growth, and claim your vitality and purpose, I am here to partner with you on your journey.