Somatic Therapists in Lorton, VA
I work from a relational, trauma-informed, somatic lens to create lasting change.
Life and relationships sometimes offer inaccurate messages about who we are, what we deserve, and what is available to us. Where you have felt invalidated, shamed, limited, or unsafe, I want to help you rewrite your story. I am passionate about connection, communication, mind-body-soul healing, and guiding others into their light. I support individuals and couples in identifying patterns such as over-functioning, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shutting down, withdrawing, or focusing on tasks. As we explore the roots of these strategies, we can find new ways to relate, meet needs, build self-worth, and heal old hurts.
I work from a relational, trauma-informed, somatic lens to create lasting change.
Life and relationships sometimes offer inaccurate messages about who we are, what we deserve, and what is available to us. Where you have felt invalidated, shamed, limited, or unsafe, I want to help you rewrite your story. I am passionate about connection, communication, mind-body-soul healing, and guiding others into their light. I support individuals and couples in identifying patterns such as over-functioning, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shutting down, withdrawing, or focusing on tasks. As we explore the roots of these strategies, we can find new ways to relate, meet needs, build self-worth, and heal old hurts.
Therapy for Grief, Loss & Endings at CCHC
Licensed Professional Counselor, LMFT, LCSW, LMT, LPC
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Lorton, VA 22079
As loss is deeply felt in the body we offer somatic therapy and bodywork to hold you through the process.
We are wired for love and meaning. When we lose the people/things we care about, it is deeply felt in our body, mind, and spirit. Loss can disorient, disorganize, and disrupt our identity, place in the world, and sense of security. Grieving a loss (passing of a loved one, a relationship ending, or change in life circumstances such as career, health, orlocation) is a sacred process of honoring the very important role, needs, and purpose the person or important thing offered you. Grief represents a fundamental dilemma, how to love and live with an open heart and survive the inevitable endings, transitions, and losses that life brings.
As loss is deeply felt in the body we offer somatic therapy and bodywork to hold you through the process.
We are wired for love and meaning. When we lose the people/things we care about, it is deeply felt in our body, mind, and spirit. Loss can disorient, disorganize, and disrupt our identity, place in the world, and sense of security. Grieving a loss (passing of a loved one, a relationship ending, or change in life circumstances such as career, health, orlocation) is a sacred process of honoring the very important role, needs, and purpose the person or important thing offered you. Grief represents a fundamental dilemma, how to love and live with an open heart and survive the inevitable endings, transitions, and losses that life brings.
Somatic Psychotherapy & Trauma-Informed Bodywork
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, LCSW, LMT
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Lorton, VA 22079
Somatic therapy and bodywork offer maps for the body to return to safety after overwhelm, calm after dysregulation, and wholeness after disconnection.
We offer a truly embodied approach to healing. We believe human beings are deeply resourceful, innately whole, and have the capacity to heal themselves from the inside-out. Physical dis-ease and emotional, relational, or mental pain can arise from a sense of separation and/or unresolved issues held in the body. You deserve to go back for exiled parts, shift stuck points, and address unmet needs so you are free to return home to a place of authentic peace, connection, and wholeness. Our skilled therapists offer multiple pathways for tending to trauma and coming out the other side into a life and personhood that belongs solely to you.
Somatic therapy and bodywork offer maps for the body to return to safety after overwhelm, calm after dysregulation, and wholeness after disconnection.
We offer a truly embodied approach to healing. We believe human beings are deeply resourceful, innately whole, and have the capacity to heal themselves from the inside-out. Physical dis-ease and emotional, relational, or mental pain can arise from a sense of separation and/or unresolved issues held in the body. You deserve to go back for exiled parts, shift stuck points, and address unmet needs so you are free to return home to a place of authentic peace, connection, and wholeness. Our skilled therapists offer multiple pathways for tending to trauma and coming out the other side into a life and personhood that belongs solely to you.
Ideally, our early experiences of connection were secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we developed an internal sense of ourselves as loveable, worthy, and deserving of getting our needs met. But what happens when this has not been our experience? Many of us have had to find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnect, invalidation, or criticism. This can often mean we hold beliefs about ourselves that are limiting, worry that we have to hide or minimize parts of who we are, deny certain emotions, hustle for our worth, and/or build up layers of protection. I can support you to heal, connect and create lasting change.
Ideally, our early experiences of connection were secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we developed an internal sense of ourselves as loveable, worthy, and deserving of getting our needs met. But what happens when this has not been our experience? Many of us have had to find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnect, invalidation, or criticism. This can often mean we hold beliefs about ourselves that are limiting, worry that we have to hide or minimize parts of who we are, deny certain emotions, hustle for our worth, and/or build up layers of protection. I can support you to heal, connect and create lasting change.
In an ideal world, our relationship experiences are secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we learn we can trust and are loveable, worthy, and deserving of our needs being met. When this is not our experience, we find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnection, invalidation, hurt, or overwhelm. This plays out as self-limiting beliefs, hiding parts of who we are, denying or being flooded with emotions, shutting down, people pleasing, perfectionism, hustling for our worth, and/or building up our protections. I work with adults, children (2-18), parents, and families to connect, heal, and be each other's greatest resource
In an ideal world, our relationship experiences are secure, safe, accessible, and responsive and we learn we can trust and are loveable, worthy, and deserving of our needs being met. When this is not our experience, we find ways to adapt and survive moments of disconnection, invalidation, hurt, or overwhelm. This plays out as self-limiting beliefs, hiding parts of who we are, denying or being flooded with emotions, shutting down, people pleasing, perfectionism, hustling for our worth, and/or building up our protections. I work with adults, children (2-18), parents, and families to connect, heal, and be each other's greatest resource
When we are in conflict, disconnection, or misunderstanding with a loved one, we all experience distress. Our protective strategies come alive- we shut down, criticize, go numb, or pursue for reconnection. We find ourselves in the same old dance, talking different relational languages we can’t seem to reconcile, having the same old fight. I help individuals and couples talk about what is happening inside them, identify their needs, and understand what is at the core of any recurring patterns. I make space for all the ways life has shaped each of you, how this impacts your interactions, and where the misses are taking place.
When we are in conflict, disconnection, or misunderstanding with a loved one, we all experience distress. Our protective strategies come alive- we shut down, criticize, go numb, or pursue for reconnection. We find ourselves in the same old dance, talking different relational languages we can’t seem to reconcile, having the same old fight. I help individuals and couples talk about what is happening inside them, identify their needs, and understand what is at the core of any recurring patterns. I make space for all the ways life has shaped each of you, how this impacts your interactions, and where the misses are taking place.
Couples Therapy at The Center for Connection
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, LPC, LCSW, LMFT-R, LPC-R
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Lorton, VA 22079
We help couples build person-to-person, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul connections. We all long to be seen, heard, understood, held, and cherished by our precious person. Being in secure connection often conflicts with how life has shaped us. For many of us, relationship experiences have included bumps in the road, needs have been missed, wounds have developed, protections have grown, trust has been broken, limited beliefs have emerged, and parts of us have been hidden away. We help couples explore how life has influenced their interactions and then find lasting ways to heal, connect, repair, meet unmet needs, and build security.
We help couples build person-to-person, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul connections. We all long to be seen, heard, understood, held, and cherished by our precious person. Being in secure connection often conflicts with how life has shaped us. For many of us, relationship experiences have included bumps in the road, needs have been missed, wounds have developed, protections have grown, trust has been broken, limited beliefs have emerged, and parts of us have been hidden away. We help couples explore how life has influenced their interactions and then find lasting ways to heal, connect, repair, meet unmet needs, and build security.
I specialize in the relationships we have with ourselves, partners, children, and families. Whether a child or adult, our behaviors can always be made sense of when seen as a bid for connection, security, co-regulation, or validation. Where responses feel disruptive, defiant, shut down, withdrawn, critical, or overwhelming, they are a protest against disconnection or change, indications of a missed need, or a signal that whatever is happening is outside of a capacity to cope at that moment. I make space for everyone’s resourceful, brilliant, and sometimes limiting patterns, emotions, needs, protectors, and adaptations.
I specialize in the relationships we have with ourselves, partners, children, and families. Whether a child or adult, our behaviors can always be made sense of when seen as a bid for connection, security, co-regulation, or validation. Where responses feel disruptive, defiant, shut down, withdrawn, critical, or overwhelming, they are a protest against disconnection or change, indications of a missed need, or a signal that whatever is happening is outside of a capacity to cope at that moment. I make space for everyone’s resourceful, brilliant, and sometimes limiting patterns, emotions, needs, protectors, and adaptations.
Our early family of origin experiences lay the foundation for internal and relational patterns that continue to play out in later life. Many of our patterns include our best and most creative efforts to adapt to the tough stuff of life such as trauma, misattunement, and loss. Though these patterns are not set in stone, they are often automatic and hard to recognize, change, or understand. Together we can explore the ways in which our adaptations may have served you well in earlier times but are no longer proving to be helpful, effective, or authentic. I work with clients to create connection, healing, safety, and satisfaction.
Our early family of origin experiences lay the foundation for internal and relational patterns that continue to play out in later life. Many of our patterns include our best and most creative efforts to adapt to the tough stuff of life such as trauma, misattunement, and loss. Though these patterns are not set in stone, they are often automatic and hard to recognize, change, or understand. Together we can explore the ways in which our adaptations may have served you well in earlier times but are no longer proving to be helpful, effective, or authentic. I work with clients to create connection, healing, safety, and satisfaction.
Holistic Functional Wellness Center, PLLC
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Lorton, VA 22079
We offer counseling and therapy services to adults, teenagers, and children struggling with anxiety and depression. Our integrative approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness practices, and a holistic view of wellness. In-addition we specialize in helping busy professionals and parents navigate life's stresses and reconnect with their purpose and priorities.
We offer counseling and therapy services to adults, teenagers, and children struggling with anxiety and depression. Our integrative approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness practices, and a holistic view of wellness. In-addition we specialize in helping busy professionals and parents navigate life's stresses and reconnect with their purpose and priorities.
Finding our way back to our whole self can be a difficult journey, one that asks us to connect with feelings not yet owned, wounds not yet processed, and longings not yet voiced. When our needs for comfort, validation, protection, and predictability are not met in our relationships, we can be vulnerable to feeling unworthy, unsafe, and that our needs are unimportant. The strategies we have for dealing with our unmet needs often show up in similar patterns for managing stress, distress, and disconnection. Some move towards others, hoping that if we fight loud, long, or hard enough, our pain and anger will eventually be acknowledged.
Finding our way back to our whole self can be a difficult journey, one that asks us to connect with feelings not yet owned, wounds not yet processed, and longings not yet voiced. When our needs for comfort, validation, protection, and predictability are not met in our relationships, we can be vulnerable to feeling unworthy, unsafe, and that our needs are unimportant. The strategies we have for dealing with our unmet needs often show up in similar patterns for managing stress, distress, and disconnection. Some move towards others, hoping that if we fight loud, long, or hard enough, our pain and anger will eventually be acknowledged.
Do you feel "drained" after interacting with certain people? Are you working on building healthier relationships and boundaries? Are you navigating a major life transition or event? Are you a high-functioning person who feels "stuck" in certain areas of your life or that you are "not living up to your potential"? Many of my clients identify as creative, intuitive, and empathic. Clients who choose to work with me are often seeking a more fulfilling and authentic life, working through layers of internalized conditioning, and healing old wounds that are standing in the way of fully embracing and loving themselves and their lives.
Do you feel "drained" after interacting with certain people? Are you working on building healthier relationships and boundaries? Are you navigating a major life transition or event? Are you a high-functioning person who feels "stuck" in certain areas of your life or that you are "not living up to your potential"? Many of my clients identify as creative, intuitive, and empathic. Clients who choose to work with me are often seeking a more fulfilling and authentic life, working through layers of internalized conditioning, and healing old wounds that are standing in the way of fully embracing and loving themselves and their lives.
Amanda Kelsheimer, LCSW, Clinical Director
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Lorton, VA 22079
I work with adult individuals, children (2-18), and parents. I help clients creatively turn pain into coping skills, missed connections into secure relationships, and problematic behaviors into strengths and resiliency. I focus on practical, real-world strategies that build security and connection through a balance of nurture, engagement, structure, and challenge. These strategies are a resource that can then be utilized through different life experiences, stages, and stressors. I support adults, children, and parents alike to understand their emotional and relational needs and find more satisfying, connective ways of meeting them.
I work with adult individuals, children (2-18), and parents. I help clients creatively turn pain into coping skills, missed connections into secure relationships, and problematic behaviors into strengths and resiliency. I focus on practical, real-world strategies that build security and connection through a balance of nurture, engagement, structure, and challenge. These strategies are a resource that can then be utilized through different life experiences, stages, and stressors. I support adults, children, and parents alike to understand their emotional and relational needs and find more satisfying, connective ways of meeting them.
More Therapists Nearby
Jacqueline Lubovich
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Springfield, VA 22153 (Online Only)
I am a certified yoga instructor as well and in training for Somatic Experiencing.
As of 07/2024 I am accepting new clients. I recognize a very strong connection between body and mind. Primarily, I utilize techniques to help you gain awareness into your inner landscape of physical sensations, how these are connected to your emotions, and combine movement with talk therapy. We work with different somatic based tools to build capacity in managing different stressors and releasing past "stuck" experiences. Using what we learn from our body can often help us in navigating anxiety, depression, stress, difficult emotions, situations, life transitions and trauma stored in the body.
I am a certified yoga instructor as well and in training for Somatic Experiencing.
As of 07/2024 I am accepting new clients. I recognize a very strong connection between body and mind. Primarily, I utilize techniques to help you gain awareness into your inner landscape of physical sensations, how these are connected to your emotions, and combine movement with talk therapy. We work with different somatic based tools to build capacity in managing different stressors and releasing past "stuck" experiences. Using what we learn from our body can often help us in navigating anxiety, depression, stress, difficult emotions, situations, life transitions and trauma stored in the body.
Aysha Kemp
Pre-Licensed Professional, MSW
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Occoquan, VA 22125 (Online Only)
I work from a relational, trauma-informed, somatic lens to create lasting change.
Life and relationships sometimes offer inaccurate messages about who we are, what we deserve, and what is available to us. Where you have felt invalidated, shamed, limited, or unsafe, I want to help you rewrite your story. I am passionate about connection, communication, mind-body-soul healing, and guiding others into their light. I support individuals and couples in identifying patterns such as over-functioning, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shutting down, withdrawing, or focusing on tasks. As we explore the roots of these strategies, we can find new ways to relate, meet needs, build self-worth, and heal old hurts.
I work from a relational, trauma-informed, somatic lens to create lasting change.
Life and relationships sometimes offer inaccurate messages about who we are, what we deserve, and what is available to us. Where you have felt invalidated, shamed, limited, or unsafe, I want to help you rewrite your story. I am passionate about connection, communication, mind-body-soul healing, and guiding others into their light. I support individuals and couples in identifying patterns such as over-functioning, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shutting down, withdrawing, or focusing on tasks. As we explore the roots of these strategies, we can find new ways to relate, meet needs, build self-worth, and heal old hurts.
When we are in conflict, disconnection, or misunderstanding with a loved one, we all experience distress. Our protective strategies come alive, shutting down, criticizing, going numb, or pursuing for reconnection. We find ourselves in the same old dance, talking different relational languages we can’t seem to reconcile, having the same old fight. I help individuals and couples talk about what is happening inside them, identify needs, and understand what is at the core of any recurring patterns. I make space for all the ways life has shaped each of you, how this impacts your interactions, and where the misses are taking place.
When we are in conflict, disconnection, or misunderstanding with a loved one, we all experience distress. Our protective strategies come alive, shutting down, criticizing, going numb, or pursuing for reconnection. We find ourselves in the same old dance, talking different relational languages we can’t seem to reconcile, having the same old fight. I help individuals and couples talk about what is happening inside them, identify needs, and understand what is at the core of any recurring patterns. I make space for all the ways life has shaped each of you, how this impacts your interactions, and where the misses are taking place.
You can read the complete bio on my website, but let's hit the highlights here. Since 8th grade I wanted to be a therapist – primarily driven by a desire to help people, but coming in a close second is my general fascination with why humans think and act the way we do. I studied psychology, minoring in philosophy, and at the same time began working in mental health in 1996. At first this was with "at-risk" children/teens, although later I shifted to residential treatment while pursuing my master's in school counseling. Although I had always wanted to be in a clinical setting, being a guidance counselor was a more practical start.
You can read the complete bio on my website, but let's hit the highlights here. Since 8th grade I wanted to be a therapist – primarily driven by a desire to help people, but coming in a close second is my general fascination with why humans think and act the way we do. I studied psychology, minoring in philosophy, and at the same time began working in mental health in 1996. At first this was with "at-risk" children/teens, although later I shifted to residential treatment while pursuing my master's in school counseling. Although I had always wanted to be in a clinical setting, being a guidance counselor was a more practical start.
I specialize in cultivating a safe space for couples to reconnect, resolve well-worn patterns, and repair old wounds. It might be that each of you has a different way of navigating emotions, conflict, disconnection, or stress. For most couples, this includes one partner pursuing connection or resolution, upping the ante when they can’t feel their important other, and the other partner withdrawing or shutting down in an effort to reduce tension and diffuse the conflict. Many couples find these different relational strategies can lead to cycles of frustration, misunderstanding, pain, and protectiveness they can’t find a way out of.
I specialize in cultivating a safe space for couples to reconnect, resolve well-worn patterns, and repair old wounds. It might be that each of you has a different way of navigating emotions, conflict, disconnection, or stress. For most couples, this includes one partner pursuing connection or resolution, upping the ante when they can’t feel their important other, and the other partner withdrawing or shutting down in an effort to reduce tension and diffuse the conflict. Many couples find these different relational strategies can lead to cycles of frustration, misunderstanding, pain, and protectiveness they can’t find a way out of.
I work with clients to go deep into the origins of who they are and how life and relationships have shaped them. When you look deeper into your story you can make sense of how you have learned to navigate connection, emotions, conflict, boundaries, and relational needs. We can explore the stuck points, protectors, adaptations, and threat mitigation strategies you have needed up until now. We can also make space for any parts or wounds that need healing or going back for. Along the way, I can help you access your inner resources, wisdom, and resilience. My role is to help you explore the other possibilities available to you.
I work with clients to go deep into the origins of who they are and how life and relationships have shaped them. When you look deeper into your story you can make sense of how you have learned to navigate connection, emotions, conflict, boundaries, and relational needs. We can explore the stuck points, protectors, adaptations, and threat mitigation strategies you have needed up until now. We can also make space for any parts or wounds that need healing or going back for. Along the way, I can help you access your inner resources, wisdom, and resilience. My role is to help you explore the other possibilities available to you.
I specialize in the relationships we have with ourselves, partners, children, and families. Whether a child or adult, our behaviors can always be made sense of when seen as a bid for connection, security, co-regulation, or validation. Where responses feel disruptive, defiant, shut down, withdrawn, critical, or overwhelming, they are a protest against disconnection or change, indications of a missed need, or a signal that whatever is happening is outside of a capacity to cope at that moment. I make space for everyone’s resourceful, brilliant, and sometimes limiting patterns, emotions, needs, protectors, and adaptations.
I specialize in the relationships we have with ourselves, partners, children, and families. Whether a child or adult, our behaviors can always be made sense of when seen as a bid for connection, security, co-regulation, or validation. Where responses feel disruptive, defiant, shut down, withdrawn, critical, or overwhelming, they are a protest against disconnection or change, indications of a missed need, or a signal that whatever is happening is outside of a capacity to cope at that moment. I make space for everyone’s resourceful, brilliant, and sometimes limiting patterns, emotions, needs, protectors, and adaptations.
See more therapy options for Lorton
Nearby Somatic Therapists Searches for Lorton
- Alexandria
- Annandale
- Burke
- Chantilly
- Engleside
- Fairfax
- Fairfax Station
- Falls Church
- Fort Belvoir
- Occoquan
- Springfield
- Woodbridge
Somatic Therapists
How does somatic therapy work?
Somatic therapy is a form of treatment that focuses on how the body and mind are interconnected. In this approach, physical symptoms are addressed because they may in fact signal emotional distress. Somatic therapists combine mindfulness, talk therapy, breathwork, yoga, dance, and physical manipulations of the body to help patients become more attuned to what their body is telling them.
Is EMDR a somatic therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a form of somatic therapy, as it incorporates mental and physical principles. EMDR involves remembering a traumatic experience while allowing one’s eyes to track a side-to-side visual stimulus from a therapist. This lateral eye movement is believed to diminish the painful power of the memory so that it can be discussed with a therapist.
Is somatic therapy evidence-based?
Somatic therapy has been researched and studied, and some forms of somatic therapy are found to be effective in treating a wide range of conditions. Because somatic therapy encompasses many techniques, some, such as EMDR and meditation, have been studied more than others.
What is somatic trauma therapy?
Somatic trauma therapy is based on the idea that when people experience trauma, they can become stuck in the “freeze” part of a “fight, flight, or freeze” response. In this state, trauma can manifest itself both mentally and physically—through tension in the muscles, anxiety, and stress. Popular forms of somatic trauma therapy include EMDR, sensorimotor therapy, and somatic experiencing.