Hey, I’m Alissa
I guide you out of your head and into your body.
As a licensed psychotherapist, I know the importance of creating a safe, warm, and welcoming space to unpack and process the wounds we carry.
And as someone who has been to therapy, I know that there are times when talking and processing isn't enough. Times that I would leave sessions feeling more tense, stuck, or guarded than I did when I entered.
And over the years, I have worked with many clients who’ve had similar experiences.
For those of us who naturally reside more in our minds-- who like to process, think through, plan, dissect, analyze, research, and learn as a way to navigate life-- talk therapy can drive us further into those tendencies.
So I decided it was time to invite the body into the conversation.
I’ve left talk therapy behind to provide somatic coaching and somatic yoga instead.
I’d like to tell you a little story.
Because the theme is one you may relate to.
I grew up as a sensitive child in a world where feelings and vulnerabilities were not openly talked about or shown. I remember many times when I would swallow the lump in my throat or bite down my words in order to appear less affected by things. Looking back now, I see that I learned to hide such a big piece of who I was and how I really felt. And that resulted in me never feeling fully seen, known, or held by those around me.
I became so good at hiding that I was even hiding from myself. Something challenging or sad would happen, and instead of being able to cry, yell or let it out-- I would automatically shove it all down... and I'd become anxious instead. By the time I was in my early 20s, I was experiencing daily anxiety and frequent panic attacks.
The less in control of my body I felt, the more my brain tried to overcompensate. I would analyze, process, research, learn, and dissect my way into a calmer state.
To everyone else, I always seemed OK and put together. I was the ‘wise’ one that everyone would come to for advice. But inside, I was drowning. And that theme of not feeling fully seen, known, or held continued.
Until one day, at the beginning of my graduate program for counseling… I found yoga.
I remember the first time I stepped onto my mat, it felt like I was coming home. Learning how to use my body as a tool to calm my mind changed my life.
Yoga kept my head above the water through most of my 20s. But fast forward a few years, and I had my first baby. I suddenly felt myself drowning in anxiety stronger than I ever felt before and my yoga practice was no longer enough to get me through.
So, I decided to try therapy for the first time. After a few tries, I found a therapist who helped me get through the peak of my anxiety. I started to feel like myself again. But as I did, something else became apparent. Once I was no longer living with constant anxiety and panic, I realized how much of my life I was spending just getting by…
I wanted more.
I wanted to feel ALIVE.
To feel safe to be in joy, love, playfulness, and connection. To let myself cry in front of others, admit when I needed help, and really let people in without bracing.
I tried to work on these more abstract goals with therapists— but I kept hitting a wall (the theme of not feeling fully seen or held continued).
The happy ending is that after a few years of searching (yes, years), I finally found a therapist who truly saw me.
She gave me words to validate my emotions. When I tried to hide and appear OK, she wasn’t fooled. She knew me. She held space for me in the ways I always held for others, but that no one ever did for me.
She gifted me true attunement.
She unlocked a lot of healing for me, but it still felt hard to access my emotions in real time— beyond just thinking/talking about them. I intuitively desired to move my body during our sessions because I knew that yoga energetically opened me in ways I couldn’t easily access simply by talking. I had the attunement I always needed, but I was craving movement.
I found myself deeply desiring a space to move, talk, process, stretch, flow, and release all at the same time.
I figured if I was craving this— other people must be too. So I decided to complete additional training in how yoga and somatic movement can support the emotional health and trauma recovery of my clients and students.
After my training, I realized that blending these two worlds is what I’ve always been meant to do— ever since I found yoga in my first semester of grad school.
Because the magic combination for those of us who can easily detach from our bodies to reside in our heads is…
Movement & Attunement.
Attunement has always been at the heart of how I support others— but gently incorporating more somatic movement practices with myself AND with my clients has created amazing results.
Self-love grew.
Safety to be with the vulnerability of emotions grew.
Inner-child work became more accessible and fruitful.
Deep, nervous-system healing was occurring.
My clients started to share with me phrases like: “I used to live my life just trying to get through the day. Now I’m not only getting through the day— but I’m really enjoying it.”
movement + attunement can help you feel safe enough in your body to embrace the fullness of life.
Are you ready to move, breathe, and feel to heal?