01 — Nothing needs to be fixed.

The parts of us that grip us with anxiety, depression, dissociative behaviors, and other show-stopping-symptoms don’t actually need to be fixed. They need to be seen.

I work from a model called Internal Family Systems (IFS). This model is somatic and transpersonal, not analytical. The foundational assumption of this model is that healing is an organic process that your consciousness is designed to do. You can learn more about this model here.

02 — Our foundation is undamaged by trauma.

Through IFS, clients begin to identify more and more with the part of them that is simply a loving witness. Modern neuroscientists call it “mind sight,” and ancient Buddhist texts call it “buddha nature.” Whatever you call it, this dimension of consciousness is the foundation of ending our inner struggle and stabilizing our minds.

03 — Attachment is a human need.

In the past 100 years, the Western understanding of human relationships has been revolutionized by something called Attachment Theory. The emergence of this theory, and the thousands of studies that have corroborated it, have allowed psychologists to finally recognize the central role of secure, safe relationships in the health of the human mind and body.

Together, we can integrate the traumas that have made healthy, secure attachments difficult, and uncover your innate capacity for deep connection.

04 — Authenticity is almost as strong a human need.

As the brilliant scholar and doctor Gabor Maté has pointed out, a young child thrives in environments that support secure attachment and authentic expression. By authentic expression, he means the development of intuition and self trust.

However, If forced to choose between these two human needs, the child will choose attachment. As an adult, this person may struggle to know who they are, and where they belong. In therapy, we work to develop both attachment and authenticity, honoring the essential place that each need holds in the human psyche.