Free resources
10 Reasons You Might Need a Therapist This Holiday Season
The holidays aren’t filled with joy for everyone. Here are 10 reasons that people might struggle with the holiday season and could use the support of a therapist.
Creating Cues of Safety & Danger (6/6)
My takeaways from a presentation by Deb Dana. In order to feel safe, we need context, choice, and connection. Limited choice and change can be cues of danger. We need good co-regulation before we can effectively self-regulate.
Responding to Cues of Safety & Danger (5/6)
My takeaways from a presentation by Deb Dana. We cannot always be safe and social. We are at our healthiest when we can easily respond to cues of danger and quickly return to feeling safe and social. We cannot overstress our system or we kick into survival mode.
Cues of Safety (4/6)
When you are in dorsal vagal response you are more able to: be social; connected to self, others, the world, spirit; communicate; engage in growth and restoration; co-regulate and self-regulate; tune into the moment and tune out distractions; be resourced and resourceful; reach out for and offer support; explore options be flexible; be resilient.
Cues of Life-Threat (3/6)
When you are in dorsal vagal response you might feel: zoned out; shut down; unaware; immobilized; disconnected; numb; foggy; collapsed; drained; untethered; floating; alone; lost; abandoned; unreachable; hopeless; invisible; dissociated.
Cues of Danger (2/6)
When you are in sympathetic nervous system response you might feel anxious; panicked; alarmed; hypervigilant; sense of unease and impending danger; sense of separation or feeling cut off from others; disconnected from self, others, world, spirit; may enter into “deer in the headlights” freeze.
Cues of Safety & Danger (1/6)
My takeaways from a presentation by Deb Dana. Safety is an embodied experience. Our bodies are always scanning for cues of safety and danger. We all respond differently to the same cues. The cues of safety have to outweigh the cues of danger.
Drive to survive and Longing to Connect
My takeaways from a presentation by Deb Dana. We have the drive to survive and the longing to connect. 5 minutes of viewing nature makes you more resilient. People seek therapists who are warm and confident. Stretching, self-touch, and sighing are good self-care.
Attachment Styles and Sex
My commentary on a presentation about how attachment issues might correlate with sexual issues, including not having orgasms, having delayed or premature ejaculation, or having pain with sex. I include an activity they suggested and an activity of my own.
Feminine and Masculine Traits
My commentary on a presentation about feminine and masculine traits, which are separate from gender expression. It includes how this manifests for us individually and how it impacts our relationships. I also include a couple of the activities they suggested.
Vulnerability and Authentic Expression
My commentary on a presentation about masculine and feminine traits; why we avoid vulnerability; what, how, and why we do things; gut feelings; and sacrificing authentic expression for secure attachment.
What is Professional?
Seth Godin says “People like us do things like this.” I have often been given feedback about what standards others apply to me that cause them to label me as unprofessional because in their mind, professionals don’t do things like that. What are your standards of professionalism? Where did they come from? Are they helpful?
Bloopers
We so often compare ourselves to others’ highlight reels or their carefully edited end products, so I wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at some of what happened as I created the videos for my website.
Sitting at a Desk All Day Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Tips From an Online Somatic Therapist in Colorado
Our bodies did not develop to sit in chairs all day, so here’s some information about the equipment I use for online therapy and how it helps to care for my body, including my desk, keyboard tray, chairs, monitors, privacy filters, headphones, mouse, monitor arms, webcam, microphone, ring light, and teleprompter.
18 tips to get the most out of online counseling in CO
Lots of things contribute to our experience of Zoom fatigue including eye fatigue, sense of eye contact, issues with sound and video, Zoom backgrounds, background noises, camera angles, distance from the camera, not being able to see the environment, seeing your own image, and technology issues.
Serving the Denver Metro Area, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Boulder, Grand Junction, Greeley, Pueblo and the entire state with online therapy in Colorado. I do not see clients at my home-based office located in Bailey, CO.
Online therapy Colorado • Therapist Denver • Somatic therapy • Traumatic childhood or ACES
Treatment post-traumatic stress disorder • Complex PTSD • Trauma therapist • Trauma therapy
Depression • Anxiety • Low self-esteem • Stages of grief • Domestic violence
Rape • Chronically ill • Chronic pain • Sound therapy • Attachment styles • CBT