How do I treat it?

I am a Jungian-informed, Psychodynamic therapist. My license is LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) in the state of Tennessee.

I address beliefs about the self and the world that were formed in childhood, which need to be re-worked in order to heal emotionally and handle challenges more adaptively. Much of this involves exploring unconscious processes using methods such as Internal Family Systems, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and shadow work practices such as experiential dream work and tarot. Many of these modalities are somatic (body-based) in nature, which can also help us bypass the “thinking mind” that can keep us stuck and defer to the wisdom of the body/unconscious to guide our therapeutic journey. Especially for trauma survivors, coming home to feeling safe again in the body can be transformative and freeing.

Experiential dream work is a special interest of mine. By using various exercises to re-enter our dreams and interact with their symbols, we can make adaptive changes to unconscious material that affects us without our knowing. I always say dreams are “free therapy” because they bypass our usual defenses and ego and bring us directly into contact with some of our most salient emotional material, and much of the “unfinished business” of our psyche.

For me, tarot is used as a form of symbolic art therapy, much like a Rorschach test: the client responds to the images intuitively, which helps us discover conscious and unconscious associations that aid in self discovery.