A little about me...
I am a Black womxn residing upon unceded Duwamish lands. I whole-heartedly believe in the following three things: decolonizing therapeutic practices, body-centered restorative wellness and trauma informed collective care.
My advocacy of decolonizing therapy encompasses acknowledging the historical trauma and systemic oppression that are projected upon our bodies and that impact our mental wellness. I am here to collaborate with you. I am here to witness you as an expert who is unlearning internalized oppression while relearning a collective healing and restorative framework for your life.
I have extensive experience within the areas of Trauma Informed Care & Wellness, Mindfulness Based Stress-Reduction, Interpersonal and Relationship Wellness, Addiction Treatment (Dual Diagnosis), Consulting & Organizational Change, Workplace & Leadership Wellness, Race-Based Traumatic Stress, Restorative Justice, Military & Veterans Wellness, LGBQTIA+ Wellness, Sports Psychology, and Expatriate Wellness.
As a somatic abolitionist, I am here to provide you with a restorative and brave space that allows you to dismantle white body supremacy culture and characteristics. Engaging within this sacred space empowers you to explore coping tools that provide trauma informed collective care and wellness.
Why somatic abolitionism?
Resmaa Menakem who is a healer, somatic therapist, trauma specialist, and author of "My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies” has defined somatic abolitionism as:
“Somatic Abolitionism is a living, embodied philosophy that requires endurance, stamina, and discernment. These can be built, day by day, through reps. These reps will temper and condition your body, your mind, and your soul.”
Source: Menakem, Resmaa “Somatic Abolitionism” - https://www.resmaa.com/movement
My goal is to partner with you, co-facilitating a brave and restorative space for you to explore what it is to live out a satisfying, enriching, and fulfilling life.
One of my favorite ways to practice somatic wellness and collective care is through dancing. I love to DANCE. I also enjoy participating in outdoor wellness especially within shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” The act of “forest bathing” or engaging within a forest atmosphere.
Westernized modalities that interest me include: Talk Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Somatic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Harm-Reduction Therapy, Person-Centered Care & Wellness, Highly Sensitive Person Care & Wellness and Psychodynamic Therapy.
Daily, I too, am participating within the collective care of decolonizing my life via my mind, body, and soul. As a result, I am learning how to be critically aware of the benefits and harms of these westernized modalities. My awareness extends itself into incorporating restorative practices and teachings of *BIPOC and/or **QIBPOC scholars, healers, and practitioners who inclusively reflect our needs to reimagine the receipt of trauma-informed collective and communal care.
For example, “The Nap Ministry” which was founded in 2016, “examines the liberating power of naps.” They believe that “rest is a form of resistance and reparations.”
One of the many favorites quotes by “The Nap Ministry” includes:
“Rest is not some cute lil luxury item you grant to yourself as an extra treat after you’ve worked like a machine and are now burned out. Rest is our path to liberation.
A portal for healing. A human right.”
I am so honored to potentially have the opportunity to support you within accessing your new (body-centered) agreements that are founded within decolonizing therapeutic practices, restorative wellness, and collective care.
*BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color)
**QIBPOC (Queer, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color)
I've recently been trained in Brainspotting and it's a decolonizing resource that allows your body and brain to heal and recover.
What is Brainspotting? https://brainspotting.com/
In our next session, I am more than welcome to re-introduce you to this resource:
Here's what you'll need:
1. Earphones/Headphones
2. Using a streaming app (Apple, Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, and/or YouTube) to download the entire album titled: "Brainspotting: BioLateral Sound Healing" by David Grand, Phd"
Note: If you choose to use YouTube, Pandora or Spotify without the premium service you will need to skip over the commercials.
Here's the Free YouTube Link (w/commecials):
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBNwvpHmBncX3HFZg2H3iGV3inH-884vp
3. You will need your phone to play the music with your earphones
4. You will need your laptop or desktop to see me visually via using the Practice Better Portal (You will need to see me on a wider screen).
I look forward to being with you in our next session together.