FAQ

How does Nurture Embodiment compare to other therapeutic forms? 

Talk therapy is the most familiar way of getting support for life's emotional challenges. Homecoming has some similarities, but many important differences. Both are great options, it just depends on what you are looking for.

Nurture Embodiment is similar to talk therapy in that I make a space for your feelings, hopes and desires. I help you to feel understood and highlight your strengthens.  It has some similarities to Dance Movement Therapy, because I offer the option to use expressive movement to help to process life experiences.  

Nurture Embodiment is different from mental health counseling in that I don't diagnose or treat mental illness. I don't offer analysis of your experiences or give you theories for understanding the workings of your particular psychological, family and relationship dynamics.  

My work stands alone as a healing modality, but it can also be used as an adjunct for people who are currently in talk therapy.  For some people, engaging with the body in a therapeutic process helps them to process feelings and experiences that they cannot process by talking alone. 

How is the touch (which is always optional) different from the type of touch used in massage? 

The touch used in massage is designed for relaxation, relieving muscle tension and/or recovery for injury or illness. Most often it is done without clothes and with the use of oils. 

In my work, touch is always offered with clothes on, uses no oils, and serves a few of purposes. The first is to help you to feel comforted and reassured--as you might feel when a caring friend places her hand on your shoulder. Another aim is to support the process of re-inhabiting places in your body where you feel a sense of tension or disconnection. My touch amplifies your own awareness in those body areas. 

Also, touch can be used to bring specific healing experiences. For example, if you don't feel supported in life, having somebody place a hand on your back helps you cultivate feeling supported. 
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Can you tell me more about the practices that you use? 

I draw from three primary practices: somatic (body-based), energy wellness and deep listening. I describe them in more detail below.
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Somatic (body-based practices):

Living in a body is not easy. We tend to dissociate from our physical form, and when this happens, we become anxious and disconnected from others. Like a tree being dug up by its roots, we feel ungrounded. In our work together, I help you bring awareness back into your entire body. We move gently and slowly, using breath awareness, sensing, movement and touch (when in-person) to re-inhabit yourself. Using these tools, stored pain and trauma can be released. This process takes strength and patience, but it has many rewards. You become more relaxed and resilient. You are able to access your own wisdom and intuition. You can find your grounding once again. 

Energy Wellness:

If you don't have a daily energy wellness practice, you are missing out on an essential part of self-care. Even just five minutes a day can be a game changer. It certainly was for me! We are energetic beings, and our energetic anatomy needs nourishment just as our physical anatomy does. Drawing from ancient and modern energy wellness techniques, I teach you energy wellness exercises, many of which can be done lying down. These practices strengthen, soothe and energize both your physical and your energetic bodies. These practices are especially important if you are a highly sensitive person, because they help to clear other people's energy out of your space. As we work together, I teach you about your energetic anatomy and how to create healthy boundaries. You learn energy healing tools to transform painful emotional states into states of greater ease and joy. 

Deep Listening:

​ We all long to be heard. The gift of deep listening is so healing. Our experiences are validated, and it provides us with insight and perspective. In our process together, I offer you reflective listening. You learn to welcome even your most difficult feelings—including fear, grief, loneliness and shame—so that you can discover their deeper messages. And most importantly, you learn how to listen to your own voice by staying connected to your own inner witness. You discover how to stay centered, feeling the ground beneath your feet as these emotions move through you. While this process can feel difficult at times, you can gain so much. Clarity. Purpose. Self-Compassion. Deep listening gets you in touch with our desires. Once you know what your needs are, you can set goals and intentions to create the life that you want.
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