What to expect during a somatic healing & intuitive guidance session
A somatic healing and intuitive guidance session can be held either in-person in Monterey, CA or remotely. If you are curious to learn more or are preparing for your first session, here is what you can expect.
Getting to know you:
During the first session, we will spend time discussing the events and experiences that have shaped who you are today. My intention is to understand what brought you to the session and how I can best support your healing. Everything we discuss will remain confidential and it will be the first of many opportunities for us to connect and build trust. I aim to create a safe space for deep healing and change.
Intuitive guidance:
“Intuitive” holds many different definitions across the wellness and healing space. My intuitive gifts are rooted in receiving messages and information specifically for you, associated with your healing journey. Before you arrive, I receive a small intuitive download of whatever information is seeking your attention and I pull a card that supports that message. After hearing more about you and what brought you in for a session, I will share any information I’ve received intuitively and we can coach through what this means for your healing journey, meeting you exactly where you are in this moment.
In-person 1:1 sessions:
After sitting side by side during our initial introduction, you will transition to lie down on the table, supported by a pillow, bolster, blanket, eye mask or anything that will make you most comfortable. You may want to wear loose, comfortable clothing and cozy socks for your session.
We will spend 30 to 45 minutes gently moving through a series of light touch, which may include your wrists, shoulders, lower back, head, ankles and feet. Light touch means my palms or fingertips will rest gently underneath or above that part of your body for a few minutes at a time. This technique will support the body in releasing the emotions associated with trauma and rewiring neural pathways, allowing the body to change and heal.
Somatic healing involves co-regulation of our nervous systems and right brain to right brain healing. What exactly does that mean? We will create a space together that supports your body shifting into a calm, relaxed, ‘rest and digest’ state. Most sessions will be quiet, allowing this deeply relaxed state. However, if you prefer to talk through what you are experiencing or would like music or white noise in the background, I am happy to accommodate whatever feels most supportive.
Throughout each session, I will intuit where to focus our time to support your physical, emotional, mental and energetic bodies. This could include areas of your physical body that are seeking healing, inner children and parts that are ready to heal and integrate or past traumas/memories/old wounds that are ready to release from your emotional and energetic body.
At the end of the session, you will spend a few minutes in a quiet healing silence as you gently return to the present moment. If time allows, we can discuss what you experienced and identify tools and strategies to best support you between sessions.
Virtual 1:1 sessions:
Everything above holds true for the virtual sessions, with one difference: healing will occur through intention, not touch. This is also an option for anyone in-person who is uncomfortable with touch. If you are in your own home or office, you may want to plan ahead to create a quiet and cozy space. You might lie down in bed, on the couch or sit in a comfy chair. Similar to what will be provided in-person, you may grab a blanket, pillow, bolsters, eye mask, soft socks, anything that will support your relaxation.
In-person or virtual child and parent sessions:
Everything holds true for the in-person and virtual sessions, with some additional support for parents and their babies or children.
Because babies and children are so deeply connected to the nervous systems of their parents, this work beautifully supports the parent and baby together. I will determine which approach will be most supportive for children and parents based on the intake discussion, which may include working directly with the parent or child through touch or both through intention.
One of the many amazing things about this work is that I can meet you and your child wherever you are. If your baby is sleeping, crying or nursing, it does not matter. There is no need for additional stress or worry in session, we will follow the cues of your baby and work together throughout the session.
What you may experience in a session:
While there is a standard protocol, no two sessions will be exactly the same. Together, we will follow what comes up, allowing your body to reveal and release what it is ready to let go of, what is ready to be seen.
What do I mean by, “what comes up?” Every body is different and every session is different. Each individual could experience a variety of sensations, including but not limited to:
Sensing or deeply experiencing emotions such as sadness, anger, joy, grief, fear, shame
Seeing colors or images, hearing sounds, noticing a change in body temperature
Recalling a memory or event from the past
Feeling bodily sensations in a state of freeze, fight, flight or fawn
Moving the body to complete an action that was not taken during trauma (run, shake, fight, cry)
Feeling deeply relaxed, sleepy or “zoning out”
Shifting to a preverbal state when in utero or as a baby or small child
Though memories of a specific traumatic event may surface, it is not a requirement to relive the trauma to benefit from this work. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent, storing and remembering more than our minds may consciously remember. By building trust between us and trust within your body, this modality of somatic healing is gentle and comes from a place of love, compassion and intention.