How to overcome trauma and embrace your body with a somatic therapist

Who is Denisse and how does she help you rewrite your story?

Denisse is a bilingual Associate Marriage and Family Therapist that empowers clients to be the author of their own story and find their voice. Denisse supports clients in creating a fuller and more meaningful life story and assists them in disconnecting from their problem story. 

The center of the problem story that you tell yourself often holds unhelpful beliefs about ourselves and the world. Maybe shame and harsh self criticism is cradled inside of your problem story. Denisse can support you in liberating you from the limiting story, challenging your negative beliefs, and embracing an empowering story. 

How does Denisse’s beliefs and yoga training mold her therapeutic approach?

Denisse’s training in trauma informed yoga and experience in being a yoga teacher enables her to utilize yoga poses and techniques in session. Denisse’s passion for mindfulness and yoga fuse to enable clients to connect with and be aware of their internal and external world. 

Denisse believes that we are all infinitely connected to each other and the Earth. Denisse has enhanced her connection to herself and the world through meditation, yoga, and somatic techniques. Denisse’s spirituality assists her spiritual clients in embracing their connection with themselves and the world. 

How does Denisse work with trauma survivors?

Often, trauma survivors disconnect from their body. Denisse supports trauma survivors in connecting to the body in a safe space. You may feel as if your body is unsafe. 

Denisse can support you in calming your nervous system and seeing your body as a safe space. You can come back to your body and embrace it with Denisse’s guidance. Your body can become a home that you walk into with a sense of calm and belonging.

Usually, trauma survivors have had their voices go unheard and were not given choices. Denisse respects your autonomy and empowers you to voice what you are comfortable and not comfortable with. Denisse presents options and invites trauma survivors to choose and say no.

How does Denisse bring the mind-body connection into somatic therapy?

The body and the mind are intimately connected. So, when we have a negative thought, emotion, and/or reaction to a trigger our body reacts. And, our nervous system enters fight, flight, or freeze to protect us from the threat identified by our mind and body.

Our shoulders and back may become tense. Our jaw may lock in response to our distress. Then, our brain reacts to our bodily reaction and says, “Oh no we are tense and ready to fight or run. That must mean that we are in danger”. 

This cycle continues until we are able to calm our mind, body, and nervous system. Denisse can support you in being aware of your mind and body and be mindful of your triggers and reactions.This awareness will empower you to connect with yourself on a deeper level and step into a sense of calm.

What somatic therapyist techniques does Denisse use in session?

Grounding. Grounding is the process of noticing and connecting with your external environment. A couple examples are identifying and describing objects around you and being mindful of how it feels to have your feet grounded to the floor. Grounding helps us be in the present moment and bask in our environment. It empowers us to turn away from overwhelming distress and embrace our world.

Centering. Centering is the process of noticing and connecting to your internal environment. Identifying bodily sensations that show up and connecting to the breath are centering experiences. 

Identify where emotions are stored. Often, our emotions and trauma are stored in our body. For example, you may experience back pain and tension due to emotions and trauma being stored there. Denisse can assist you in identifying where they are stored and guide you through exercises to process the emotions in a safe space.

Tension releasing exercises. Stress accumulates in our body and creates tension. Building awareness of tension and practicing ways of releasing that tension can soothe the mind and body.

Breathing exercises. The vagus nerve wanders from our brainstem to our gut and innervates our organs along the way. It regulates the activity level of our organs and controls how activated they are. For example, it has the power to calm our heart rate and bring about a sense of calm.

When we do diaphragmatic breathing, aka belly breathing, our exhale pushes on and activates the vagus nerve. This calms our organs, body, and mind. Denisse can guide you through breathing exercises to calm and slow down your body and mind.

How has Denisse’s healing journey influenced who she is as a therapist?

Denisse has felt the sting of stigma and lack of accessibility due to her being a part of marginalized populations. Denisse has empathy towards people that are struggling with stigma connected to their mental illness and lack access to effective mental health services. Denisse is dedicated to being accessible to populations that have experienced barriers to mental health services.

In her own healing journey, Denisse worked with therapists that didn’t understand her culture, background, and values. Because of this, Denisse is passionate about supporting marginalized populations that are often misrepresented and misunderstood. Denisse is a culturally competent therapist that creates a safe space for people that often feel as if they aren’t accepted and don’t belong.

growgood psychology has a team of trauma informed San Diego therapists that are dedicated to support you in connecting to your body and mind.

To add, at growgood psychology we will create a safe holding space for you to explore your emotions and bodily sensations. We strive to walk along your path of healing as you overcome the challenges that come with being a trauma survivor. 

With a somatic therapist and evidence- based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - you can gain emotional regulation and a sense of peace. Our trauma-informed therapist will assist you in reconnecting with your body and calm your mind. 

Finally,  connect with us now to begin the healing process and embrace growth with our trauma informed therapists!