831-337-4104
Do you feel like nothing you do changes your experience or circumstances?
Do you feel like change is a mystery and out of reach?
It is common to feel blind to what is keeping you in the same pattern, cycling through
waves of depression, exhaustion, anxiety, emotionality, heart break or numbness, to name a few.
I specialize in working with adult women of all ages who want to overcome their histories and clear
the clouds of PTSD, Depression and Anxiety.
I will work with you to unpack and lift the negative influences on your life,
providing you with more spacious ease, life involvement and life satisfaction.
See below for more information on my specialties,
how I work and my orientation as a Psychotherapist.
My areas of specialty include, but are not limited to,
-trauma history, -PTSD, -Complex PTSD, -Anxiety, -Depression,
-chronic pain, -self care issues, -codependence, -identity,
-dissociative symptoms, -high sensitivity, -body image, -sexuality,
-environmental and food allergies, -boundaries, -adrenaline and process addiction,
-self-defined behavioral sobriety, -mental health hygiene, -social skills,
-gender norms/roles, -relational anorexia, -personal growth, -individuation, etc.
The BENEFITS
of THERAPY
Unpack complex emotions.
Trust your feelings.
Build emotional resilience,
self love and self respect
Improve self care.
Bring closure to confusing or painful history.
Reduce intrusive memories.
Increase your sense of safety.
Decrease influence of inner critic.
Improve boundary setting.
Let go of codependence.
Minimize susceptibility to triggers.
Increase your capacity to resource.
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EZRI: how i work
Welcome! It is my goal to create a safe, warm and inviting space where the whole of you, mental,
emotional, physical and spiritual, can let down. With this in place,
we can make full use of the therapeutic intent, moving you toward your better self,
helping you find what makes you well and at ease.
There, in that resourced and lifted place, your healthy core grows and we begin collaborating on the management of your life challenges.
Becoming resourced has a powerful impact on the capacity of the mind and body to heal.
We will establish a platform that maintains this resourced state and from which you can organize your experiences and get perspective. Then we will reduce your challenges into bite sized pieces that can be processed and digested more easily, freeing you up to pursue the rest of your life.
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The work of therapy doesn't have to be "hard work." It can be an awakening, an adventure, it can be ground breaking, transformative, enlivening or sometimes even, playful work.
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I have a Humanistic perspective;
I am deeply influenced by Attachment Theory, Buddhism and Taoism; and
I chose to study Somatic Psychology.
Studying body-oriented models of psychology and relevant neuroscience that informs the study of the body has helped me make sense of the plight of those with early adverse life experiences. When those adverse life experiences are continual through out childhood, it is called Developmental Trauma.
And Somatic Psychology understands it, makes sense of it and provides avenues of recovery for it.
Accessible and effective body-oriented approaches I am influenced by are, Process Oriented Psychology, Bodynamics, Hakomi, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing. I also use tools from CBT and DBT to organize goals and provide structure to our work.
All of the above methods, approaches and strategies are proven and powerful interventions. When used together they clear a path to comprehensive well-being.
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Along with an interest in psychology, I have always had a fierce interest in creative movement, adventure, creativity and spirituality that has kept me returning to a daily loving kindness practice and many, many hobbies.
Since 2005, I have worked in the mental health field as a crisis line counselor, private practice therapist, trauma therapist and addiction educator.
Education and Trainings:
CCTP, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional,
Trainer: Linda A. Curran, BCPC, LPC, CACD, CCPD
Pesi Course, Fall 2022
LMFT 97369, Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
All supervised work in Oakland, Ca. 2006-2016
MA, Somatic Counseling Psychology, John F. Kennedy
University, Pleasant Hill, Ca. 2007.
Mentor/Advisor: Mark Ludwig, LCSW
BA, Therapeutic Expression through Performing Arts
(combined: therapeutic recreation and performing arts/music/
theater - voice emphasis), Minor in Psychology, San Francisco State
University, San Francisco, Ca. 1999.
CMP, Anatomy/Kinesiology and Body Work
Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts, Santa Cruz, Ca. 1991.
I average 20 hours/year of Continuing Education in a wide variety of
topics.
For more information, see curriculum vitae page (in progress)
LMFT/MFCC, LCSW, LPCC, PhD, PsyD or MD??
There are many different licensed professionals in California that do therapy.... (I'm looking for a new article on this topic to link to!)
ABOUT SOMATICS
Somatics provides a powerful foundation, often expediting arrival at ah-ha moments!
We easily find your unconscious, your un-thought-of material, in the naturally occurring physical experiences and impulses of your body.
There are many, many techniques and developments in the Somatic field for doing this. The above link will get you started.
Below are links and quotes from outstanding Somatic approaches to Psychotherapy.
By using somatic methods, we can accelerate the process of therapy, establish new emotional vocabulary, map your experiential landscape, and supplement your internal resourcing impulses to pull, not just from thoughts, feelings, skill/solution training, but also from information nestled in the periphery of your awareness - in your body's experience.
BODYNAMICS
My favorite, and a very interesting model, from Denmark, Bodynamics
"You have the right to be different, to be human and to be loved." Lizbeth Marcher, Founder of Bodynamics
An instructional video: 3 exercises for Anxiety
“I believe that most schools of psychology and therapy have failed to understand fundamental ways humans use to make meaning about themselves in the world. Marcher, Fich, and their Bodynamic colleagues make a stunning step forward in overcoming this error by providing a fundamental developmental framework that helps us to understand the pathways humans move through and how to work effectively with our patients, young and old.”
Edward Tronick, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts; chief faculty, Infant-Parent Mental Health Post-Graduate Certificate Program, University of Massachusetts; and director, Child Development Unit, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School
Relationships benefit from Somatic Therapy. Relationships can be difficult and unsettling, becoming a primary trigger for arguments and intrusive recall of past trauma. They can also become an avenue by which a person with trauma is healed. We can address your individual and relationship issues in therapy; developing skills and understanding that can help make your relationships a therapeutic process.
For couples in crisis, I offer individual support to one partner as part of a couple-ship in crisis support team. I will work with a couples therapists to coordinate treatment. Here is an immediate resource for couples in crisis.
A P P O I N T M E N T S
Call anytime, leave a message of any length. I am available most days to discuss the business of therapy.
With a little scheduling, I'm happy to provide a free 20 min phone or zoom session/consultation.
415-877-1507
831-337-4104
Locations:
Berkeley: 2121 West St.
Oakland: TBD
Santa Cruz: TBD
Felton: 6265 Hwy 9
Video Sessions: Anywhere in the State of California,
using my secure Zoom account.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 315, Boulder Creek Ca 95006
FEES:
Individuals: Video/In-Person therapy session fee: $160/therapy hour (50 minutes)
Payment due at the time of service.
Any requests for in-person attendance beyond providing therapeutic services,
trainings or educational lectures, is 3x my session rate.
Private pay vs Insurance: I <Believe In> therapy on your terms, not on the terms of an insurance company.
And, I can provide a superbill on a monthly basis for PPO plans, but
I cannot guarantee reimbursement to you from your insurance.
In sending a superbill to your insurance, or using the Grow Therapy platform for Kaiser,
to access insurance for therapy,
you are inviting the insurance company to examine your work with me - and they may request to view your file.
Once a superbill is sent in, you have waived some of your rights to privacy.
Advantages to Private Pay Therapy: We will work with your agenda, toward your goals,
in a style that provides relief for you, at your pace. We are free to explore tangents, deeper topics,
historical material and crises that may arise, as you need.
You are not constrained to work at the pace of, and the agenda of, a financially motivated agency.
For more info. on the "therapeutic hour," the 50 minute hour and other 'nuts and bolts' topics on therapy,
visit Lisa Moore's informative web site!
R E F E R R A L S
IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS,
call 988
https://988lifeline.org/ The National Crisis Lifeline
Alameda County Crisis line (24/7) 510-420-2460 or 800-309-2131
Contra Costa County Crisis line (24/7) 800-833-2900
Sonoma County: Crisis Line (24/7) 707-576-8181
Solano County Crisis line (24/7) (707) 428-1131
San Francisco County Crisis Line (24/7) 415-781-0500
Sacramento County Crisis Line (24/7) (888) 881-4881
24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hot line: (800) 273-8255
A list of all California Crisis Lines LINK
ADDICTIONS: I highly recommend finding your nearest 12 step meetings that most closely align with your 'drug' of choice and work that program "like your life depends on it" - First.
Being grounded in a recovery community is one of many supports that make therapy successful.
3 Exercises for Anxiety, from Bodynamics
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR,
The "Say Something" site may be the right way to protect someone you know.
ARTICLES
How to get the most from Therapy:
Article: 21 Tips on how to make the most of therapy
Book: How to do the work by Nicole LePera
Articles on the nature of Developmental Trauma, Complex PTSD, Codependence, Flashback care and the Inner Critic: Pete Walker, MFCC
Couples resources:
Managing vs resolving conflict Article --Gottman
Four Horsemen (behavior) of the Apocolypse --Gottman
Antidotes for the Four Horsemen... -- Gottman
GROUNDING SKILLS
THESE ACTIVITIES will bring you out of difficult thoughts and feelings, focusing your attention on the present moment. The activities work best when they include 3 components: mental + social + activity.
Increase the physicality and complexity of the activities, to counter increased overwhelm.
Accessible suggestions:
- Name a supportive person for each key on your key ring.
- Compliment and thank those you interact with, at the dry cleaner, convenience store, gas station, coffee shop, etc. You will have to use your observation skills to find a compliment in these fast interactions. Challenge yourself to find something about the way they do their job, to mean what you say. You will often be rewarded with a thankful smile that will warm your heart.
- Recount a recent kind interaction with a friendly person and take a moment to feel their kindness toward you.
- Pick a compassionate "other," like Buddha, Jesus, Quan Yin, Rocky or Super Woman, and hear their kind, warm, supportive, committed expressions toward you - take a moment to feel their compassion for you.
30 other Grounding suggestions (link)
Additional tips (https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques#bonus-tips)
Grounding yourself isn’t always easy. It may take some time before the techniques work well for you, but don’t give up on them.
Here are some additional tips to help you get the most out of these techniques:
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Practice. It can help to practice grounding even when you aren’t dissociating or experiencing distress. If you get used to an exercise before you need to use it, it may take less effort when you want to use it to cope in the moment.
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Start early. Try doing a grounding exercise when you first start to feel bad. Don’t wait for distress to reach a level that’s harder to handle. If the technique doesn’t work at first, try to stick with it for a bit before moving on to another.
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Perhaps add another level of activity, thinking or recall, to make it a more complicated activity. The more focused you are on the activity, the more grounded you will become in the present moment.
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Avoid assigning values. For example, if you’re grounding yourself by describing your environment, concentrate on the basics of your surroundings, rather than how you feel about (your environment).
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Check in with yourself. Before and after a grounding exercise, rate your distress as a number between 1 and 10.
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Keep your eyes open. ...It’s often easier to remain connected to the present if you’re looking at your current environment.
Ezrimayr Chioma, MA LMFT 97369 ~ 831-337-4104
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