Therapy for Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Pain & More
The effects of trauma can result from “ordinary” events, such as injuries, car accidents, divorce, job loss, grief, perinatal, postnatal, post-partum, surgery and medical procedures.
It can also result from extraordinary events, such as violence, addictions and PTSD as well as physical, emotional, sexual abuse, childhood or developmental adversity.
Sometimes, our bodies are able to “process” this trauma and let it go. In other cases, we get stuck in the body’s fight, flight or freeze responses.
You’ve probably heard of the “fight, flight or freeze” response. It’s the body’s natural way of responding to actual or perceived threats.
These responses are necessary and useful when the response is real and short lived. But they become problematic when we get stuck in these states or when they occur with no apparent stimuli.
What to Expect from a Somatic Experiencing® Therapy Session
Somatic Experiencing® doesn’t require clients to re-tell (or re-live) the traumatic event. Instead, it provides an opportunity to gently release the deeper survival energy states and supports the body’s self-protective responses to move out of its “stuck” state.
How is this done? As a therapist, one of the tools I use is therapeutic touch. When appropriate (and with your consent), I use somatic touch to gently facilitate changes in the nervous system and release constricted energy in body tissues, organs and structure— including the kidneys, adrenals, joints, muscles, chest, abdomen and head.
This allows for more relaxation and resilience, less physical and emotional pain, greater expansion in the body and more nervous system regulation. As a result, feelings of anxiety, depression, anger or numbness can lift and the body can move and rest with greater ease.
“Melina helped me to recognize my real intentions so I could decide for myself if I was acting the way I really wanted to, in any given situation. As a result, I’m more confident when placed in stressful environments.”
“Growing up with childhood and sexual trauma was horrible and I never knew where I fit. Through somatic therapy, Melina has helped me to feel safe; something I never knew growing up. Learning about my nervous system and that I can heal has been life changing. Thank you so much Melina!”
“Melina is genuine and gentle. I feel like the somatic therapy Melina and I are undertaking is changing me on the inside. I am less anxious and more ready to deal with life’s challenges head on.”
“With Melina’s guidance, I have been able to break the hold that co-dependency had on my life and begin the process of establishing healthy boundaries….”
"Melina changed my life. I experienced a physical trauma and was suffering every day with intense chronic pain. For over five years, I tried everything from osteopathy to massage therapy to physiotherapy to acupuncture. I even saw a chronic pain specialist. I had given up hope of ever healing. Thanks to Melina and her incredible work with somatic therapy, I’ve been able to heal like I never thought I would. I still have pain, but it’s much less severe and she has given me tools to help me re-wire my thinking about it and the trauma that caused it so that I can live a happier life. She helped me move on from something that controlled my mind and body, and continues to help me navigate life’s hurdles. Melina is a rare and true healer and I feel so much gratitude to have her in my life."