About Lua
&
Somatic Practice
Frequently Asked Questions
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Soma is the Greek word for body, and Somatic Therapy is a general term to describe a therapeutic approach that is body-centered.
I specialize in Somatic Experiencing® and Somatic Touchwork that is focused on trauma healing and internal self-regulation. This approach supports the body's natural capacity for self-regulation to come back online, so that less and less effort is needed to feel calm and joyful over time.
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The primary benefit of Somatic Therapy is greater regulation in the autonomic nervous system. What this looks and feels like for each individual is different based on how your autonomic nervous system has been organized up until this point in your life.
For the highly sensitive populations I work with, this typically looks and feels like:
breaking out of cycles of exhaustion and feeling more rested
feeling more connected with the body / intuition and less spinning in the mind
feeling emotions again after feeling numb for a long time
noticing less hypersensitivity to lights, sounds & other environmental factors
reduction in tension, bracing and pain
reduction in anxiety and panic attacks
more connection with your Core Self, desires, longings, likes, dislikes, purpose
a sense of more choice, agency and inner power in your body/mind/life
thoughts, emotions, life begins to feel more positive
social situations become easier to navigate
relationships become more reciprocal and nourishing
healthier functional boundaries, saying "no" becomes easier
self-talk becomes more compassionate, and shame / judgment begin to take a back seat, getting quieter and less influential over your reactions and decisions
feeling more joy, freedom and fulfillment in life
feeling greater trust in yourself and your life
feeling worthy and whole right now, already - more and more of the time
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Somatic Therapy focuses on stabilizing the autonomic nervous system and resolving trauma in the body/mind so you can be free to live in peace and joy.
It is past/present focused.
vs.
Somatic Coaching focuses on rewiring the autonomic nervous system around the most life-enhancing vision you have for your life by resourcing the innate intelligence that lives in the body.
It is present/future focused.
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No, I am not a mental health professional. I do not diagnose or treat any illness or disease.
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No, unfortunately I do not accept insurance. Contact me to learn about how to use your HSA account to pay for sessions.
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$215 // 60-Minute Session
$325 // 90-Minute Session
Most people do best with 60-Minute Sessions.
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//Therapeutic Clients //
I offer packages and discounts to existing clients, once the therapeutic relationship has been established. I do not generally offer packages with new clients because it's important to me that our therapeutic relationship is a good fit, and that I am confident I can help you achieve your therapeutic goals before entering into a package.
//Coaching Clients //
Yes, I offer packages for clients who are seeking a very specific goal in the coaching realm. If at any point, however, I feel a therapeutic approach is needed in order for you to achieve your goals, I will be transparent about this and the package may need to be modified at that point to best serve your needs.
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Ultimately the impact of the work depends on many factors, including how your autonomic nervous system is organized; your health and trauma history; the external circumstances of your life; etc.
After 2-3 sessions, I generally have a good idea about the trajectory of our work together and what you might expect in terms of timing of progress and frequency of sessions.
Most people feel some relief after one session and typically begin to feel a little bit like a different person in about 3-4 months time. Again, this is a generalization based on group data and may or may not apply to you as an individual. If I feel you may be on a different timeline than this, I will be transparent about this in the first 2-3 sessions.
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You may schedule a free consult here.
Areas of Expertise
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Somatic Touch Therapy
Hands-on support of physiological systems in the body that supports trauma resolution and physical, emotional, and mental relief.
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Somatic Experiencing®
An approach to trauma healing that focuses on rewiring the autonomic nervous system. Can involve talking, exercises that may involve movement of the body, or hands-on touch work.
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Somatic Soul Coaching™
An approach to life coaching that resources the intelligence of your body and rewires your autonomic nervous system so that you can more easily and quickly achieve specific goals.
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Daring to Rest™ Yoga Nidra Meditation
A somatic meditation focused on deep rest. It supports regulation of the autonomic nervous system and connection with the wisdom of your body/soul.
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Mentorship
Consulting services that support healing professionals to begin or expand their private practice.
A glimpse into my office
Welcome to my office in Tempe, AZ.
I also see clients virtually by Zoom.
Training & Education
Degrees
Master of Public Health, University of Arizona (MPH)
Bachelor of Psychology & Spanish, University of Michigan (BA)
Training & Certifications
Advanced Touch Skills for Trauma Therapists with Kathy Kain
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP)
Center for Mind Body Medicine Professional Training Program
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate
Daring to Rest™ Yoga Nidra Facilitator
Professional Certified Somatic Soul Coach™ (500-hr) (PCC)
Certified Global Sister Circle Facilitator
Qoya Movement Instructor
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Practitioner
Craniosacral Therapist (CST)
Chi Nei Tsang Abdominal Healing Practitioner
Certified Meditation Teacher
Reiki Practitioner & Master
My work is also informed by the principles of the Sacred Feminine, The Red School and the work of Jane Hardwicke Collings.
My Story
I did not come into this work through intellectual pursuit only. I came into this work through my own healing crises, dark nights of the soul, reliance on a Higher Power and fiercely following my own inner discernment over the opinions of others - over and over again.
What I have learned on this journey is that like all of us, I had a lot of trauma. Much of it I had not remembered and by the time I reached my 20s, was manifesting quite physically in my body.
I feel like I had the typical experience of being the person who said, “my childhood was great, and I really have nothing to complain about.” And yet, I had chronic back pain that prevented me from driving; autoimmune conditions that restricted my ability to eat most foods or be anywhere with animals, mold or heavy dust; my stomach was hard, painful and red to the touch; I really struggled just simply being seen in the world - I would avoid speaking, having photos taken of me, and I certainly avoided the spotlight at all costs.
I was sensitive to lights, sounds, touch, foods, crowds, and I had no faith in my body to do hard things, which prevented me from moving it or doing much exercise at all - in fact, I barely knew I had a body and would often lose sense of hunger, time and presence. My thoughts and emotions were generally negative. I would say that I alternated between high anxiety and major depression, and now I understand that I was living with attention deificit issues and would have met the criteria for autism in women. I was essentially living with crippling shame every single day that had become so normalized, I really didn’t know there was any other way to live.
My favorite things to do were simple repetitive things with the mind, such as doing math problems, playing online card games, sudoku puzzles, etc. these were all things that had a beginning and end, and a way for me to feel some sense of completion and accomplishment without having to use too much of the limited energy I had within my body. In fact, I became quite good at math at a very young age for this reason, I think. It was highly praiseworthy in my family to be good at math, and I did not have to speak or do any kind of outward expression to get that praise, so I continued to follow that passion through graduate school and developed a career in research and evaluation doing a lot of math.
What happened next would culminate into one the biggest health crises of my life.
In 2009, I began working in a research department that became toxic very quickly. As I now understand that I had been conditioned my whole life to accommodate harmful behavior, I stayed with it for far longer than what my system could handle. I lost my appetite, yet my stomach was distended most of the time. I began stuttering, and at one point almost completely lost my ability to speak. I remember feeling like I was living on constant high alert with limited to no ability to enjoy my life or be present for anything other than doing nothing outside of work.
In 2010 while still in this job, I got in a car accident. While I was not seriously injured in any visible way, I had full body pain and could not move from the sofa. I was taking codeine and feeling pretty hopeless. A dear friend of mine suggested I go see a craniosacral therapist, which at the time, I had never heard of. I was open to trying anything. So I called her and was able to get in the next morning. After one session - I had no pain. That’s right - I went from full body pain to no pain after one craniosacral therapy session.
A month later, I was multitasking to the max and almost cut my finger off as a result. I was rushed to the hospital and incurred a decent amount of medical trauma from that experience, in addition to significant nerve damage on my left middle finger.
I finally escaped the terrible workplace a month after that, fell into a basic data analysis role that required no presentation on my part, nor managing employees, and I subsequently fell into a year-long dark night of the soul.
It was as if something exploded in the center of my brain, and I no longer knew who I was or what my life was about anymore. I now know that it is common for a shock trauma - such as a car accident - to trigger developmental trauma latent in our systems to come to the surface. This is what I believe happened to me. And it was a crippling, disorienting experience that I could not find language to describe at the time.
I went inward - in a way I had never gone before. And I could not engage in “normal” social interaction with anyone other than very long-standing friends who I felt safe with. Because generally speaking, very little felt safe to me at that time.
I continued to see my bodyworker throughout the year as well, and over time, little by little, came back into some reorganized sense of Self after several years. In that time, I gave birth to two children, moved to a new city, and began to learn the healing modalities that helped me to heal so much. And in 2014, I opened my private practice as a somatic practitioner.
Ultimately, I’m grateful my life has unfolded the way it has. I feel blessed in this moment that I’ve been able to heal and experience things beyond what I ever thought possible in my lifetime. I can say that I have no pain in my body; I sleep and digest my food well; I have thoughts that are dominantly positive; I feel a broad spectrum of emotions with ease; I feel safe to be seen and heard; I feel safe to have a voice for myself when I need to; I do not feel responsible for other people’s emotions or thoughts; I am deeply fulfilled in my work; I love moving my body and am training to trail run; and I feel present with myself, every day. I am truly free, thanks to this work. What a gift.
🖤
Lua
