Why the condor?
The Andean condor eats and digests what’s dead to clear space for new growth. In doing so it sustains life for itself and its entire ecosystem. I like to think about the therapeutic process in much the same way. How can we metabolize what no longer serves us to make room for new ways of being & relating? The flight of the condor also teaches us to take a step back and gain perspective on our lives so that we may choose our direction with intention.
Unravel the hold of all that is not you.
My approach to therapy
Avoiding discomfort shrinks our life, but the opposite is also true. Expanding our capacity to notice and sit with discomfort can expand our life's possibilities. Now, this does not mean tolerating injustice, or resigning ourselves to oppressive circumstances. But rather, developing the flexible presence through which we can engage with life, with the people around us, and with ourselves in a way that is meaningful, authentic, and intentional. It also means recognizing when the discomfort is too much, and having tools to tend to ourselves or walk away.
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I believe in our inherent capacity to grow and change, especially when we find ourselves in spaces that are supportive, where judgement has no place, and we can safely engage with all parts of our self. This is the kind of space I aim to create with you. A space of empathy, acceptance, and authenticity. The therapeutic relationship is, after all, the primary means of change.
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Often a central part of understanding what keeps us stuck or unwell is recognizing that we are embedded within structures of power, knowledge, and culture. I am dedicated to investigating and unraveling the hold that these systems have on our psyche and our heart. If you are ready for this work, I can hold space for you to carry out these explorations as well, so that you can learn about and shift your own relationship to the systems we live within. ​​
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You can read more about the therapeutic modalities I specialize in below.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on helping individuals develop psychological flexibility, presence, and a deeper awareness of what is important and meaningful to them. Rather than shrinking away from discomfort and uncertainty, individuals can develop a greater flexibility to engage with the world and themselves in ways that are more meaningful and oriented towards their values. ACT also helps people loosen the hold of their thoughts on their minds.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a holistic approach to healing that combines talk therapy with body-centered practices. Because the body and mind are inseparable, healing happens when both are a part of the therapeutic process. By noticing our body’s cues we can expand our capacity to cultivate safety, pleasure and joy. Somatic work is particularly well suited to resolving trauma responses, but the benefits of nervous system regulation and a deeper awareness of our felt sense extend far beyond trauma work.
Somatic Experiencing
Intersectional Feminism, Liberation, and
Anti-Oppression
I recognize that my clients' experiences are shaped by systems of power and oppression, and I strive to create a therapeutic environment that is sensitive to these dynamics. I work collaboratively with clients to explore the ways in which societal norms and expectations impact their lives, and to empower them to make choices that align with their own values and goals.
About
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is an approach specifically designed to resolve trauma responses trapped in the body, but the benefits of nervous system regulation and a deeper awareness of our felt sense extend far beyond trauma work.
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Somatic Experiencing is a holistic approach to nervous system regulation and healing. It is a psychobiologically-informed framework meant to:
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understand and treat trauma and stress
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assess where a person is stuck in the fight/flight/freeze response
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resolve these states of stuckness
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transform old patterns and develop resiliency
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support nervous system regulation.
By settling and releasing physiological activation in the body, it can help reduce stress levels, and address or prevent burnout. It is important to note that while the framework of Somatic Experiencing was developed by Peter Levine, somatic practices have roots in many indigenous cultures around the world that recognize the connection between the body and the mind.
Somatic Experiencing also helps people learn how to attend to uncomfortable sensations in the body, increase their capacity to be with these often difficult sensations, and gently unwind them through conscious attention. This is accomplished by practicing somatic tracking, or paying attention to the physical sensations that occur in the body without fear, judgment or trying to alter or fix them.
What is Somatic Experiencing like?
Somatic Experiencing is about tracking, or noticing, what is happening for you in the present moment, and working with that. It is a trauma informed intervention because we move slowly and intentionally, at the speed of the nervous system—never overwhelming you. We honor resistance, which is your body’s knowing about what it can handle and what it cannot. We also work with the body’s natural responses and intuition to support grounded presence, as well as normalizing the coping strategies that your body uses to support itself.
An important part of this work will also be to learn about your nervous system, how it functions, and how you can better understand what is happening for you so that you have the clarity and capacity to make intentional choices about what you need in each moment. The goal is to help you be more fully present in your life, and experience nervous system regulation.
The center piece of our work will be a compassionate curiosity about your experience. We will use the language of sensation, images, movement, emotion, and meaning—and don’t worry, it is my job to help you learn and practice noticing and verbalizing your experience. We will use words, movement, and even objects to explore, to help you orient to safety, and to practice skills that you can take with you.
What is nervous system regulation?
Regulation is not about being calm all the time—we are meant to experience a range of nervous system states! The problem that many of us encounter, especially in the aftermath of overwhelming or traumatizing events, is that we can get stuck in a nervous system state that is meant to be supportive in the short term, but not in the long term. Experiencing activation and a spike in mobilization energy is part of how our species has survived as long as we have. We can quickly react to threat to keep ourselves safe.
But what happens when the immediate danger is over and we don’t know how to find safety again? We will struggle with executive functioning, with decision making, with logical and clear thinking, with making effective and strategic choices about our actions, with connection. We will struggle with finding safety, and we may be too keyed up to rest and recover. We may experience relational issues, conflict with our loved ones, irritability.
Staying stuck in high levels of activation means that cortisol and adrenaline keep rushing through your system, disrupting basic physiological functioning like sleep, digestion, and cardiovascular health. If we experience too much activation or stay there for too long, eventually our system may “shut down” to make sure we are not continually overwhelmed. Experiencing this freeze or “shut down” response is also biologically essential at times, but it is also not a sustainable state over the long term. We need to be able to return to a sense of relative safety in order to access clarity, creativity, effective communication, connection, curiosity, and compassion. It is in this space of relative safety that we can also access states of physiological rest and recovery essential for our well-being.
In short, nervous system regulation is about supporting your body in appropriately responding to the present situation in a flexible and adaptable manner. It is about supporting nervous system state shifts so we don't get stuck.
Diana's Qualifications
2022-Present
North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NCBLCMHC)
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate
(LCMHCA #A17302)
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2022-Present
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
National Certified Counselor
(NCC #1623898)
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2022-2024
Somatic Experiencing International
Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
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2023
Education for Racial Equity
Communal Consultations in Somatic Abolitionism for All Bodies of Culture
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2017-2021
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
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2006-2010
Southwestern University
Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Political Science