One of the most profound shifts in my way of thinking about the human capacity to heal occured when I took a Neurobiology of attachment course and Somatic Experiencing® training during and after my graduate studies. I began to understand that trauma resides in our bodies, and we must learn to pay attention, release and shift these stuck neuro-biological and psycho-physiological patterns. I also learned that the brain is plastic, meaning we can renegotiate our past memories, create new neural networks and learn how to let our past finally rest in peace.

       This new understanding caused tremendous change in the way I worked with survivors of sexual violence as a young social worker in Tel Aviv, Israel and Austin, TX. I saw amazing results in these amazing women, shifting from "talking" about the traumatic event to working with their nervous systems to find not only what is stuck and frozen and terrified inside there bodies, but where there are sensations and feelings of safety and movement in the body. Working with the inner resources of the body helps to re-integrate stuck cognitive-emotional patterns into a more coherent, integrative and balanced nervous system. From this place, the survivor can began to visit the past with more coherence, less fear; more grounding less disconnect; more understanding, less self-blame; more healing, less post traumatic stress.

       I continue to learn about trauma every day from professional development, books, workshops, trainings , close colleagues and the hundreds of supervision hours I undergo. And still, I am always amazed at how much I learn from my brave clients who share their deepest secrets and unbearable pains as well as their breathtaking triumphs, big and small. I am deeply moved by their capacity to put their faith and trust in themselves and others, heal and find meaning in their lives despite inevitable and sometimes unimaginable realities, past and present.