We all have the ability to transform ourselves. Psychotherapy helps you feel better because you become less trapped by your habitual emotions and behaviors. My goal as a therapist is to help you replace old habits with new awareness of and appreciation for your whole self, so you can respond to the world the way you want to.
To make an appointment, call Conexiones at 503 - 235 - 8057, ext. 7.
Individual, Child and Family Therapy My practice is strength-based and body-centered: Body-centered work: Sometimes there are no words for an experience - in fact, we developed core parts of our personalities as babies, before we knew any words. Sometimes talking about a traumatic experience just makes us feel worse, either re-traumatizing us or reinforcing the negative beliefs we have about our own safety or capabilities. Emotional trauma has physical symptoms, and addressing these symptoms is an effective way to change automatic patterns and habits of thought, emotion and behavior. Recent research is showing that addressing the physical symptoms of
emotional trauma can have dramatically effective results for people's
emotional well-being.
I use body-oriented techniques to help people bring overwhelming emotions to a manageable level, heal from traumatic experiences, and respond to the world the way they want to. These techniques involve bringing your attention to your posture, movement, and physical sensations. I primarily use the Feldenkrais Method® and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy to inform this practice.
Hands-on movement lessons You may choose to incorporate private movement lessons into your therapy sessions. During a session, you may sit on a chair or lie on a low table. I use gentle, non-invasive touch to help you release habitual tensions and explore your posture and movement. Through these explorations, you develop the ability to change old habits of posture and attitude. You remain fully clothed for these lessons. These lessons are a good choice if you experience pain or physical discomfort, or if you want to improve your relationship with your body and self-image.
Strength-Based Work:
The focus in strength-based work is your internal strengths
& external supports, your values or spiritual
beliefs, and your
image of yourself and what you can be. How have your "bad habits"
protected you in the past? What makes you feel powerful? When do you
feel joy? While acknowledging and honoring the restrictions and
difficulties of real life, we emphasize the resources you have and
focus on learning new resources, so that they become bigger than the
difficulties.
Social Work: As a social worker, I have worked with people facing difficult situations, including domestic violence, involvement with the child welfare system, chronic mental illness, and homelessness. I help people find resources in the community that will support them in getting through hard times and moving toward a more fulfilling life.
Play Therapy For children, this is an important part of making therapy a fun and expressive thing to do. But it's also available for adults - sometimes play therapy can help you express something you just couldn't do with words.
For more information, contact me. To
help you with your search for the right therapist, I am available for a free initial phone consultation - up to ½-hour - so you can decide
if my style is a good fit for you.
To make an appointment: Call Conexiones at 503 - 235 - 8057, ext. 7.
"...life is not a stable process. ... life is a process of risk and recovery. Each step we take is a risk. [Our] ability to recover is our greatest quality." -Moshe Feldenkrais
"The journey of awakening happens just at the place where we can't get comfortable." -Pema Chödrön
"Traveler there is no way, the way is made by walking." -Antonio Machado Ruiz
Johanna Rayman, Guild-Certified Feldenkrais Practitionercm, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Movement Classes • Private Movement Sessions • Body-Centered Psychotherapy LGBTQ affirming • Se habla español 503 - 380 - 5437