Hi There! I'm Hanna.
Why I Do This Work
Embodied healing changed my life. After surviving my own trauma, I set out to find an answer as to why I felt the way I did. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to find the peace I was looking for. I just wanted to feel like I was "normal."
I spent countless hours learning about trauma, psychology, and the human experience, sought self-awareness and regulation through traditional cognitive-based therapies, and yet nothing felt as healing as my first experience with body-based healing.
Once I started to mend the connection between my mind and body, I felt the constant worry and fear slowly ease. I noticed a felt sense of peace, safety, and wholeness. I still relied on patterns of survival when navigating the complexities of life, but that's what they're there for. They're just doing their job: trying to keep me safe. Once I'm able to slow down to notice the sensations in my body, I have the capacity to make choices that support my wellbeing and the life I want for myself.
Once I got a taste of that embodied healing for myself, I wanted to shout from the rooftops that this feeling was possible. I wanted to support others in returning home to themselves. I knew then that this was the right path for me.
My Perspective On Trauma
Surviving trauma takes a toll on the body. It's well documented that trauma often has long-term physical and mental health effects. Survivors are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, impaired immunity, and many other chronic health conditions. To survive trauma, our nervous system rewires to protect us. That comes with a cost.
When we experience overwhelming stress without enough support, the way we navigate the world shifts. Tools within our bodies cultivated through thousands of years of human survival are put to use.
That intuitive response is often criticized. We might hear that our responses to trauma are "wrong," need to be "fixed," or that we just need to "regulate better." These responses are inherited intelligence, and they deserve to be honored and witnessed for all they have done to keep us and every ancestor before us safe.
When we honor our bodies for what they are, we often begin to find the peace we've been seeking.
Credentials & Training
Through formal education, specialized trainings, supervision, and ongoing consultation, I’ve learned tools to support trauma healing in body, mind, and relational connection, including:
Credentials
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Washington (#MHC.LH.61687758)
Training
- Animal-Assisted Therapy
- Somatic Therapy for Trauma
- Experiential Internal Family Systems Techniques
- TCTSY Foundational Training
Education
- M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, City University of Seattle
- B.A. in Psychology, University of Washington
When I'm Not in My Cozy Home Office...
You might find me walking outdoors, exploring tide pools, watching scary movies, cuddling animals, reading in bed, gardening, cheering on the Seattle Reign or Everett Silvertips, or practicing yoga.
You might hear or see my dogs during our time together. They're occasional co-facilitators.
I value quiet mornings, a warm cup of tea at night, feeling the earth under my feet, authentic connection and self-expression, and the forever evolving practice of self-discovery and attunement.