Trauma Resilience

Trauma occurs when there is overwhelm within a person's system.  When a person experiences too much stimuli, too quickly ... the nervous system may be unable to process this input in a healthy manner.  Building resilience, in relation to recovery from either acute or chronic trauma is essential to good health.

Leslie utilizes techniques informed by somatic (body based) theories of healing, mindfulness practices, and healing art modalities to help release trauma, restore balance to the nervous system and build deep resilience. Combining techniques of “structured attention” with a variety of energetic or vibrational modalities can be extremely helpful in understanding and managing the “flooding” or dissociation that can occur when traumatic memories surface and assist a person in processing traumatic material.  

An individualized blending of therapies acknowledges the benefits of cognitive or emotional processing or what is referred to as a “top-down” approach (mind-to body), yet allows for incorporation of “bottom-up” (body-to mind) processing as well.  A “bottom-up” strategy directs the client’s attention to their internal sensations (visceral and musculoskeletal); helping to re-establish balanced functioning.  This gentle approach is indirect and gradual.  It generates new visceral experiences that contradict the previously held experiences of hopelessness, helplessness and overwhelm. Habitual patterns can be interrupted and new patterns created. With practice and nurturing, a person can be helped to release trauma, as well as re-balance and restore the nervous system. The end goal is to build deep resilience within a person’s system.