The Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, a body-centered approach developed by Ron Kurtz, combines somatic awareness with experiential techniques to promote psychological growth and transformation.

Hakomi theory holds the body to be a window to unconscious psychological material, and trained practitioners work to help those in therapy identify somatic indicators of unconscious beliefs and then bring these indicators into awareness, thus aiding the process of change.

Hakomi integrates principles of Eastern philosophy, primarily Buddhism and Taoism, emphasizing concepts such as mindfulness, loving presence, and empathy. Kurtz also incorporated additional influences, such as general systems theory and a range of body-centered therapeutic orientations. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/hakomi

Hakomi is unique in that it seeks to befriend, rather than seeking to remove, uncomfortable elements of the human experience, such as vulnerability and pain.

Hakomi uses a somatic-based approach designed to aid in psychological development. At the core of Hakomi is the belief that the body holds internalized beliefs and thought patterns that have become unconscious. Trained Hakomi therapists can use consensual touch to help comfort patients and to encourage them to stay with unpleasant feelings to uncover and understand these unconscious limiting beliefs.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-hakomi-therapy-5217674 

Ketamine is a safe, legal medication prescribed off-label to treat a variety of mental health diagnoses, including depression, anxiety and PTSD. It has rapidly acting antidepressant and mood-enhancing effects, which can begin to take effect within hours after treatment, and lasting for several weeks after. It works by blocking the brain’s NMDA receptors and by stimulating AMPA receptors, which may help form new synaptic connections and boost mood-regulating neural circuits. Ketamine has also been shown to enhance neuroplasticity for lasting symptom improvement.

The effects of ketamine, which most patients find pleasant, last for approximately 1 hour - 2.5 hours. These effects can make you feel “far from” your body, and facilitate shifts in perception that can often feel expansive in nature. Your motor and verbal abilities will be reduced, so you’ll be lying down in a comfortable position during the experience. Once these effects subside, we’ll spend the remainder of our appointment collecting information from your experience which we will discuss in the subsequent integration session. While it sometimes may feel hard to articulate what happens during the experience, patients report that they feel like the insights gained are clear.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is a holistic modality in which ketamine is prescribed in conjunction with psychotherapy. All medical activities, including patient eligibility, ketamine prescriptions and clinical follow-ups, are done by my medical team of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.

I am a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) and work across the spectrum of eating disorders and disordered eating: Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Binge eating, and other ED issues.

Sometimes referred to as an “existential crisis”, the “human condition” is an expansive term used to describe all of the elements within human existence – including birth, death, and the moral conflicts that happen along the way. It causes us to explore our own morality and encompasses questions like, “What’s the meaning of life?” or “Are humans inherently good or bad?” People may not be clinically depressed/anxious while wrestling with these questions,  but “rather find themselves simply brushing up against the “razor wire” of merely living.”

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An existential crisis, also known as existential dread, anxiety, or anguish, is a period of time where a person may feel a lack of meaning or purpose in their life. People experiencing an existential crisis commonly report a great sense of apathy, purposelessness, and lack of motivation, usually lasting a few months or longer.

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Psychedelic integration is a process in which the patient integrates the insights of their experience into their life” (Gorman et al., 2021, p. 8).

“Integration” is the practice through which the experiences that occurred during your session translate into actual changes in your life. Though the insights gathered are instantaneous and create a shift, they will fade in time if you do not cultivate a practice to sustain them.

Most discussions about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapys also emphasize the need to revisit, work through, and make sense of the material and content of psychedelic experiences.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy added to usual care improves eating behaviors in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder by decreasing the cognitive load of words related to body shape, weight, and food 

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Mindfulness and Eating Disorders: A Network Analysis 

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I do not accept insurance but am an out-of-network provider for most insurance companies. While I don’t accept insurance directly, I can offer you a monthly statement (Superbill) for possible Out-Of-Network (OON) reimbursement. Read here for more information.

Here is a great article explaining why I - and many other therapists - do not take insurance and the risk that using insurance poses to clients seeking therapy: https://coupleslearn.com/why-therapists-dont-accept-insurance/