Photograph of Jenny Hunter Groat taken by Peter Groat
From the cover of My Big, New, Happy, Free, Unusual Life by Nina Wise
Trauma-informed Somatic THERAPY
I am here to champion the exquisite beauty of your humanity, the expression of your unique being, and the liberation of your true gifts. I hold a radically protected space for your tender places and welcome all of you into the arms of the nourishing moment where your defenses can unwind and your essential nature can shine.
As a Muppet-maker turned play advocate turned transformational guide, my gifts have ripened through my own transformational healing and a heckuva lot of training. I am a certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, Kripalu yoga teacher, and Co-active coach with advanced training in Luminous Awareness™ energy work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Projective Dreamwork, Collective and Ancestral Trauma Healing, the Buddha Dharma, and applied Social Justice. While this eclectic blend provides a practical, multi-dimensional set of tools, my approach draws primarily from Somatic Experiencing®, Luminous Energy Healing™, Internal Family Systems, and Attachment theory.
Connecting all my work is a recognition of the body as the primary ground for healing, a deep practice of open-hearted awareness, an appreciation for the cultural and ancestral context of all healing, a deference to the mystery, and a knack for bringing delight to de-dark.
I’m with you. I meet you exactly where you are and welcome every part of you to be felt and known.
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING
Developed in part by Peter Levine PhD, Somatic Experiencing is an approach to trauma healing informed by the intrinsic intelligence of the nervous system to release trauma as observed in all mammals. It taps into the abundant resources available in the body for facing challenges that were previously overwhelming.
LUMINOUS ENERGY WORK
Developed in part by Anna-Lisa Adelberg, Luminous Awareness Work is a mindfulness-based practice that tracks subtle energy in the body, where it gets blocked and the distorted patterns that arise as a result. It meets the blocks on their terms, liberating this energy so it can flow back to source.
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS
Developed in part by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is based on the idea that each of us is made of a multiplicity of well-intentioned parts and an indestructible core that can heal liberate the parts that limit us and alleviate anxiety, addiction, phobias, attachment challenges, and lingering traumatic residue.
Adult attachment Healing
The most painful and persistent challenges we face as adults are rooted in unmet childhood needs. The wounds this early deprivation causes and the attempt to get these childhood needs met often turn into painful unconscious patterns as adults, especially in our relationships. We heal these relational wounds through relationship. I have marveled at how the most profound healing and transformation becomes possible when these attachment wounds get skillful attention. I have gathered tools and honed a range of skills for tending to these needs so those wounds can heal and the parts can mature. These include training in the Adult Attachment Repair Model (AARM) and other Somatic Attachment Trauma therapies.
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Some people work with me to focus on a specific issue over the course of a few sessions. Others use our time together as an ongoing sanctuary for the soul, a regular date with the deepest part of themselves. Both are welcome.
Testimonials
“Gwen takes you where you are and can work on many different levels – personal, spiritual & professional. Whatever my block, she always has just the right process. I am much more on track now, but am not ready to give up her insights just yet!”
“Working with Gwen is a delight and has helped me develop greater playful presence and sense of freedom in my life. I would recommend her to anyone interested in developing those qualities!”
“I love working with Gwen. She’s compassionate, insightful, and she makes me laugh when I’m taking myself too seriously. She’s had a big impact by being gently persistent with me on the issues that I do/but I don’t really want to work on.”