When I first embarked on my journey to become a therapist, I had only a vague understanding of the various therapeutic modalities available. I knew about talk therapy, behavioral therapy, and had personal experience with spiritually-based therapy. Somatic therapy, however, wasn’t even on my radar until I stumbled upon it by chance during graduate school.

It all started when I was searching for a part-time job to support myself while studying. I came across an job advertisement for a support position with a healthcare practitioner. The description was incredibly vague, and I had little idea of what I was getting into. To my surprise, the practitioner turned out to be Dr. Scott Walker, a holistic chiropractor in North County San Diego.

Working with Dr. Walker opened my eyes to the fascinating world of mind-body therapies, now more commonly known as somatic therapies. He developed a technique called Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), which integrates muscle testing, Chinese Medicine, and trauma work. As I delved deeper into this field, I eventually became certified in NET and discovered a wealth of less mainstream, yet highly effective techniques for understanding the profound connection between our minds and bodies.

When I began my private practice, I was eager to master and integrate somatic and spiritual approaches. However, while I was still in the early stages of building my practice, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed everything. With in-person sessions no longer possible, I could no longer rely on techniques that required physical presence.

Although this was a daunting time for many practitioners, I saw it as an opportunity to evolve. I dedicated myself to learning approaches that didn’t require touch, such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), which I view as a psycho-spiritual-somatic approach. I also honed my skills in guiding clients to trust their intuition and attune to their physical sensations. Additionally, I adopted energy work as an extra tool in helping clients release unhelpful energies and install positive ones.

After several years of intense study and refinement, I developed a unique blend of somatic and spiritual techniques that feels authentically me. This approach has been transformative, both for me and my clients.

This style of working has enabled clients to more quickly identify the root of their issues, facilitated deep trauma and inner child healing, and taught them effective emotional regulation skills.

Nearly every day, I receive inquiries from people asking about somatic therapy.

While many are unfamiliar with the specifics, they recognize it as a powerful and effective therapeutic approach due to their exposure to popular materials such as the book “The Body Keeps the Score” and  videos of psychologist Gabor Mate.

In a general sense, somatic psychotherapy:

• is based on the idea that emotional and psychological experiences are stored in the body. Therefore psychological material can manifest as physical tension, pain, or other sensations.
• recognizes that by the body can help us access subconscious thoughts, feelings, and experiences
• uses the body as a mechanism of healing trauma and releasing emotions

During a session, a somatic therapist might employ various techniques depending on their approach and training. These can include:

• bilateral stimulation, tapping, and acupressure methods
• meditative states and guided imagery
• body movement and motion
• eye movements
• focused awareness on physical sensations

In contrast, talk therapies like psychoanalysis and CBT rely on dialogue as the primary tool for facilitating change and gaining insight. In a very general sense, talk therapists help you identify and work through your conscious thought, emotions, narratives, and behaviors.  Somatic therapies tend to focus more on your subconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Some of the more well-known and time-tested methods include EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Brainspotting and Somatic Experiencing. The world of somatic therapy is rapidly evolving with the emergence of new approaches, some of them offshoots of these more common therapies. 

Both styles of therapy can be highly beneficial, and many therapists are skilled in both modalities. In my practice, clients often appreciate a blend of the two. For instance, on days when a client feels ready for deeper emotional work, we might use a somatic approach. On other days, if a client is already feeling overwhelmed and needs practical support, we focus more on dialogue to address specific issues.

I was born in Vietnam in the 1980s and immigrated to California when I was three. I do not have many memories from that age – but my sense is that I was highly confused about what was happening in my life.

Why was I here and not in Saigon?  Where was the rest of my family?

As I grew up in San Diego, I quickly adapted to what was expected of me.  However as an immigrant in  predominantly white communities, not knowing basic things about my cultural identity created a gaping hole in my sense of self. I felt like I was floating through my life, untethered.

Who was I, really? It felt impossible to know because I didn’t really understand where I came from. I honestly didn’t know much of my own life story, nor that of my parents and my grandparents.

The summer before I started college, I visited Vietnam for the second time since I immigrated to the States. I was 18 – and it was that summer when it became very clear that I needed to take every opportunity to connect to my Vietnamese-Chinese culture. If I didn’t, I would walk through my life half-blind.

During my first year of college, I enrolled in language courses, established a second major in Southeast Asian Studies and made plans to study abroad in Vietnam.

I’m in my 30s now. I’ve lived in Hanoi for a period of time, relearned Vietnamese, and gotten to spend time with my family living there. I’ve drawn my family tree and recorded family stories.

There is still much more for me to learn. But ultimately, those years of intense immersion gave me the sense of cultural identity that I needed to feel solid in my roots.

Most people do not have the luxury to spend four years in formal cultural studies. But we can all make small steps. We can read history books and watch documentaries. We can talk to our family and write down their stories. We can travel to our home country.

My workshop for AAPI Women is one of those small steps.

This 6-week workshop “Exploring Our Cultural History, Family & Identity” was created with the intention of supporting Asian women in connecting to their roots.

Instead of going through this alone, we can share the uncovering, the stories, and the questions together.

 If you identify as an Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, or multiracial woman, I warmly invite you to this small circle of like-minded individuals coming together for the same purpose.

To Register:
1) Call 858-754-8884 or
2) Schedule a 5-10 minute interest call.

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