GAIA SOMASCA HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
Entering into trauma therapy is a courageous act of hope and a profound step toward reclaiming your vitality. If you feel stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, burdened by the weight of past experiences, or simply sense that you are surviving, you have found a place of understanding and healing.
I believe that deep within you are sparkles of life force and strength, an innate capacity to heal that is waiting to be nurtured. My work is to create a welcoming space where we can gently explore what has been wounded and find the path back to your wholeness.
This approach to trauma therapy is not just about relieving symptoms, it is about uncovering and transforming the root patterns that keep you from living fully. Perhaps a crisis has brought you here, urging you to seek change, growth, and a new sense of freedom. I am here to walk alongside you on this journey. Together, in a warm, collaborative, and non-judgmental space, we will honor your story, listen to your body’s wisdom, and work to restore your connection to your most authentic self.
Seeking support is a life-changing step, and I am here to meet you on that path. To begin this journey, it is first helpful to gently understand what trauma is and how it may be impacting your life.
Understanding the Impact of Trauma
Recognizing and naming the impact of trauma is a powerful first step toward healing. It’s important to understand that trauma is not a sign of personal weakness or failure; it is a natural and intelligent response to experiences that were too overwhelming for your body, mind, and spirit to handle alone.
Trauma can be any experience that shatters our sense of innate goodness, disrupts our nervous system functioning, and forces us into survival states of fight, flight, or freeze. It can be a single, overwhelming event or a series of relational wounds accumulated over time. When these experiences are not fully processed, their impact remains held in the body, influencing our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and even our very posture long after the events have passed. As trauma expert Babette Rothschild wrote, “The Body Remembers” (2000).
How Trauma Can Manifest in Your Life
​
Unresolved trauma can show up in ways that are often subtle and confusing, leaving you feeling disconnected from yourself and others. These patterns are not who you are; they are adaptations your system made to survive.
​
-
Childhood and Complex Trauma — can create deep-seated beliefs that you are not good enough or worthy enough, eroding your core sense of inner goodness. You might experience a persistent inner critic, or feel scattered, unfocused, and afraid - making it hard to relax, socialize, and enjoy life. You might prioritize the needs of others at the expense of your own as a way to find safety and be loved. Alternatively, you might have grown to be fiercely self-reliant and highly independent, because trusting others has led to such disappointment, that it feels unbearable to imagine it happening again. Among the hallmarks of trauma are rigidity and fear, as change feels threatening. This is often accompanied by shame, hopelessness, reliance and a reliance on addictive behaviors that are meant to soothe the unbearable pain that you carry inside.
​​
-
Relationship Issues and Relational Trauma — you might experience significant difficulties in current or past relationships, or challenging attachment styles, that keep you lonely, or in unfulfilling and painful relationships, or again obsessed and unable to move on.
​​
-
Narcissistic Abuse, People-Pleasing and Caretaking Patterns — you may have suffered from manipulative, controlling, or emotionally harmful relationships where your boundaries were not respected, leading to self-abandonment. This often results in struggles with setting boundaries, chronic self-sacrifice, and difficulty prioritizing your own needs.
​​
-
Discrimination, and Systemic Oppression — can be profoundly traumatic. This work acknowledges that systems of oppression are themselves a form of abuse, creating wounds that are both personal and collective. These traumatic experiences can lead to feelings of invalidation and chronic shame, silencing your voice, eroding your confidence, and making it feel unsafe to be your true self in the world.
​​
-
PTSD and other traumatic experiences — perhaps it was an overwhelming single event, such as a car accident or a sudden illness, or an ongoing period of overwhelming challenges that impacts your ability to feel grounded, and functional. These can leave your nervous system in a constant state of high alert, which may feel like a constant hum of anxiety beneath your skin, or you might feel shut down and exhausted.
​​
These painful patterns are your body’s attempt to protect you, but they are not your destiny. My collaborative therapeutic approach is meant to support you gently transform these survival patterns and heal the underlying wounds at their core.
My Approach: A Collaborative Journey to Wholeness
True and lasting healing from trauma is an integrative process that honors the profound interplay between your mind, body, spirit, and your relationship with the wider world. My approach is holistic and deeply heartfelt, blending depth and transpersonal approaches with trauma informed modalities to support your unique journey. I offer a warm, compassionate, and supportive presence, creating a space where you can feel truly cared for, heard, and understood.
The Foundation: A Safe and Compassionate Relationship
The foundation of all effective trauma therapy is the therapeutic relationship itself. Healing happens most powerfully when you feel genuinely seen and safe. Clients tell me that I “get it,” and I believe this comes from a deep respect for each person's inner wisdom and lived experience. My role is not to be the expert on your life, but to be a collaborative guide who walks alongside you at your pace. Together, we create a relationship built on trust and empathy, where even the most tender and hidden parts of you can feel welcomed.
Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit for Deep Healing
To address trauma from a holistic perspective, I draw from a rich tapestry of therapeutic orientations. We will explore together what works best for you in any given session, tailoring the process to your specific needs.
-
Somatic and Body-Centered Work (Focusing & Polyvagal Theory):
-
​Trauma lives in the body. These gentle, body-centered approaches help you build the capacity to mindfully notice the sensations in your body without becoming overwhelmed. By learning to track your nervous system, you can support your own emotional regulation, moving from patterns of tightness to softness, and from restriction to a newfound sense of spaciousness and flow.
-
​​
-
Brainspotting:
-
​A powerful, brain-and-body modality, Brainspotting allows us to access and process trauma at its deep neurophysiological roots. It works on a level deeper than words can reach, harnessing the connection between eye position and subcortical parts of the brain - areas that process information beyond the threshold of our thinking mind (prefrontal cortex).
-
This approach can help release traumatic memories and experiences held in the “deep brain” and body, facilitating profound and lasting shifts. Because of the nature of this approach, it is particularly supportive for those who prefer to work in silence, or are tired of talking through an issue. However you are always welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with.
-
​​
-
Parts Work (Internal Family System, IFS):
-
​We all have different parts within us, the part that is anxious, the part that is critical, the part that is strong. This compassionate approach invites us to bring curiosity and understanding to our internal world. This work helps you shift from feeling at war with yourself to cultivating the capacity to listen inside and creating a web of healthy relationships within. We support helping parts release the burdens they carry from past traumas and fostering greater harmony and self-leadership.
-
​​
-
Depth and Jungian Psychology (Dreamwork):
-
​In this approach, we listen to your symptoms not as pathologies to be fixed, but as messengers from the soul pointing the way toward wholeness. By exploring dreams, images, and symbols, we can uncover the wisdom of your unconscious, integrate disowned parts of yourself, and align more closely with your authentic nature.
-
Dreams can be particularly supportive, if you are inclined to notice them. Jung wrote that “The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul." When we dream, the wisdom that inhabits our psychic depths, communicates with us through vivid and rich symbolic stories. It expresses itself in an archaic language, composed of metaphors, allegories and symbols that might seem irrational and strange.
-
Nevertheless, they convey poignant messages as they offer guidance, or illuminate what lies in our shadows, those hidden beliefs or aspects of ourselves that once integrated bring wholeness.
-
-
Ecotherapy:
-
Although profoundly different from one another, Indigenous cultures have common respect for nature. In our Western world, that bond is broken, causing damage to our health and that of the planet. Ecotherapy practices support the process of rekindling our relationship to the natural world and fostering a sense of belonging to the greater web of life.
-
This approach facilitates attunement to our mind, body and spirit while we dwell in nature. This soothes our nervous system, supports emotional regulation and attention, and helps us feel grounded. Ultimately, nature has a way to speak to our deep psyche and soul, often eliciting profound insights, revelations and a sense of wholeness and belonging to the great web of life.
-
This unique, integrative approach is specifically designed to support those who are ready for a journey of deep and meaningful transformation.
Who This Work Is For
This approach to therapy is designed for individuals who are ready to move beyond short-term fixes and are committed to a journey of deep, transformative healing. It is an invitation for those who feel a resonance with a path that honors the complexity of their experience and seeks to cultivate an embodied life with heart and meaning.
​
This work may be for you if:
-
You are an adult or young adult who has navigated a difficult childhood, abuse, violence, sexual abuse, traumatic events and you are seeking healing from shame, depression, anxiety and addictions. I welcome supporting your process and healing from these painful experiences, recovering your capacity to establish healthy relationships, thrive and blooming into a new healthy self.
-
You are a woman healing from the impacts of narcissistic abuse, systemic oppression, or relational trauma. Perhaps you struggled with your self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, or your relationships are challenging and leave you drained and frustrated. This is a space to dismantle patterns of people-pleasing and caretaking, reclaim your self-esteem, and build strong, compassionate boundaries.​
-
You are a person with an LGBTQ+ identity seeking to heal from the trauma of discrimination, rejection, and invalidation. Here, you can find a supportive and affirming space to process painful experiences and more fully embody your authentic self.
-
You are an immigrant or a person with a bicultural or multicultural identity navigating the complex tapestry of dynamics you face. I offer culturally sensitive support to help you explore your identity and heal from the wounds of oppression, rejection, or abandonment.
-
You are a high achiever, perfectionist, and you live under pressure at all times and perhaps you feel that is necessary to maintain your effectiveness. You have spent your life doing and succeeding, and now you are feeling exhausted, or panicky. We can work together to support your well-being, and lead your life from a place of authenticity.
-
You are a healer, therapist, or someone dedicated to personal growth who feels stuck in survival mode. This depth work can help you move beyond old limitations, process burnout, and step into a more empowered and vital way of living.
-
You have recently left a relationship, or you are in crisis with a partner/s and feeling unsure about the path forward. Perhaps you feel as though your heart is literally breaking, and you find yourself obsessing about your ex. Or, perhaps hopelessness shrouds your heart and you are struggling just to make it through your day. Together, we can work to soothe the pain of loss, grief and abandonment, bringing healing to the attachment wounds that have been reawakened.
-
You are really struggling, yet you feel that your upbringing was “okay.” There was no obvious violence, addiction, tragic loss, or financial insecurity - nothing that stands up as traumatic. However, invisible forms of neglect, dismissal and criticism, or unhealthy patterns of behaviors normalized by a family culture, can be the most challenging to identify because they are so insidious. This is a safe space to honor your actual experience, regardless of external stories of “okayness.” I will listen to you and support you in moving toward a healthier and more integrated self.
If you see yourself or parts of yourself in these descriptions, you may be wondering what the first steps on this healing journey look like.
What to Expect on Your Healing Journey
Beginning therapy is a courageous act, and my process is designed to be as supportive, collaborative, and clear as possible right from our very first contact. You are the expert on your life, and I am here to facilitate a process of self-discovery and transformation.
Our First Step: A Free Consultation
Our journey begins with a free 15-20 minute consultation. This is the first gentle step into the welcoming cove, a relaxed and confidential conversation where I can learn a little about what is bringing you to therapy now and what you hope for your future. It's also an opportunity for me to share more about my approach and for you to ask any questions you may have. Most importantly, it is a chance for both of us to see if the fit feels right, as the connection between us is the most vital component of our work.
Our Work Together: A Collaborative and Client-Centered Process
Once we establish care, our work will be a collaborative exploration. In each session, we will check in to see what feels most alive for you and decide together which path to take. Your needs and your pace guide our work. You will never be pushed to go somewhere you are not ready to go. If you find structure and reflection between sessions helpful, we can explore what kind of practices would feel most supportive for you. The ultimate goal of our work is to help you cultivate an embodied life with heart and meaning. It is a journey toward reconnecting with those sparkles of life force that have been buried but never extinguished, developing an authentic inner sense of freedom, and achieving greater emotional intimacy with yourself and others.
When you are ready, I invite you to take the first, gentle step.
.png)
Begin Your Path to Healing in Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, CA
You do not have to continue facing your struggles alone. A crisis is often a turning point, an opportunity to discern what needs to change so that you can grow into a more vibrant and authentic version of yourself. A new way of being and thriving awaits, and I would be honored to support you on your path.
To take the first step, please reach out to schedule your free 15-20 minute consultation. I offer both online sessions for clients throughout California and in-person sessions.
​
I provide trauma therapy for clients online, and in Scotts Valley, CA and Santa Cruz, CA.
​
If it feels appropriate for your journey, we can also integrate Ecotherapy sessions outdoors, meeting in a location we choose together within Santa Cruz County.
Gaia Somasca Holistic Psychotherapy is a private practice led by Gaia Somasca, MA, LMFT, offering trauma therapy in person in Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, CA, and online throughout California. WIth a holistic, depth-oriented approach, Gaia Somasca integrates Brainspotting, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic work, Jungian depth psychology, dreamwork, and Ecotherapy. Specializing in childhood and complex developmental trauma, , narcissistic abuse, sexual and relational trauma, and the wounds of systemic oppression, the practice serves adults and young adults including women, LGBTQ+ identities, immigrants, high achievers, and healers. With a strong commitment to social justice, Gaia Somasca offers a collaborative therapeutic process to support clients transform survival patterns and reclaim an embodied life with vitality and meaning.