WORK WITH ME
AT THE INTERSECTION OF SOMATIC THERAPY, IFS, POLYVAGAL THEORY, ATTACHMENT SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY
TRAUMA THERAPY, TRAUMA INTENSIVES, COACHING, PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION & SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Therapy
We are currently in the midst of a paradigm shift in how mental health disorders are conceptualized and treated.
The old paradigm, built on the chemical imbalance theory and pathologizing of symptoms, has failed many of us. Over the course of two decades, Ryan spent tens of thousands of dollars seeing over 50 different practitioners (therapists, psychiatrists, and various practitioners) without ever encountering what he needed to heal. The system failed him because it's based on an inaccurate maps of the human psyche and soul, brain and nervous system. Maybe the old model has failed you, too. If so, it's time for a radically different approach.
You are more than your symptoms, your struggles, your diagnosis, your pain.
Ryan's non-pathologizing, integrative approach to therapy weaves ancient wisdom, contemporary neuroscience, and compassionate inquiry into a tapestry of healing. This organic synthesis results in a synergistic, ancient-future framework that goes beyond mere symptom management.
Ryan is a limited license professional counselor in the state of MI and his therapeutic approach draws from relational psychodynamics, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic psychotherapy, depth psychology, interpersonal neurobiology, and Polyvagal Theory.
He works with individuals struggling with all types of mental health concerns and specializes in the areas he has personally been impacted by:
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Trauma (PTSD & Complex Trauma)
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Depression
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Anxiety & Panic Disorder
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OCD
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Grief
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Relationship Issues
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Spiritual Abuse/Religious Trauma
It's essential to have map that accurately portrays the clinical landscape (the theory, science and research that inform the methods, techniques, and tools used). But a map alone isn't enough. A guide who knows the terrain is also essential. If you were trekking deep into the Amazon rain forest, you would want a guide who intimately knew the terrain. Both an accurate map and an experienced guide are necessary for therapeutic change to occur.
TRAUMA INTENSIVES
Trauma intensives are five days long and we meet one-on -one for 3 hours each day. There's a loose scaffolding we follow but it's very much an organic process completely tailored to what your body, mind, and nervous system need most.
Through a collaborative and highly integrative approach, we will go into depth in the following key areas:
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Why you're stuck in trauma responses and how to get free
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How to regulate your nervous system with powerful and effective neural exercises
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Effectively address your particular physical, mental & emotional symptoms at their root
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Develop a rhythm of using neural exercises to form the foundation of trauma healing
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Understand your polyvagal nervous system in order to feel safe in your body, relationships and in the world
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Unburden protective parts and child-like parts, uncovering the wisdom they hold within
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Somatic attachment processes that facilitate resolution of relational conflict
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Transmuting trauma into connection, joy & pursuit of your deepest desires
The intensive I offer is precisely what I needed but never encountered during my 10+ years of being debilitated by severe PTSD, complex trauma, depression & anxiety. I come to this sacred work not only as one who has extensive training and credentials, but as one who knows the terrain of trauma intimately and can guide you as your own healing journey deepens or begins.
Clients find that completing a trauma intensive not only brings about robust integration of past traumatic experience and a lessening of symptoms, but it becomes an essential cornerstone for any further therapeutic work they choose to do.
Spiritual Direction
In spiritual direction, together we access the interior depth dimensions of self and read the grammar of the soul and the syntax of the Spirit.
Spiritual direction is an intentional space for tending to what is deepest in you: your yearnings, your fears, your hopes...your life. It is a time set aside for paying attention to your innermost being and the divine.
Spiritual direction is “spiritual” because it deals with the deep stuff of life, of you and your story, of heartache and wounds, of beauty and blessing--and where the divine is found in the midst of it all. It is “direction” because together we direct attention to what really matters, tending to the inner world, to the true self, the place where your spirit and the Spirit merge.
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WITH RYAN
I think of spiritual direction as a process centered on finding your way home.
Regardless of your religious tradition, spiritual direction can provide a shelter safe for diving into the interior life.
Sometimes, a client wants to explore the nuances of their spiritual path, or their sense of disconnection from God, or an important life decision they are discerning. So depending on what your desires are, we may go in any number of different directions.
I approach spiritual direction from an open, non-directive stance known as the evocative method. The foundation of my approach is deep, attuned listening while also drawing from neuroscience research, trauma theory, somatic approaches, depth psychology, Ignatian spirituality,
interpersonal neurobiology, and the Enneagram.
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I offer attentive, deep listening in order to help you discern and follow your spiritual path
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I ask insightful, open-ended questions that help you connect with your true, authentic self (or soul)
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I allow space for stillness and silence to help you become aware of what is alive within you
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I act as a guide, accompanying you on your journey of faith, whether you are in a period of deconstruction, reconstruction, in a phase of growth or contraction, walking through a dark night of the soul, or something else altogether
TESTIMONIALS
"Ryan has been a wonderful resource as I've processed major transitions. He has done an amazing job of facilitating self-discovery, acceptance, and validation. He's very insightful and knowledgeable and I've enjoyed the spiritual practices and psychological research he has taught me, which I am applying to my own understanding of myself and my place in the world."
Samantha M. / Therapist
"Ryan is a deeply attuned listener who has helped me process pain and trauma. He is a true healer."
Jay W. / Software Engineer
"My work with Ryan has been extremely helpful for my inner growth and healing. He is very knowledgeable and perceptive and has provided me with powerful insights that have proven to be key for my development. I highly recommend working with Ryan."
Michael J. / Professor