In Session
My therapeutic style.
I approach therapy from a humanistic and existential lens, and strive for a balanced, holistic, and affirming place where you can be you.
Rooted in psychodynamics, I am also a relational therapist, and aim to be present and authentic in the room with you—with a bit of humor thrown in for good measure.
Psychodynamics
In short, psychodynamics aims to help build insight with how events from the past still affect us in the present, and how we cope with stress called coping mechanisms. This can happen out of our awareness—without us even recognizing it may be occurring. If we are not processing our emotions regularly, over time they might manifest as disproportional anxiety or anger, or find other avenues to be expressed. Our work in the therapy room is to compassionately explore how we learned to cope with unwanted emotions earlier in life, and build more productive coping skills in line with your values.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is an evidence-based therapy that includes mindfulness as one of its key tenets. With anxiety and stress, we want to understand what is happening in the moment as it’s happening, and practicing mindfulness can be pivotal in that process.
In therapy, we will learn to slow the mind to become the observer of thoughts and emotions, and recognize the difference of when we act automatically versus with intentionality.
Somatic Therapy
Being human means that we exist within a body. And our bodies are not merely vessels for transport, they are intrinsically linked to our emotional existences. Have you ever noticed the sensation of anxiety coursing throughout the body? I know I certainly have. Anxiety and stress are linked to our physiology in the nervous system, regardless if we are aware of it or not.
In therapy, we will work together to bring insight into the mind-body connection, understand how living in stress cycles may impact emotions and wellbeing, and practice grounding in the here and now as part of a regulation practice to soothe the body.
How do we compassionately greet life’s difficult to answer questions?
“But the highest and really most lasting gift given to us is always our essential nature, with which we are gifted in such a way that we are what we are only through it.”
Learning our anxiety.
So many things in life can keep us focused on what we should be doing more of, or what we could be doing better. But these pressures can contribute to anxiety, and keep us attuned to the stressors in our life. While we all have values and goals we want to work towards in life, sometimes we learn protective behaviors that help us in that moment, but fuel anxiety or negative thinking when no longer needed.
But anxiety can also have a number of factors, which is why we approach it holistically. From systemic oppression and discrimination, family of origin experiences, biology and genetics, trauma, existential dread, neurodivergency, toxic relationships and beyond, anxiety is usually not limited to one single origin.
In therapy, we’ll work from your worldview, your values, and your experiences to start the healing process of previous wounds, and compassionately challenge the barriers caused by anxiety. Though everyone’s therapeutic goals vary depending on needs, here are a couple of example areas that I typically begin with clients.
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What do we do if we are already feeling dysregulated? How can we soothe anxious thinking? In therapy, we’ll discuss how you learned to cope with stressors and unwanted emotions throughout your life, which coping mechanisms work and don’t work for you currently, and add a couple to your toolbox for you to have moving forward.
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If we want to improve the connection to our emotional experiences, then we need to practice building that muscle, and work towards fluency in our felt emotions. After all, if we can’t identify and give language to a given emotional experience, how can we validate it accurately? If at some point we learned that some emotions are “okay” to feel or “good,” and others as not so much, then what do we end up doing with the unacceptable emotions? If we tend to disconnect from, ignore, push through, or avoid, then we want to find out how they might currently be manifesting, as they still will affect our decisions and wellbeing.
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Relationship anxiety can occur in many different forms depending on a number of factors. We’ll explore relationship patterns throughout life that inform attachment style, anxiety, and communication, all without judgement. Afterwards, we can apply this to build insight into current relationships, and slowly work towards what you want to see happen in your relationships.
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How do we communicate during difficult conversations? More specifically, how do we communicate honestly, but in ways that others are most likely to receive? Centered around Non-Violent Communication, we’ll explore the connection between what you’re feeling, what you need, and how that gets delivered to others.
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Sometimes our bodies hold onto stress, or are in a stress cycle that is uncomfortable, and might not match the environment we are in. We will spend time learning about the mind-body connection from the practical (how diet, sleep, and exercise affect emotions) to the more specific (understanding fight or flight in more detail), and how to practice grounding and regulation skills can be useful.
Office Details
Walk and Talk Therapy
If interested, I offer walk and talk therapy, which is precisely what it sounds like (read more about it, here). Prefer to have therapy on the Burke-Gilman or overlooking Lake Union? That is always an option. Add some fresh air to therapy!
Located next to Gasworks Park in the south of Wallingford, my office has a spacious and comfortable waiting area with gender-neutral bathrooms. There is ample street parking, as well as delicious cafes (Mas Cafe!), restaurants (Daruma Sando!), and other hangs in the immediate vicinity. For those with ADA-based needs or who cannot attend in-person, I offer telehealth therapy and am happy to accommodate however I can.
In-person therapy in Seattle & online therapy for anywhere in Washington state.
Located in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood for in-person therapy. Online therapy utilizes a HIPAA compliant, secure telehealth platform.
Reach out through email or schedule a free consultation to discuss therapy options.
Natura Psychotherapy
3301 Burke Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Email: james@naturapschyotherapy.com