Life is an exquisite teacher. Since we were never given a map, we all need help navigating the territory.
If you are like me, you’re suspicious of “experts” who promise full restorative health and resilient vitality in ten easy steps, or “by using these products,” or “by listening to these audio recordings.” If it’s too good to be true, it is always too good to be true. And if it’s so easy, why aren’t the people buying these products and attending these seminars feeling any better? Here is the catch: internal change doesn’t come from seeking anything external. The point is, we already have everything we need to be resilient and heal, but it’s hard doing it alone. The process of self-inquiry and therapy, and meaningful change isn’t easy. But life isn’t either. If you are like my clients, however, you don’t need it easy, you just need it to work.
Does this sound like you?
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“Things are generally okay in my life, but I am not feeling entirely like ME. I am feeling a bit dysregulated, overwhelmed with life and stressed. Sure, I have had some hard experiences, my relationships are certainly difficult, but I don’t really feel like talking about it.”
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“Over the years I have accumulated some bad habits where I feel like I have lost my spontaneity and pluck. I have lost my backbone and have become a gigantic people pleaser. I really want to feel connected to my authentic strong sense of Self.”
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“I have been to talk therapy on and off for years. Nothing really sticks. My therapist tells me I need to see a doctor. And my doctors tell me to see a psychologist.”
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“I’m going through something really hard. Something big has happened.
The ground feels like it has blown out from under my feet. And I need to put my feet back on the ground and reconnect to my sense of Self. ”
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“I have practiced meditation for years, but the benefits that were promised, I haven’t really gained, or seen in my life. I do all the right things, like eat right and exercise, but I just feel STUCK.”
Imagine if you could…
Undo the “holding patterns” from trauma, constrictions and tension from stress and overwhelm, and reduce living from limiting thought beliefs, etc. Release these developmental patterns that impede your full realization and potential.
Cultivate the maturation of the ego, so you are no longer driven by destructive and harmful thought patterns and can lean fearlessly into any emotion or life event without becoming dysregulated.
Extinguish your mind-body-soul from the deleterious effects of stress, overwhelm, empathy fatigue and burnout. Hint: we don’t care less when we do this. This is not Us OR Them self preservation. We learn compassion for others while HOLDING ONTO OURSELVES.
Stabilize and expand your resilient, true sense of SELF.
Trust and follow your gut instincts once again, restoring safety and security within your own body.
Stop trying to think your way to a a new way of living, but rather, start LIVING your way to a new way of thinking.
Get on a path to deeper embodiment and stay deeply connected to yourself even when the rubber meets the road.
HOLD ONTO YOURSELF in all your relationships. Let go of enmeshment and a fused identity of being an extension to someone else. Differentiate and become your best self.
Are you ready to discover your deepest life and enter your relationships from your best self?
Hey there, I’m Jen. I am a somatic (body) based psychotherapist.
Did you know that it has been estimated that one of every million parts of information received and processed by our body, we humans only admit 13 parts into our conscious awareness?
That means we only allow ourselves to be conscious of .000013 percent of data, of experience, known to our body. —Reginald Ray
So why are we NOT using the BODY in our healing process?
“I found a side of myself through this compassionate work and through Jennifer’s guidance, that I didn’t know existed.”
With 20+ years of experience I draw from many tools and modalities. The main techniques I bring to the front of my work are listed here but these processes are not exclusive to the repertoire of what we can use in your healing. I believe what is relevant is what works for you, not what works for other people. Your life is the only meaningful measure, NOT some efficacy based research that says it is so.
somatic experiencing®
Somatic Experiencing® is a naturalistic, neurophysical understanding of trauma. The nervous system becomes compromised during and after a trauma event due to the result of the body's “threat response.” The nervous system then cannot regulate itself without intervention. When we bring curiosity and attention to the body’s sequence of “states not fully processed,” then individuals can shift neuro patterns and symptoms abate. SE™ is a body-oriented approach to healing traumas and other stress related disorders.
realization process®
The Realization Process® uses powerful but gentle attunement exercises that puts us on a direct path to embodied nondual awakening. What that means is these embodiment psychotherapy practices help us experience our fullest sense of Self, allowing us to openly discover our true boundaries. We no longer lose any part of ourselves in our experiences with life and in our relationships. Through the work of releasing trauma, tension and developmental constrictions from our body, we experience life and relationships without being entangled or emotionally enmeshed with them, and without losing inward contact with ourselves.
“The Realization Process differs from the majority of other body psychotherapy approaches, such as Somatic Experiencing (Levine, 1997), in that instead of focusing directly on the nervous system as the main arena of trauma, the Realization Process focuses on the fascia. The fascia is everywhere in our body, surrounding every part of our physical anatomy, and serves as an interface between our mind and our body (Lesondak, 2017).”—Dr. Judith Blackstone
somatic meditation
While most meditation models being taught today in the field of psychotherapy are necessary and useful, they are insufficient in deeply integrating one in their own embodiment. When confidence is limited in the felt sense of stability and regulation in our body, meditation can of course be grasped intellectually, but also has the potential to deeply separate one further from maintaining inward contact with themselves emotionally, physically and spiritually. This is more likely to lead eventually to a level of disconnection and dissociation and/or erect old defensive patterns that limit experience.
When we approach meditation as a somatic discipline then everything changes. No matter what arises, the intensity or unexpectedness, we can handle it without overwhelm, because we are not disconnected or dissociating, but rather, trained and tethered to the deepest core of our fullest selves, including the resourceful resiliency and stability that rests in our body.
differentiation theory
Differentiation is a term used in cellular biology that describes the process when a cell begins to mature and take on unique and individualized properties adapting into a more complex and evolved form of life. Dr. Murray Bowen in the 1950s coined this term in psychology and it is the cornerstone of his Systems Theory. We all interact in multiple systems and just as individuals within these systems (work, family, school, friends, etc.) impact us, we also impact them. Only when we become fully differentiated individuals can we be balanced in two basic life forces: the drive for individuality and the drive for connection/togetherness. Whether you struggle in relationships by giving up your individuality, or you hold onto yourself and your individuality with a strong grip at the cost of losing your relationships, both ends of this spectrum cause great suffering.
Learning to balance your individuality with togetherness allows us to cultivate a higher order and evolved Self that is fully differentiated.
The Process
Making the commitment to change is the hardest part. It requires giving up a hardened grip on who you think you are, and have been, up until this point in your life. We are not letting go of any life skills that have saved or protected you in your past, but we will examine them to see if your old tools are still useful or currently blocking you and getting in your way. Trauma can define who we are, and it can make us stronger, softer, more resilient, more open-hearted; but we have to be willing to lean into these growth edges and do the hard work.
If you feel ready to begin, follow these three simple steps and you will be on your way:
Individual one-on-one therapy is an investment of time and resources. You are worth it!
on my contact page and we will set up an initial call
Reach out and connect to me through my contact page by clicking on the "Let's Get Started" tab below, or the Contact tab in the main drop down menu. I will be in touch with you soon.
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Stay informed of new research, and when course and retreat registrations open. And, be in the know when free sample meditations are released. Adding a course to your one-on-one therapy can greatly increase efficiency in postivie outcomes, so be stop by the courses page and check out what is currently happening.
“I am a better therapist already. A Thank You just doesn’t seem enough! This work changed me from the inside. It gave me hope. It gave me confidence.”
—remarks from A Client
Read the FAQs
Where did the name Be Here Now Mindfulness come from?
Despite everyone’s jumped to conclusion, I actually did NOT name my practice after Ram Dass’ book. In fact I have never read it. Nothing against the guy, and the book is on my list along with a million other books written by people that I could learn a thing or two from. The name actually came about after living in Asheville, NC for years and attending a music venue there named, “Be Here Now.” As an avid live music supporter, I was known to be sitting there just about every week. It was a time when I had nothing else to do but simply just be there. No where else to go. Nothing else to do. You get the concept now. The venue has since sadly closed, so I am carrying it into a second life in my heart and soul along with all of you.
How does somatic practice work online?
When Covid struck in spring of 2020, over night I closed up my office and moved online. 100% of my clients stayed with me. After polling a few times to see if any of my clients would like to go back to an office, 100% stated affirmatively that they wanted to stay online. I was stunned, but have grown to love work online. Not only do I get to snuggle with my two pugs Moose and Muggsy in between client calls, but my clients don’t spend the first 15 minutes of our sessions complaining about Atlanta traffic and their struggle to find parking. The majority of my Somatic Experiencing and Realization Process colleagues have also continued online, and we have become quite adept in the format and feel confident that it translates extremely well.
* If needed, per assessment, we can schedule an in-person intensive. This is a 4 hour session, where we would meet in a designated safe and confidential space. Typical intensive sessions focus on somatic release techniques, table work, and somatic exercises to rid the body from shock or betrayal trauma, but we can explore how it might work for you in other ways.
What is a boutique psychotherapy service?
In order to ensure excellent care, I commit myself to a small caseload. I offer V.I.P. service and am available by cell phone and e-mail or even an impromptu video session if needed throughout the week. Because of this, my waitlist can at times be long. For those that are interested in starting their work before a slot opens, I encourage all of my workshops, courses and retreats. Often times, clients report that taking a course was more efficient than what could be accomplished in a year of therapy. I don’t disagree. Be sure to check out my current listings of courses and retreats as a way to begin your work.
Do you take insurance?
No, I don’t accept insurance. But you can check with your insurance company and see if they have out-of-network coverage. If it does, you may be able to work with me using it by using what is called a superbill. You pay me directly and I provide you with a monthly statement of services (called a superbill). Then, you submit (e-mail, scan or fax) it to your insurance company. You have to be your own advocate in this process and I cannot guarantee that you will receive reimbursement from your insurance company.
Do you have a cancellation policy?
Be courteous. Use right action. Things come up in life, but respect the process (and me and my time) as well. If cancelling appointments becomes “a thing” then you might want to address why you are in counseling. If ambivalence is something we need to work on, we will certainly address it. Know that I will institute a more heavy-handed cancellation policy when required, but overall online work has allowed for greater flexibility. Usually clients are capable of doing the right thing here.