Embodied Compassionate Healing
A safe space for connection, compassion and healing.
Somatic therapy for trauma healing and life challenges
You want to feel more in charge of your life.
You want to feel calm, connected and have more confidence.
You want to live a life that feels more authentic to you, a life you’re excited about.
You want to let go of what’s holding you back, yet something always seems to get in the way….
You might have some insight about what could be causing you to feel a certain way, yet you still feel stuck, repeating the same patterns of behavior and emotional responses.
You're tired of living on autopilot.
You’re ready for something different.
Maybe you’re here because…
You’re living with chronic stress, anxiety, panic, overwhelm, or often feel on edge
You’re living with depression, you feel numb, disconnected, shut-down, simply going through the motions
You’re living with the effects of unresolved trauma and perhaps you have memories, sensations, flashbacks that are disruptive
You have childhood experiences or recent experiences that you would like to process
You are going through a life transition, or a challenging time and need support
You’ve tried other therapeutical approaches but felt something was missing
What if your struggles are rooted in unresolved trauma—and you didn’t even know it?
You don’t have to remember ‘what happened’ to feel its effects.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, shut down, anxious, disconnected, or felt like something’s “off” but you can’t explain why—you’re not alone. Sometimes the roots of our struggles are hidden in experiences we didn’t realize were traumatic.
What is Trauma?
Trauma is not in the event itself; rather, it is the imprint of what happened—and what didn’t happen—that stays locked inside and can profoundly impact our lives.
Trauma is our emotional, physical, and physiological response to distressing events that overwhelm our nervous system and ability to cope.
Trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté explains, “Trauma is not what happens to you but what happens inside you.” It triggers physiological survival responses—such as fight, flight, freeze—that remain stuck in our bodies long after the experience has passed, leaving us dysregulated. This dysregulation is what causes many of the symptoms we experience. Additionally, the survival physiology we remain stuck in continues to drive survival-based behaviors, even outside of a survival context.
Types of Trauma
Shock trauma can arise from single, life-threatening events, such as natural disasters, accidents, falls, invasive medical procedures, violations, assaults, etc.
It’s important to note that trauma can stem not only from extraordinary events but also from ordinary ones. Why? Because our early life experiences have a profound influence on our overall resilience—that is, our ability to tolerate activation and distress. Without a healthy foundation, even everyday challenges can feel overwhelming because we simply haven’t developed the capacity to respond with ease.
Complex trauma, or developmental trauma, involves repeated, prolonged traumatic experiences during our developmental years—starting in utero and continuing throughout childhood. This can include verbal, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, such as excessive parental criticism or frequent yelling. It can also involve having one’s reality dismissed, experiencing abandonment or the loss of a parent, witnessing domestic violence, or being affected by parental substance abuse, among others.
Trauma is also what did not happen…such as a lack of emotional support or attention, not being seen and heard for who we are, not having our emotions or reality validated, or an absence of loving touch, affection, and presence. It can also include not being allowed to express all emotions, having unmet needs, or the absence of an empathetic witness to help make sense of our experiences.
This can occur even in stable homes with caregivers who are loving, well-intentioned and physically present but emotionally unavailable or not attuned enough. Perhaps they were too stressed, had unresolved trauma, or grew up with emotionally unavailable caregivers themselves—causing the cycle to repeat.
These early ruptures continue to disrupt our lives in adulthood, affecting our resilience, our capacity to self-regulate and co-regulate, and our sense of connection, self-worth, and trust. Over time, it can also take a tremendous physiological toll on the body.
“One does not have to be a combat soldier, or visit a refugee camp in Syria or the Congo to encounter trauma. Trauma happens to us, our friends, our families, and our neighbors.”
— Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score.
Meet Ana Carolina
Welcome! I am so glad you’re here. I’m a trained somatic therapist with a passion for supporting others in their journey toward greater resilience, an increased sense of well-being and a life with more choice, confidence and joy.
My approach is grounded in a combination of multiple trauma-informed, attachment-based, and regulation-focused therapeutical modalities that help restore a sense of safety, connection, and ease from the inside out.
I offer a compassionate, supportive space where healing isn’t about fixing—it’s about expanding into greater vitality, connection, and possibility.
Learn more About Me. Learn more about Somatic Therapy.
Healing is Possible
Every human being has an innate impulse to move towards greater health and well-being, if given the right conditions.
The good news is that since trauma is not in the event itself but in what we hold inside, it is always there available for healing. With the right support, it is possible to increase nervous system regulation, experience more safety, connection and ease. Learn more about why somatic therapy is effective for trauma healing here.
Healing is not about changing the past but about shifting how we relate to it in the present moment. It’s about moving from survival mode into a life where joy, vitality, and a sense of increased well-being are accessible. By expanding our capacity to be with what arises—rather than remaining stuck in cycles of survival—life becomes less overwhelming, and ease, connection, and choice naturally emerge.
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence. Not only can trauma be healed, but with appropriate guidance and support, it can be transformative.” Dr. Peter Levine.
Why Somatic Therapy?
Trauma lives in the body, not just in our memories and thoughts. Emotions are experienced in the body. It’s in our bodies that we find our inner compass, which gives us information about our inner experiences and how the world is affecting us. And it’s in our bodies that we find our sense of vitality and empowerment to affect the world.
Through somatic therapeutical approaches, we address the root of the symptoms that arise when we carry unprocessed experiences, emotions, and trauma. These body-based methods help us reconnect with our inner experiences, support our nervous system in unwinding patterns shaped by past overwhelm, increase emotional regulation, cultivate greater resilience, and restore a sense of safety and vitality from within. They meet you where you are—honoring your pace and gently supporting your return to yourself with kindness, curiosity, and care.