EDS and MCAS

I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, so I know about living with a multiplicity of changing symptoms, energy levels, medications and supplements. Every one of us experiences these conditions differently, but we understand and appreciate each other’s challenges and successes in ways people without chronic health issues aren’t aware of.

Not to ignore the few amazing professionals out there, we deal mostly with a medical system not prepared for our needs, as well as social interactions that can be dismissive and hurtful. I don’t have a magic bullet, and my ways of supporting my body and the way I am received in the world are not the same as yours, but I can help you find what works for you.

And there’s all those weird little symptoms that aren’t the worst, but are constants we live with; like ears that squish against the pillow and go numb at night, soft fingernails, hearing your own heartbeat too loud, bumps in weird places, the tongue and roof of the mouth getting cut up when you eat chips, and itchy skin, just to name a few.

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Processwork, my main therapeutic training, is uniquely suited to work with body problems and all that comes with them. Unfolding and exploring the dream-like experiences in your body can reveal meaning and creativity, even amidst suffering. In addition to building skills to manage the pain and other difficulties, and building more satisfaction and fulfillment into your life, I can support you to find what gifts your experience has for you and your world, as well as how to bring them out.

We can explore any and all aspects of your life to paint a picture of your unique, personal mythology; a symbolic story which frames and informs your being, and can help you understand yourself in the deepest way. Chronic health issues are always tied to our personal myth, and that myth holds keys to personal power and guides us in living well on the hard paths we are on.

Our personal and intimate relationships are also part of that picture, and our bodies and others’ responses to them bring extra challenges to those relationships. Processwork also focuses on relationships; the intersection of individual lives and those close to them, as well as interactions with the world at large. My training and over a decade’s experience working with communication skills, conflict facilitation, deep listening, as well as how to dream together, allows me to support both sides fairly and strongly in any relationship.

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For many people, traveling to and from appointments is complicated and can be very draining. This becomes an impossible barrier when you have so many medical appointments as well.

I have been conducting life facilitation sessions by phone and online for over twelve years, both with individuals and with couples, in places all over the world. Because of my experience, and my training in signal awareness, long-distance sessions are as effective as those in person.

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If you want the support of someone who can relate to your health experience, and also has powerful tools to help you explore and build what you want in your life, or if you’d like facilitation for a relationship, please call or email me to set up a free first appointment.

I’m looking forward to meeting you and discovering who you deeply are.

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I work with people of any background, orientation and identity, and in any configuration of relationships.

Land Acknowledgement: Porland includes traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes, many of whose descendants live here still. I am able to live and practice here in part because of the forced sacrifice of these first people and of African American people who were enslaved.