Psychotherapy, SoulCollage® & Special Programs

“The kind of service that transforms us the most has our fingerprints on it” Rachel Naomi Remen

Psychotherapy  ~ Moving toward Creative Balance

Do memories and habits from the past disturb you and prevent you from moving forward? Is it challenging to create and sustain new and healthier behaviors? Are your emotions interfering with your daily life and holding you back? If you answered yes, then psychotherapy is for you. You don’t have to do it alone: with the right support and your commitment, you can find the relief, the insight, and the change you desire.

Psychotherapy can help you lower symptoms of depression and anxiety and reduce fears and stress. It can teach you how to resolve conflicts, improve your relationships, and avoid self-defeating behaviors. It can help you move through the painful consequences of trauma and loss. It can strengthen your inner resources and bring more satisfaction to your daily life.

My Guiding Beliefs

We are in this together. Although our roles are different, I expect from you what I am ready to give: commitment and respect towards your healing process, which is sacred. Your life is like no one else’s, I hold the space open for you to discover and explore your options. Like a midwife I am fully engaged in the process of birthing what is yours.

I believe that at the core each human being is not content to just go along, but strives to express its uniqueness. Unfortunately, I have seen that life, and other people, can inflict so much pain on an individual that the access to this vital core is obscured or blocked. I trust that psychotherapy is a way to reclaim that connection becoming therefore a true spiritual journey of transformation.

Approach to Therapy

All the aspects of self, the somatic, the emotional, the psychological and the spiritual are taken into account during our sessions. I ally with my clients’ natural resources and support growth in a way that represents an authentic expression of their being. This may require for example an exploration of the many voices within to discover their etiology and purpose; investigating body sensations, dreams and habitual behaviors; the acknowledgement of strengths and choice-making strategies; and the use of specific therapeutic techniques if necessary.

My clinical experience has prepared me to support my clients in many difficult situations such as depression, anxiety, bereavement, identity crisis, job loss, trauma, conflict as well as existential and spiritual darkness with a comprehensive body/mind/spirit approach.

Background and Training

I have studied Jung’s Analytical Psychology, Object Relations, Relational theories, Attachment and Developmental Theories, Psychosynthesis and Transpersonal Psychology. Specific skills include EMDR, HeartMath, Treatment of PTSD and Domestic Violence. The holistic perspective I cultivate is rooted in extensive training in Yoga Therapy, Meditation, AcuPressure, Tuei Na, Expressive Arts, Bach Flowers Remedies. For more information about Mariabruna, click here.

Who I Serve

I work with adults of any gender, sexual preference or ethnic origin, and among my specialties I count my extended cross-cultural experience and training. I counsel in English, Spanish and Italian.

Scheduling an Appointment

Psychotherapy sessions are available in person or by phone. Your appointment is devoted exclusively to you, your needs, your values, your goals, your struggles and your strengths. Health Insurance Plans will reimburse you only for ‘in person’ visits. For more information on how to contact me for a free consultation phone call or to schedule an appointment, click here.

SoulCollage®~ A Witness and a Mirror

If you have a SoulCollage card that is particularly intriguing and hard to read, or if you have been grabbed by an image that reveals a disturbing shadow aspect you might consider scheduling a private consultation. I have worked individually with beginning and veteran Neters who wished to explore intimate aspects of their cards in the privacy of a one-on-one session, with the certainty of having full confidentiality and the benefit of my long years of using SoulCollage in a therapeutic setting. (The word "Neters" refers to those who make SoulCollage cards as well as to the specific energy depicted in a card. This ancient Egyptian word signifies "the One and the many.")

I have also been approached by Neters seeking coaching in creating a new card for an aspect of their inner lives they wanted to release, develop or rebalance. They wished to investigate the psychological and emotional mechanisms that were holding them back and to use images to transform them.

SoulCollage Facilitators who need to refer a student who has encountered a challenge that requires using SoulCollage in a therapeutic setting may also refer to me or schedule a consultation for themselves. Please contact me with your questions or to schedule a time to talk. Consultations may take place in person or on the phone. Cards can be scanned and emailed before the scheduled time. For more information, click here.

Special Programs

Balancing the Emotions ~ Bach Flowers Remedies

Explore the Gentle, Energetic Support of Bach Flowers Remedies. Have you noticed that powerful emotions at times affect the clarity of your thoughts, make you tired and impact your performance? Perhaps you have become aware that underneath the daily flow of your actions and thoughts there is an emotional current that subtly yet undeniably colors your experiences and dims your enthusiasm. Consider addressing your emotional landscape, whether it is too bright or too colorless, with the use of Bach Flowers Remedies. These Remedies can be a powerful ally in finding peace of mind and inner balance, whether or not you are in therapy.

Emotions are at the source of many physical and psychological imbalances. Even holistic approaches that involve proprioception (tuning into one’s perceptions of inner sensations), breathing, and movement are sometimes unable to engender a sustained change in emotional reactions or cannot do it quickly enough to provide the hoped for relief. Bach Flower Remedies, based on homeopathic principles, gently intervene at the energetic level to effect change.

A private consultation with a trained practitioner can make a world of difference to your results, especially if you are new to the remedies. I have completed Level 1 and 2 of the Bach Flowers Training, and I have been using the remedies for over 20 years personally and professionally. Contact me for a consultation.

Let not the simplicity of this method deter you from its use, for you will find the further your
researches advance, the greater you will realize the simplicity of all Creation.     Dr. Edward Bach

Shamanic Rituals ~ Connecting with the Cycles of Nature

At the Solstices and Equinoxes, I hold gatherings for friends and students to explore dimensions of Being connected to the Rhythms of Nature. The Solstices, when the sun lingers for a moment before retracing its path in the sky, bring us to the edge and invite us to deep reflection. The Equinoxes, when light and darkness are in perfect symmetry, challenge us to bring balance to our internal and external realities. These gatherings are inspired by my shamanic work with Ai-Chu-Rek, as well as other teachers and by the spiritual practice of shamanic drumming. Visit my Calendar for information on these events.

Celebrating Special Occasions with Expressive Arts

I greatly enjoy sharing SoulCollage and other Expressive Arts activities with individuals who want to mark an important moment in their lives. I have been invited to facilitate a group activity at christenings, baby-showers, graduations, bridal showers, family reunions, and at good-by parties, open houses, house blessings and luncheons. If you have a special occasion to which you want to add playfulness and creativity, or if you are interested in having me speak to your organization or group, please email me or call 831-768-1442.

EMDR

EMDR is a technique developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to address the disturbing emotional consequences of trauma. Recent discoveries in neurobiology have confirmed the validity of this unique approach. I trained in EMDR in 1995 and I have studied the dynamics of trauma with Bessel Van der Kolk and with John Briere among others. EMDR has proved its usefulness in many instances, including painful childhood memories and Chronic Pain.

HeartMath

HeartMath is designed to boost performance, productivity, health and well-being while dramatically reducing stress. The Non-Profit Company that promotes it was founded in 1991 by Doc Childre. These unique research-based techniques and proprietary technologies aim at transforming the stress of change and uncertainty. They bring coherence and renewed energy to the workplace and in the home by teaching us how to self-manage and self-regulate emotionally. This leads to feeling more balanced, in control, and in the powerful position of acting, not reacting. HeartMath helps us to think creatively, communicate clearly, do well under pressure and make good decisions..

To contact Mariabruna for more information, call  831-768-1442. email her, or click here.