Body mind Psychotherapy with Inga Knudson, LMFT, SEP, RYT
Somatic and Relational Psychotherapy
In person in Saratoga and Scotts Valley
Virtual thoughout the state of California
My Therapy Services
I provide psychotherapy from a relational and somatic lens for teens and adults, individuals and couples from diverse backgrounds who have a relational template that includes early relational losses or wounds.
What do all these acronyms mean and do any apply to me?
PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is a nervous system state where survival is prioritized over connection. With trauma and PTSD, the nervous system continues to prioritize survival long after the 'triggering' event ended. This can feel like hyper-vigilance, anxiety or panic or we can feel lethargic, apathetic or depressed. It is not uncommon for adult survivors to seek therapy later in life for an event/s that occurred long ago. Sometimes we wonder why we 'just can't get over it'. Without support the body continues to respond as if the event is happening now. With therapeutic support, we can teach your body and mind how to experience different states of being such as safety, curiosity and even joy.
C-PTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder) is different that PTSD. PTSD and C-PTSD have similarities and both prioritize survival, but because C-PTSD stems from a chaotic or unsafe childhood, there is a high priority placed on connection to the caregiver (whoever functions as mom or dad). Children survive in the world of adults because someone trustworthy is protecting and caring for us.* When that person is instead a person doing harm, then we are talking about complex trauma, because of the ways we learn to adapt our attachment system to center connection in an unsafe environment. *An important note: C-PTSD is not the same as collective trauma where large groups of people are living through political struggles, war, famine, natural disaster.
PTG, post traumatic growth, refers to the psychological struggle that ensues when grappling with PTSD or C-PTSD. Indeed there is another side! You will get through this. Moving through trauma is a time of great change, where our core beliefs about ourselves and the world are challenged. Through this struggle we gain a sense of personal growth which contributes to positive shifts in our lives. We may feel stronger, both mentally and emotionally, our relationships improve in new ways, possibilities open up and an appreciation of life and even spiritual change emerge.
According to the WHO, 70% of the world population has experienced traumatic events. How then do we carry these events, nervous system states and adaptations into our intimate, sexual and family systems? Half of all women and a quarter of all men experience sexual violence. People within the LGBTQ community experience sexual violence at the same or higher rates than cis-gender hetero-normative people. However we count percentages, it is a fact that a large portion of us are contending with overwhelming histories, some including sexual violence, while simultaneously navigating relationships with loved ones, whether as a parent, partner, sibling, friend or community member or even as all of these roles.
Relationships are meant to be a place of refuge. How then do we learn to create this refuge with lived and living histories of abandonment, neglect or harm.
Perinatal mental health focuses on how best to support a birthing person's system during the pre-peri and post-natal period, that is the before, during and after a birth. Hormones contribute a great deal to how we feel internally; energetic, tired, sad, happy, even depressed or anxious. And hormones will change during this period, just like in puberty and perimenopause/menopause, contributing to your physical, emotional and mental well being. Pregnant and birthing people, their partners, spouse and families are going through a major life event. We can have many feelings about these changes. For the individual carrying the fetus, supporting your mental and emotional health is a top priority. For pregnant and birthing people who are also trauma survivors, this stage of your life will be full of varying emotions, thoughts and experiences. Additionally, even regardless of trauma, if you have ever struggled with depression or anxiety before pregnancy, now is the time to create your circle of care to support you through this time, before hormones start to shift. Your sense of well being is important to me and I want you to have all the support available through this journey. I am trained through PostPartum Support International in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders to provide assessment and treatment of perinatal mood disorders. Often this includes a partnership between myself, your OB-GYN and sometimes a psychiatrist.
Teens and young adults are at a pivotal time of their lives which presents its own unique opportunities for growth and challenges. Having a third party, caring and trusted adult at this time aids in you becoming the conscious, active driver of your own life versus an unconscious, passive passenger.
No one should be left alone to suffer.
Daisaku Ikeda
Hi, I'm Inga
I work with people at the intersection of relationships and trauma. My background and training utilizes body mind therapeutic interventions. I am skilled in providing trauma informed therapy for those affected by Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), relational harm, sexual trauma, and developmental (childhood) trauma and abuse. These experiences can lead to complex challenges, such as substance use, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, grief, relational struggles.
As I work with people along the arc of human development and experiences, I reconnect with your agency, voice, choice, power, and pleasure. Whether you are seeking counseling for youth or looking for support in your personal journey, know that whatever has brought you here is the perfect place to start, and it can serve as the motivation for a new future through somatic therapy.
No recovery from trauma is possible without attending to issues of safety, care for the self, reparative connections to other human beings, and a renewed faith in the universe. The therapist's job is not just to be a witness to this process but to teach the patient how.
Janina Fisher, PhD
My Approach
My formal training includes 3 post-master's programs focused on the neurophysiology of trauma and its diverse intra- and inter-personal impacts from birth through adulthood. These encompass body mind therapy techniques such as Somatic Experiencing®, EMDR, and NeuroAffective Touch®. Additionally, I hold a certificate in Trauma-Informed Sex Positive Therapy and engage in ongoing mentorship and consultation with a Relational Gestalt therapist and certified sex therapist. Together, these approaches, including somatic therapy, form the foundation of my clinical perspective and psychotherapy services, particularly in counseling for youth.
Connecting
1. Contact Me
Call, text, or fill out the contact form below to get in touch with me regarding body mind therapy, counseling for youth, psychotherapy services, somatic therapy, or trauma informed therapy, and I will get back to you shortly.
2. Phone Consultation
After you reach out, we will schedule a brief 15-minute, free phone consultation. This call is an opportunity for you to share your reasons for seeking therapy now, whether it’s for body mind therapy, counseling for youth, or to explore our psychotherapy services. You can also ask me any questions you may have about somatic therapy or trauma informed therapy.
3. Your First Session
After our phone consultation about body mind therapy, if you decide to move forward, I will send you the intake forms, and we will schedule our first session for counseling for youth or any of our psychotherapy services, including somatic therapy and trauma informed therapy.
Let's Begin
6001 Butler Lane, Suite 207, Scotts Valley, CA
14583 Big Basin Highway, Suite 2B, Saratoga, CA
Imagery via UnSplash