Ari Myers

I believe that individual therapy is just piece in a pie of our overall healing, and that therapy has historically been a space to further individualize clients, and pathologize what is often a normal response to a system that is built on violence. I work to hold space for those impacted by this violence, while also advocating for the important work that can happen outside of the therapist’s office: that of communal healing and revolutionary activism.

I believe that there are so such things as “queer issues” but issues that cisheteronormativity have created for us. That said, homophobia and transphobia come up in so many ways, and I work with many clients on how to navigate the world as a queer person. I am also an intersex person, and can work with intersex clients through medical trauma, accessing resources, and through the processing of emotions around an intersex diagnosis.

I see many clients who are gender non-conforming, in identity and/or presentation. Together we can navigate what it looks like to explore outside of the gender binary, and gain greater sense of identity and freedom!

I am certified in the Post-traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy modality, which infuses somatic experiencing and intuitive body sensations and movement into the therapy room. This modality is based in Polyvagal theory, and can bring about quick and significant relief for those living in a trauma response or in a state of chronic dysregulation.

I am trained in EMDR for individuals and couples. I utilize tapping as the method through which clients reprocess emotions, as I find the use of hands on the body to be the quickest way to reprocess memories. This modality can be extremely helpful in reorganizing traumatic memories in the brain, and can help the memory feel more like a bill that’s paid… in the past.

I utilize ACT in place of most CBT interventions, because I don’t believe that our problems are caused by “cognitive distortions” but often can be circumstances out of our control. Through mindfulness and acceptance, in conjunction with connecting with our personal values, we can take committed action in the direction of life that is most in alignment with our truest self, creating a greater sense of freedom.