Gaia Somasca, AMFT

831.471.5171
gaia@holosinstitute.net

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
~Arundhati Roy
(I am aware the author used a specific gender, and I invite you to read and experience it with which the gender you identify.)

Just like the seasons, we are constantly changing. Growth and development are a natural expression of life, but some seasons test us to the core. At those times, there is a sense that something is no longer sustainable, no matter how we might appear to the world. Perhaps you are feeling isolated and anxious, burdened by worries weighing on your shoulders. Or you feel as if a sinkhole opened under your feet, dragging you down into a bottomless pit. Or, you feel stuck and drained, like stagnating water of a creek that no longer flows. Whatever you are feeling, your being is calling for help to move through this season of growth.

My experience as a therapist, as a client, and from my studies, shows me that we all have the capacity to heal and recover strengths, vitality, and trust. Going through our days and being alive can be fulfilling and meaningful. Even after traumas, loss, oppression, and experiences that are too painful for our bodies and spirits to carry alone. Even after our inner voice and wisdom have been silenced. A new life is possible.

I bring a sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate approach for the wide spectrum of your experiences, and I welcome your entire being. While you are the expert of your life, we can work together to recognize your needs. I am here to facilitate the necessary shifts and healing of the web of relationships in which you are immersed. We can focus on the relationship between your Self and the parts of you that need tending and nourishment. We might discover places in you that might be suffocating, stuck in behaviors and beliefs shaped by the past, that want to grow again. Together, we can also discover where you thrive, what brings you joy and vitality, ultimately supporting your desire to blossom.

My holistic approach also orients me towards healing your relationships with your loved ones, your community, society, spirituality and the natural world which are integral to your healing journey. I continue expanding my awareness of different cultures, and how oppression has shaped us and can deeply affect our being.My therapeutic approach is rooted in trauma studies and attachment theory, Focusing and somatic approaches to trauma, Jungian and transpersonal psychologies, dreamwork, astrology, ecopsychology, mindfulness, elements of expressive arts and multicultural sensitivity.

My background

Personally, I grew up in Italy and moved to New York City after college, where I worked in event production and public relations. A time of crisis piqued my interest in psychological astrology, which I studied and practiced in-depth as I pursued the path towards becoming a therapist. In the meantime, I completed a Masters Degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. In New York, I studied at the Jung Institute, where I practiced as a Jungian analyst-in-training with clients. I also delved into somatic approaches to treatment and trauma, and trained in Focusing. At Holos Institute, I completed the certificate in Ecopsychology. Currently, I practice as consulting astrologer, and I have completed my Masters Degree in Holistic Counseling Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. I love experiencing the natural world, camping and photographing the Moon rising and setting.