Erin Desmond

Erin Desmond

Welcome! It’s my honor to support you to become your own healer, as you shift out of trauma and stress patterns, into deep presence, awareness and self-love.

Every body is wise and everybody has the ability to be their own healer. The blueprint for healing already exists in your nervous system. I’m here to act as gentle guide as we listen to your body and allow the process to unfold. Anxiety, fear, frustration, anger, stuckness and numbness are all signs of "fight, flight or freeze" responses that have not had the opportunity to complete themselves within the nervous system. Together we use Somatic Experiencing, attachment work and inner child work to renegotiate past experiences and current impulses in order to allow a felt sense of resolution, new perspective and lasting change. Healthy boundaries and sense of self emerge organically and employing the passive "fawn" response no longer resonates.

Through attachment work and reparenting your inner child, I support you to renegotiate and heal your  attachment wounds through coming into new, embodied, secure relationship with self— experiencing the different parts of yourself in relationship to each other through giving and receiving. This secure, relational self opens up capacity for healthy romantic partnership, without compulsive anxiety or avoidance. As you create new capacity within your nervous system, you drop into a deeper presence and ability to experience peace, joy, freedom and connection.

Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr. Peter Levine through observing the way animals in the wild do not experience trauma symptoms, as they are naturally able to discharge their survival energy after a life-threatening experience. The process of Somatic Experiencing is gentle with heightened awareness of body sensations and slowed-down conversation. This method is very effective for shock trauma such as accidents, assault, invasive medical procedures, as well as for developmental trauma, day-to-day stress relief, and to expand emotional capacity and presence. While I work with all types of past trauma, I’m especially passionate about healing from sexual trauma, gender inequities, white body supremacy, birth trauma and insecure (anxious/avoidant/disorganized) attachment.

Through my experience as an artist, I bring imagination and vision to all of my work, supporting the creation of what is possible and the unfolding of what is already waiting to happen. As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, birth worker, pelvic steam practitioner and woman, I have a deep understanding of women’s issues and a broad scope of support available for menstruating and birthing women if desired. However my practice is in no way limited to women and I welcome and embrace all genders, identities and backgrounds. I'm committed to on-going healing of personal and systemic white body supremacy and all forms of oppression, and I'm passionate about equity and accessibility. I see clients both in-person in Venice, CA and online via Zoom. Sessions are 60-75 minutes. Sliding scale is available.

It’s my honor to support you on this deep yet gentle dive as you heal your body-mind-soul and uncover bright layers of yourself you didn’t know existed. While the process isn’t always easy, not healing is far more difficult. It’s a dance and a journey and the colors are breathtaking.

Please reach out with any questions or to schedule a free consultation. I'm looking forward to connecting!

Specialties

• Adults
• Adults abused as children
• Anxiety Disorders
• BIPOC Populations
• Complex PTSD
• Depression
• Developmental Trauma
• Early Childhood Attachment Disturbances
• Grief and Loss
• LGBTQIA+
• Medical Procedure Trauma
• Motor Vehicle Collisions
• Native Populations
• Pregnancy/Prenatal/Postpartum
• Birth Trauma
• Relational/Relationship Issues
• Self-Esteem
• Sleep/Insomnia
• Spirituality
• Intergeneration Trauma
• Racial Trauma
• Anti-Oppression Trauma Resolution
• Systemic Trauma
• Sexual Abuse
• Womens’ Issues