About Your Experience
“I had tissues ready because I was expecting to cry, but really,
we did a whole bunch of laughing!”
I’m sorry – what?
It’s always cool to hear how a client’s session shattered their expectations of what’s possible with Rapid Resolution Therapy – and what it actually feels like to be free.
Free from the traumas of the past and worries about the future.
“I honestly didn’t believe I could feel free…. You’ve broken my chains.”
I hear that kind of thing a lot.
It’s been so long….
Bogged down for so long, you can hardly imagine being without the weight, the sludge, the darkness.
But after you hang up from our initial consultation, you can’t help it. You’re actually tingling with excitement!
At the same time, though, you’re also still appropriately skeptical. Like – if what he just said is actually possible, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Not What You Might Expect
Compared to the standard “Hope you come back every week” therapy approach, I have a terrible business model.
I’m interested in making myself obsolete, more like a physician than a hairdresser. You log on, we get it done, and you move on with your life.
We both know it hasn’t been fun to experience all the pain and hurt and endless negativity, so I think it should be fun to get rid of it.
Why does transformation need to be so serious? There’s no law that says it has to be that way!
Well, then, how does it work?
So the nervousness and hope and fear – all rolled into one – sign on to the session with you.
And then you see my face. And I say…
“Hey! It’s great to see you!”
You smile, and the tension eases slightly.
Making It Worthwhile
“I intend for our time together to be valuable for you. What should I understand about you and what we’re doing here to do a good job today?”
It’s not a question you’re used to, but it makes more sense when I rephrase it: “If you could let go of anything, what would it be?”
Suddenly, it clicks. I’m asking what the target we’re aiming at together looks like.
Obviously, you know what’s been bugging you (and bugging is a nice way of putting it), so the information flows out easily. Your quest comes to an end.
No more questions?
Now, you’re getting a crash course in understanding how the mind works – and a useful way of thinking about what’s causing you to feel the way you do – what you’ve been experiencing for so long.
That’s right! It isn’t part of who you are! It’s just stubborn clouds that have been blocking your view of the sun.
And we control the weather together.
You get it now. You’re locked and loaded.
Now, the journey through the sensory imagination begins!
It’s new, and it’s different, and it’s empowering – and WOW does it release ALL this energy in a way that you didn’t even realize needed – just NEEDED – to happen.
And before you know it, two hours have passed.
I ask you to see if you can even find that stuff that troubled you before we met – to connect with it and feel the emotions that have greeted you first thing every morning and been the last thing you kiss before you go to bed at night for years.
Of course, you can find them! They’re always –
Wait.
Where’d they go?
It’s not supposed to happen that way, is it?
…Why can’t I feel those feelings anymore?
Surely, they’ll come back any moment.
So, you try thinking even harder about your triggers.
But…Nothing. Nothing??
It feels like it’s all just information. Just a story you’ve been telling yourself. Yea, it happened.
But so did putting your shoes on yesterday.
It’s neutral.
Cue tears and giggles.
You’re free!
That stuff will never bother you – ever again.
In case anything else does, I reassure you that you have access to me and what I do for the rest of your life. You have me on retainer.
You spend the rest of the day cautiously waiting for some shoe or other to drop somewhere, somehow.
Finally – peace.
“I slept well and woke up extremely refreshed, even happy! Is that normal after a session?”
Yes. Yes, it is.
Congratulations! You’re in the here and now. You’re free 🙂
About My Journey
Trying to Figure It Out
At 23, I lived in New York City and tried to make ends meet. After learning that I wasn’t cut out to handle euthanasia while working at an animal hospital in Manhattan, I had just quit pursuing veterinary school.
I felt lost, scared, and resentful of those around me who, in my imagination, had “Figured their lives out.”
I knew what I didn’t want, but I had no idea what I did want. I knew who I didn’t want to be, but not who I was.
I took a job as a dog walker and, as I tried to figure it out, entered a pretty bad depression.
A Chance Encounter
One sunny afternoon in March 2012, while I was walking a big golden retriever named Chelsea in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, the course of my entire life changed.
A woman no older than 30 was sobbing – head in hands – on the curb outside a Duane Reade pharmacy. I noticed that both wrists covered in bandages, and her wristband indicated she had recently been in a hospital.
Though I was inclined to give this woman her space, Chelsea had a different idea and pulled me as hard as she could over to the curb.
Chelsea sat down right next to her. Without looking up, the woman leaned into Chelsea and hugged her.
After a few moments, the tears stopped.
Chelsea remained steadfast in her resolve to sit by. The woman looked up at me and thanked me for bringing Chelsea over to her.
Then, she told me her story.
In the end, she thanked me for listening to her and then told me she felt better and that she was going home.
My Epiphany – My Calling
As she walked away, a shower of pleasurable physiological sensations in my brain, as well as bodily feelings of peace and excitement deep within, overcame me.
It was an awareness of not only profound connection, but also positive impact. Chelsea and I (but mostly Chelsea) had helped to relieve her suffering.
Instantly, I was hooked.
I called my sister-in-law to ask how I might make a career based on this feeling. She advised me to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
I moved to Berkeley, completed my Master’s program in 2013, and obtained my license in 2016.
Since then, I have continued to chase this feeling.
At first, it wasn’t easy to come by.
My formal training limited what I could do for clients to how much effort they were willing to put in over time.
Success was rare. Slow, incremental improvement seemed the best possible outcome.
Once again, I felt lost, scared, and resentful of those around me who seemed ok with this.
But then, I found Mimetic Therapies.
Mimetic Therapies combine several revolutionary and remarkably effective treatments for trauma, grief, anger, depression, anxiety/panic, phobia, OCD, and pain, including Rapid Resolution Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Brainspotting.
It resolves these issues completely, naturally, and painlessly – often within one session.
Though I was understandably skeptical at my very first training (which was in RRT), I began implementing what I could on my first day back with clients.
And it worked!
Immediately, I could once again access that feeling – only now, I could achieve it in almost every session, multiple times per day.
I was once again hooked instantly.
And I’ve been treating individuals using Mimetic Therapies like RRT and IFS ever since.
I’ve stepped away from the traditional structures and styles of psychotherapy to create something new: Mind Mechanic.
The results I achieve with this approach through telehealth continue to be profound and continue to propel me ever forward to reach and free as many people as I possibly can!
About Who I Am
A Penchant for Entertainment
I grew up in upstate New York and Massachusetts. At 10, my parents gifted me my first guitar and my first video camera at 11.
Throughout most of my teens and twenties, you’d find me outside with either in my hands at any given moment, playing an Oasis song or filming an absurdist comedy sketch with a few friends for our own viewing pleasure.
Above all things, I’m a Dad 🙂
Today, I live in California with my wife, my 2 daughters- Lily and Maggie- and our cat, Lyla.
My part of the state has some amazing regional wildernesses and open spaces – and I love hiking. These days, if I’m not in session, you can find me with Maggie on my back in a pack, running to catch up with Lily in the hills somewhere, pointing to cows, mooing together.
Finding Joy
Outside the context of my family, my greatest joy comes from two sources: making music/comedy and connecting deeply with people.
I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to make a living doing one of them.
And I’ll count it as a joy to work with you.