About Me
Connect with your inner strength and guidance.
Get curious about your behaviour patterns.
Allow your sensations to guide you.
Hello, I am Petra!
Welcome, I am delighted that you have found your way here. I am a trauma trained Somatic Coach and Nutritional Therapist. My interest in the nervous system and somatic work arises from my own early experience with trauma. Which got reactivated after being 3 years in a mentally and physically abusive relationship. After getting out of that I was left with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), a baggage way bigger than I knew how to carry. I struggled a lot with my emotional wellbeing as I was very detached from my body and my emotions. And on top of all that, I did not understand why I was experiencing challenge after challenge with my wellbeing (mould illness, digestion issues, sleep problems, exercise intolerance, histamine intolerance, food allergies, lowered stress tolerance, flashbacks, anxiety…).
After noticing that taking care of the external layer (nutrition, movement and sleep) wasn’t enough, I had to dive deeper into the underlying factors e.g. stress, nervous system and trauma. This guided me into nervous system regulation and understanding how profoundly stress plays a role in our wellbeing. Diving deep into trauma and understanding how it affects our nervous system, helped me to be more compassionate with my healing journey. Learning about different nervous system states gave me a better understanding of my actions and reactions. With time I slowly started to learn how to listen to my body and release stored emotions from my body. Peeling layer after layer I found myself finally willing to look into my childhood and how being adopted had affected my whole being.
The final shift happened when I learned about primitive reflex integration and how these unconscious nervous system movement patterns can be reactivated through trauma (e.g accidents, prolonged stress, mental or physical abuse, loss or any sudden changes that are too much for our system to make sense of). Learning to integrate these unnecessary movement patterns in the nervous system reduced a lot of daily stress that I was actually unaware of but felt in my body such as exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, sensitivity to loud noises, tight muscles, headaches and dry eyes.
MY QUALIFICATIONS:
• Nutritional Therapist (Dip. NT), College of Naturopathic Medicine
• Yoga Teacher (YTT 200), Yoga and Pilates Malaga
• LCF Life Coach, Valmentamo
• Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate, The Embody Lab
• Senso Reflex Expert - course, Spinacor (3/4 parts finished)
Ready to try something different?
Still wondering if somatic coaching would be beneficial for you? Book a free 20-min call with me and together we can see if my approach and your needs are in alignment.
Prioritise your wellbeing
Emotional healing is an on-going process and there is always another layer to it. By doing the inner work you can learn more about yourself every day and this allows you to live your life in a way that supports your growth and wellbeing.
With practice you can learn to be more kind, compassionate and patient with your own journey. Once you learn to understand your body and nervous system (reactions, emotions, sensations, behaviour patterns, actions and habits) you can grow your capacity to step out of your comfort zone and expand according to your higher vision.
THE CORE VALUES IN MY WORK
Safety
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Authenticity
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Compassion
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Acceptance
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Honesty
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Curiosity
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Safety • Authenticity • Compassion • Acceptance • Honesty • Curiosity •
THE CORE VALUES IN MY WORK
INTERNAL SAFETY
The body is wise and it will keep hidden what you do not feel safe to access yet. So approaching things layer by layer and cultivating internal safety on the way is the key to gain the trust of your body and nervous system. This way you can grow your self-awareness and expand your capacity. And when you can hold more parts of yourself, more layers can become visible.
CURIOSITY
Curiosity is a wonderful way to approach anything that comes to the surface. When you approach things with curiosity instead of judgement, you can open up a whole new level of healing. When you choose curiosity, you allow expansion instead of self blame or criticism. Curiosity allows you to stay open to different angles, solutions and learning. With curiosity you can create intentions which are so much more welcoming than demands.
ACCEPTANCE
On the other side of all the resistance is acceptance. Once you lay all your cards on the table and accept what is here now, you can actually start to shift things. We all have parts that we rather hide or deny but often resisting these parts only makes them stronger - and all they want is to be witnessed and accepted. Getting to know yourself on a deeper level allows you to recognise how every part of you is valuable.
COMPASSION
When you approach your subconscious and behaviour patterns with compassion instead of judgement it makes the process a whole lot easier. The key is being gentle with yourself and learning to accept all parts of you. When you learn to understand your nervous system and how every pattern is there for a reason, you can approach change with self-compassion.
AUTHENTICITY
In my sessions, I will invite you to find your truest, most authentic self. And that can only happen when there is mutual trust and safety in place. You can come to my sessions just as you are at each moment. Every part of you is welcome. Being with the feelings that we usually label as “negative” (i.e. anger, sadness, overwhelm, demotivation, anxiety) is often the way closer to our core selves.
HONESTY
Transparency and mutual trust will create an environment where you can be open and honest with yourself. Choosing honesty, especially when it feels uncomfortable, will give you an opportunity to see where the change is possible in your life. The limiting beliefs and patterns are often accompanied with shame, which grows in the shadow. Exposing these patterns with honesty helps you to move forward.
Let’s work together
Interested in working together? Fill out the application and I will email you to schedule a video call with you so we can see if I would be the right guide for you.
