Sarah Ross, Ph.D.

Selfie with Hawk

Give your body the felt sense of, I am held.

Happy 100th Birthday to Anna Halprin! Thank you for the gift of your embodied presence and teaching me to come home to my body. #annahalprin #dancemedicine #dancetherapy #embodiment

I love this piece (and so many others) by a favorite local artist, @honeycombdaughter. It reminds me of the rising sun, the East, and the symbolism of birth and new beginnings. Taking time each day to connect with the predictable rhythms of the natural world - the rising and setting of the sun, the sounds/language of birds, etc. - has been a tremendous resource to me over the past weeks. While I’m honoring and making space for the myriad of emotions that are arising amidst th...e pandemic, I find I must take time to shift my attention throughout the day to sources of beauty. This practice of Shifting Attention is foundational in resolving trauma/accumulated stress and supporting regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System. Trauma, or experiences of overwhelm in our nervous systems, capture our attention in such a away that it can be difficult to focus on anything else. The corresponding survival physiology in our nervous systems to this fixed attention is designed for short term situations, and when it lasts too long takes a tremendous toll on us physically and psychologically. I’m grateful for the many sources of beauty and goodness - and the moments of grace to shift attention to them- to support each and everyone of us in caring for our human family and the earth at this time. #traumahealing #traumainformed #trauma #ecotherapy #ecopsychology #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemhealth #nervoussystem #somaticexperiencing #somatictherapy #somatichealing #somatics #somaticpsychology #somaticpsychotherapy #autonomicnervoussystem

I'm excited to share this 10 min interview I did explaining my work. :) Enjoy! https://mindbodyradio.com/daily-show/episode/Sarah-Ross

My Outdoor Psychotherapy Office. #ecopsychology #ecotherapy #somaticexperiencing

7 Week Women’s Therapy Group @ Tilden Park In response to the intensity and challenges of the times we’re living in, I am creating a women’s therapy group that will be held outdoors - with the redwoods and trickling creek in Tilden Park. For those who experience deep care and deep feelings in response to the world, this is an invitation to come together to experience the support of a group of women and the other than human environment at Tilden to access resilience and a se...nse of empowerment. Please contact me for more info. [email protected]

I will be leading a 7 week therapy group for women at Tilden Park from 9/19-10/31. This is an opportunity to come together in response to the intensity of the times we're living in. I believe the container of a small group and the other than human living world is a necessity to hold the depth of feelings arising in response to environmental degradation and strife among human beings. Read more about what I'm offering. Please reach out if you'd like to learn more. Thank you.

(I’m not scared) I AM SACRED My body is a map. I want to learn to sing the song lines of my body - that tell the stories of my landscape over generations and for future generations. I want to sing the song lines of my body to connect with my own deepest sacredness; my own deepest vitality; my own Being. I drew this after seeing the movie, Roma. I was struck by the sacredness of women, and the necessity of protecting what is sacred (skunk=boundary=protection). When we forget t...hat women are sacred, we loose the map that teaches us who we are, how sacred we all are, and that all life must be protected. #protectlife #womenaresacred #lifeissacred #birthofvenus #healing

Here is a blog post I wrote, giving simple explanation to Somatic Experiencing methods I use in sessions. Enjoy! https://sarahrossphd.com/resourcing-pendulation-titration-/

My latest blog post on a topic near and dear to my heart. "What I know is that there is a lot of rage in this world and justifiably so. Whenever another living beings’ inherent power is blocked whether it be by emotional or physical means- rage is the energy that rises up, to restore the natural and undeniable inclination towards aliveness." https://sarahrossphd.com/conscious-rage/