Client Testimonials

Working with Allison has been incredible! I spent 7+ years in talk therapy and I felt that this was an important part of my journey to be able to have a space to be able to express myself and be self reflective. However, I always felt like there was a missing piece to my struggle with anxiety and depression. Being able to work with the body and also with my attachment patterns has changed everything for me.

I have worked with Allison for less than a year and instead of having to cope with my anxiety and depression and stressors in relationships, I have noticed a shift towards my body finding a new reality. Relationships and situations that typically are incredibly stressful for me are starting to become more easeful and even enjoyable; it isn't because I am convincing myself with my mind to be different, but because my body has found more safety and in turn more expansiveness in all parts of my life. I have even seen relationships with family that have been a challenge for my entire life begin to move towards more safety and health. I couldn't recommend Allison enough!

I found Somatic Experiencing with Allison at a time when anxiety had reached an all-time high for me. It was disorienting, I felt panicked much of the time, I was so afraid of the anxiety, and yet, I existed in it all of the time. I had been to therapy at other times in my life, dabbled in all kinds of body work, and even worked as a therapist myself. And yet, working with Somatic Experiencing with Allison felt wildly different than any other approach I had ever taken or been trained in. We started by actually not  focusing on the anxiety. I remember being taken aback the first time Allison redirected me towards the regulation that actually did already exist in my body. I noticed how strong the pull was to keep focusing on the anxiety, and then I noticed something new- that there was actually access to just neutrality. Allison worked really slowly with me to relearn how to feel safe & calm in my body, something that I didn't even realize I hadn't felt in a long, long time. I learned how to address the chronic stress in my life, slow down, and got to explore unprocessed trauma from years before. In all my experience in talk- therapy and training as a therapist myself, SE with Allison was the most effective approach to actually rewiring my nervous system and changing my life

Ten years prior to discovering Rolfing I had a herniated disk in my back(L4-L5), a ruptured disk (L5-S1) and had surgery to repair the damage. That "repair" lasted for about three years before the pain started coming back. The pain became part of my daily life. Everyday was painful, some days severely, but I managed to continue on. After seeing me hobbling around the office a coworker told me about Rolfing and how it had helped his back problem. I was ready to try anything so I called the Rolf Institute and that's how I met Allison. Allison was very patient, understanding and was able to sense my pain. She was always making sure that nothing we did caused me further pain. Allison's professionalism really showed when my hip/back 'locked up' on the table and I couldn't even sit up. She very calmly rolled me over and started working on my sacrum and hips. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I didn't feel anything distinct occur, like the crack of a chiropractic adjustment, but my body knew something drastic had changed. It was very emotional. After that session my back pain was greatly reduced. Since completing the full 10 session series I've had very little, short term, back pain. Perhaps one day a month do I even think about my back. Working with Allison and going through the Rolfing series has changed my life. I used to spend many nights laying on the floor in agony, desperately trying to crack my back to relieve the pain. Now, I am able to enjoy life again. My wife has noticed the improvement in my attitude and general disposition, as have I. And my climbing has improved as well.