Who I am
Passionate about creating opportunities for all beings to slow down and experience themselves in a soft, patient, and intuitive way.
Jessica (she/her), who often goes by Jess, is a sound healing facilitator, yoga instructor, and energy medicine guide based in Oakland, CA. She cares about creating spaces for people to discover ways to explore themselves while seeking rest, experiencing transitions, and creating opportunities to find trust within themselves.
Her journey into this work is informed by her own lived experience with being curious about ways to navigate life transitions, trusting her own intuition, and the desire to slow down. Training in each of these modalities enabled Jess to feel confident with making changes in her life and knowing how to be with tough feelings when things are difficult. Learning to embrace ease, empowerment, being patient, acknowledging a creative spirit, and trust in herself has been discovered through these modalities. Integrating these into her life have led to a more balanced lifestyle, creative growth, permission to explore different parts of herself, and being able to re-ground when things don’t work out.
Jess holds an Energy Medicine Certification from the Academy of Intuition Medicine (MIM) and a Sound Healing Certification from Sound Embrace Institute. She has completed a 200-hour YTT in Vinyasa yoga and completed Level 1 Relax & Renew Restorative yoga training with Judith Hanson Lasater. Currently, Jess is pursuing her Master of Arts degree in Integral Counseling Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Jess is currently a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at Heart in Balance Counseling Center in Oakland, CA. If you or someone in your community are seeking therapy services or you would like to know more about her therapeutic approach, please connect with her through the counseling center.
Jess’ Story
As a young one I was always curious, loving, sensitive, and rarely scared to take risks. I was fortunate enough to grow up with consistent presence of family and friends. I often had what I needed. I focused on being kind, doing my best, got along with most, and was always considered a hard worker. In hindsight, I never thought much about what it meant to focus so much on others and how it can turn into a form of masking, but the importance of making relationships work and being perceived in certain ways became far too important. At times I struggled to fit in, even in my own family, but didn’t have an awareness about why I was able to mask myself enough to get by. I went off to college leaving my family and built a life for myself. I built a wonderfully creative career that provided opportunities for collaboration and traveled to some awesome places. I met chosen family and many great friends during this time. As much gratitude I have for this period in my life, I also have much grief and shame because by societal standards, I made it, and I discovered it may not be for me. The mask had to finally come off. I never considered what happens when it all ends or does not go as planned? I was not prepared emotionally for what came next.
I excelled in my career but also was very caught up in the expectations of others. I was without boundaries and sacrificed myself in the name of “success”. I wanted to belong, do good work, conforming to an environment unconsciously was easy to do; especially if you knew what mask to put on. Overtime I started to become aware of my perfectionist, dissociative, and fawning behavior. My body was communicating to me as well. I experienced many emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety and depression. My depression led to self-harm and my anxiety led to some disordered eating. I was burned out, exhausted, and overly emotional but I didn’t know how to change. The pressure and the perception of others became unbearable, and I started to question my own authenticity. I had become further disconnected from myself, but was I ever embodied? At a young age I always knew how to navigate spaces and fit in, no wonder why I was burned out. I never stopped.
I went to therapy to help unravel all of the conditioning . At the same time, I experienced what it is like to lose relationships I never imagined was possible. A rupture with my mother created a loss of many family relationships. For some reason this solidified my feelings of not belonging. The grief was there but was never processed. My family wasn’t one to talk about emotions or what was happening for them. Something I’ve come to learn is, as much as resilience is a strength, in terms of my family dynamic, it hurt me. After this loss I did what I was raised to do- keep going and that’s what I did. Due to repressing my feelings, I didn’t recognize myself anymore. Losing a sense of identity with no foundation to go home to eventually put me on this path and that’s why I’m here today.
Unraveling what I have been conditioned to do and observing my own behavior eventually made me realize my lack of embodiment. Therapy, energy medicine, yoga, and sound healing were integral in embracing myself authentically. I have come to realize my own intuitive abilities. I understand that my lack of boundaries was a pathway of holding too much energy and weight, that was not mine. Building my own practice eventually moved me in the direction of healing. My mental and physical health moved towards ease. The biggest change overall has been building trust and acceptance of myself. I don’t feel driven by needing to belong in ways I did before, the feeling of perfection has softened. I have built the capacity to self-regulate and understand this process is on-going. I feel empowered to take risks but ones that are in alignment with my values and sense of being.
I’ve realized that movement, sound, and stillness provided the information I needed to be on the path I’m on now. I use my curiosity, sensitivity, and love in new ways. The biggest discovery is that the work is on-going, learning is crucial, and building awareness in all ways creates growth. With this knowledge, I feel the importance of holding space for human beings to have the same opportunity to explore what path of healing is nourishing for them. You got this!
So much warmth and gratitude,
Jess xx
FAQs
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No experience is needed to participate in a sound bath or meditation. Enter the experience without expectations and with curiosity. During a session you will be invited to sit or lay in a comfortable position. You can move and switch positions if you need to. It is encouraged that all participants wear comfortable and easy clothing including socks. Lying in stillness for a long period of time can lower your body temperature, warm clothing can support staying comfortable. If you are attending a session, feel free to bring a blanket, pillow, journal, or something soothing for yourself.
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As human beings we are much more than bodies; we are physical, emotional, and spiritual all at the same time. Each one of us holds our own personal cosmologies. Through our senses, inviting and building awareness of our intuitive parts provides opportunity to move toward self-awareness while experiencing our communities and surroundings.
Many sciences and theories view the life force of an individual linked to a collective wholeness. As we move through the world, we are constantly exchanging energy with different people, environments, information, and relationships. The complexity of this exchange could disrupt our systems and can create strong bonds of community and strength. Healthy energetic communication invites harmony and balance. An unhealthy exchange of energy has the potential to lead to imbalance and disharmony.
Connecting to your own intuition is a pathway to understanding your own life force and building awareness around your senses. Being self-aware and connecting to your intuition is an invitation to stay grounded and live a healthy lifestyle so you as an individual contribute to the health of the world. Being connected to your body, mind, and spirit while moving through diverse worlds and listening to what your senses are communicating, you can build great appreciation for life and others on a deeper level.