Crystal Kennedy

Somatic and mindfulness-based interventions are mind-body approaches to the healing of emotional wounds and the ensuing hypervigilance that can make it difficult for people to soothe themselves in moments of activation. Mindfulness and somatic techniques can result in several benefits to you, such as relief from symptoms of stress and anxiety, increased resiliency, and heightened awareness of your mind-body connection. These somatic approaches are incredibly effective in building the mind-body connection and creating new neural pathways for healing.

I am Master Level trained in Brainspotting. I am also an assistant trainer and a consultant. Brainspotting locates points in your visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. Brainspotting taps into and harnesses the body’s natural self-scanning, self-healing ability. Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body’s central nervous system. Brainspotting is accordingly a physiological treatment tool, which has profound psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. When a Brainspot is stimulated, the deep brain reflexively signals that the source of the problem has been found. Brainspotting is effective for a wide variety of emotional and somatic conditions. Brainspotting is particularly effective with trauma-based situations, helping to identify and heal underlying trauma that contributes to anxiety, depression and other behavioral conditions. Brainspotting provides access to both brain and body processes. Its goal is to bypass the conscious, neocortical thinking to access the deeper, subcortical emotional and body-based parts of the brain..

Expansion Brainspotting is for performance and creativity enhancement. It is used to find and strengthen your natural resources and resilience. Expansion Brainspotting is a way for you to expand what is already working and unleash your infinite potential, passion and performance. Expansion Brainspotting is all about possibility. It can be used uniquely, powerfully and effectively with all clients. Expansion Brainspotting is effective in enhancing your performance, as well as strengthening your desired state of being. Expansion Brainspots have expanded healing potential, fast-tracking your ability to manifest your deepest dreams and desires. Brainspotting is also extremely effective in helping to dissolve creative and career blocks and to enhance expansive thinking and creative process. As well as feeling more healthy and at peace in life generally, many clients find that creativity and confidence flow more freely once inner obstacles and blocks are removed. Whether you want to improve public speaking, acting, artistic performance, or expand performance in business or other areas, Brainspotting can balance and enhance your brain’s functioning, resulting in improved mental clarity and new capacities.

I am formally trained in IFS and I have completed Level 1 & Level 2 trainings. Internal Family Systems is a powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy. IFS believes the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Our inner parts contain valuable qualities and our core Self knows how to heal, allowing us to become integrated and whole. In IFS, all parts are welcome. IFS is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to be effective for treating a variety of conditions and their symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, phobias, panic, and physical health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, as well as improving general functioning and well-being. IFS is a movement. A new, empowering paradigm for understanding and harmonizing the mind and, thereby, larger human systems. One that can help people heal and help the world become a more compassionate place.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. It is a set of standardized protocols that incorporate elements from many different treatment approaches. EMDR allows stuck memories to connect with and assimilate into adaptive information. This is done by activating the stuck memory, noticing whatever comes up while receiving one of several forms of bilateral stimulation. 

I am an integrative therapist and therefore seek to tailor treatment to the individual, blending concepts and tools from multiple modalities, including Attachment-Based Psychodynamic Theory, Systemic-based theories, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), grounding, meditation, breathwork and talk therapy.

I work with individuals, couples and families. I work with the whole spectrum of trauma and behavioral symptoms, including anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, attachment-related, hypersensitivity, codependency, abandonment, addiction, eating disorders or an unhealthy relationship with food, anger management, family conflict, life transitions, relationship issues, stress management, grief, self-love, self-worth and any behaviors you want to change or that you feel unable to control.

If you are at your best and would like to work on peak performance, we can focus on performance and creativity enhancement, building or increasing resiliency, unleashing your highest potential, passion and performance, dissolving creative and career blocks, enhancing expansive thinking and creative process, improving artistic performance and expanding performance in business or other areas.

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University

I am passionate about therapists walking their talk and doing their work by modeling a more balanced life. I am an activist and believe that activism is my rent for living on Earth.