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Katrina Kwan, Psy.D.

Expand your capacity

Psychologist 

Brainspotting Practitioner Coach

Learn to shift how you feel, rapidly heal wounds, and view your situations with a fresh perspective and increased freedom.

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Abstract Background

We all have moments

where we

KNOW

what we should do,

AND

... we DON'T do it. 

Instead we

  • watch another episode

  • play one more game

  • zone out

  • eat another cooke

  • have one more drink​​

  • turn to self-medication

We tell ourselves

  • I'm not motivated

  • I have an addictive personality

  • I have no will power

​​

  • I'm lazy

  • I'm a failure

  • It's hopeless

When we stay with our feelings 

we build capacity to tolerate discomfort

we check in with where we are in this moment

we discover unconscious limitations

we tolerate uncertainty

we shift from doing to being

​

When we regulate our nervous system

we focus on shifting our body state instead of other's minds

we move past our narrative and towards possibility 

we learn what resonates with us and will guide us towards our path

we change the patterns that keep us stuck

we access our full capabilities​

​

I'm Katrina 

I use a combination of Brainspotting, mindfulness, parts work, and somatic work to help you navigate the ups and downs of life and find your path.  I am an avid learner and always open to hearing about what you have tried and what has worked or not worked for you. 

​

I studied lots of different therapies (and I continue to integrate elements from all of them),  but I found that talk therapies helped me to know what was going on.  While my clients might agree with the theories, their hesitations and reluctance came out in a lot of "yeah, but..."  In their distress, they were seeking relief, not change.   

 

My clients weren't the problem, my approach was.  I realized I needed to address the nervous system dysregulation first.  I had to teach them to work through their distress to find regulation.  Only when they felt calm in their body could the limitations lift and their brain be open to new awareness about themselves and their behaviors.  They could tolerate distress, repairs negative cycles of behavior, boost self-awareness, and feel empowered to live a better life.

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I have 15 years of experience training and working as a neuro-rehabilitation psychologist in hospitals with individuals suffering from neurological and major physical trauma caused by biological and external causes.  While I worked extensively with concussions, head injuries, dementias and other neurological disorders, I also felt frustrated and limited by the ineffectiveness of talk based therapies to heal many forms of trauma or address the nervous system dysregulation in my patients.  As I integrated Brainspotting and resourcing therapies with talk therapies it allowed me to heal on a level that I didn't realize was possible. I saw clients' nervous systems relax, repetitive thoughts let go, improvements in sleep, and less pain complaints.  When you find safety in you, you connect you to the wisdom that resides within you, you are not being told what to do, but reconnecting with what you already know to be true.  ​​

​​

My Specialties

Self-empowerment

Nervous system dysregulation

Trauma

Relationships

Health related issues

Water Texture
Observe with curiosity,
give yourself time and space
and see what happens.
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