The NOW CALM Method: 

Come Home To You

There’s a true you who is calm, creative and caring. You connect well with others and influence your world in positive ways.

But stress can come along and hi-jack the real you. We’re all wired for survival – performance under stress. But when we LIVE from those more highly charged parts of ourselves continually, we can feel like we lose access to our true center, where we are genuinely peaceful, loving, and positive.

For years, I’ve been helping people make the powerful shifts back to what I call “the center.” The experience of being true and whole-heartedly themselves. This is the state where they are most tranquil, loving and connected to their higher wisdom and higher power, or God.

In my studies and practices of neuroscience-based therapies, I’ve blended the best practices with findings from adult learning theory to create the most impactful way to bring these truths to you. I call it The NOW CALM Method, and it will help you stay centered, and live differently – live from your wise mind and loving heart.

I was an early student of the Polyvagel Theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology which emerged from trauma studies. As both a certified trauma therapist and certified Gottman couple therapist, it became clear to me that doing couple therapy without a clear understanding of the workings of the nervous system is like trying to do surgery without a strong schema for human anatomy. And this truth applies to all therapy.

The stories we believe about our life situations and our relationships are all dependent on the state of our nervous system, in any given moment.

So it’s through calming and regulating our nervous systems that we will change our stories. Inner peace truly leads to all good things.

People come to me seeking healthier relationships, stronger boundaries and positive mental health changes of all kinds. The foundation for all healing lies in attunement and integration – in other words – awareness and connection. This is what I teach and empower you to do right away in The NOW CALM method.

It’s what I wish I had known when I was a young adult, trying to navigate the consuming responsibilities of career, partnering and parenting. The ability to identify and integrate the therapeutic principles based in neuroscience and supported in ancient spiritual wisdom would have saved me decades of painful emotions and excruciating interactions with my partner.

Through-out my life, I’ve been continually seeking the truth about how change, healing and growth really work and how changes can stick. There is a promise that those who seek will find. And I’ve been thrilled to be able to bring these healing truths to others as a therapist and writer.

I’ve taken this journey myself through my own personal practices. Going through cancer recovery in 2015, I chose to permanently put stress behind me, and promised myself I’d have a joyful, creative future, and I have lived into this promise, even during cancer treatment in 2015, and the pandemic of 2020. Yes, distressing things can happen around me, and even to me – but I’m not filled with worry. My nervous system stays regulated and centered.  And I’ve taken many therapy clients through this process.

In the NOW CALM method, I’ve created an engaging experience to guide you through every step you need to make the changes you’re truly seeking. You’ll create your own personal action plan from the inside out,  based on experiences you’ll have in this course. And you’ll have the ability to follow-through! You’ll emerge from this journey renewed with energy, clarity and calm. You’ll come home to you!

It’s a very unique on-line experience course that leverages adult learning theory – so keeps you much more engaged than a typical course that just dumps a bunch of content into your inbox. I’ll personally guide you, as you learn techniques right away for emotion/nervous system regulation – and develop consistent habits which increase self-awareness around your thoughts, feelings and behaviors so you can “hold the center” – stay in the peaceful zone of the nervous system.

It’s absolutely essential to be centered in the nervous system to bond with loved ones, learn new things and enact changes in your behavior. No-one ever changes from a state of high stress or hyper-arousal – and the negative emotions that come with that state. Even though we might feel motivated, we end up shutting down. True change always happens from the peaceful center.

What would it mean to you to experience your life this way – flowing from your peaceful, calm center? What kinds of conversations and connecting moments could you have with your partner or your children, friends and coworkers that could change the trajectory of your life? When your energy is clearly directed from your own wise mind and heart center, you’ll have access to the power of positivity that you know is there – but often gets lost in the chaos and conflict; the distractions and distress of  daily life that pile on negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs.

Because of the integration of my understanding of neuroplasticity and adult learning theory, this attuned and engaging course, The NOW CALM method will take you through quick, life-changing and healing steps! It’s what I teach all of my therapy clients, but now, in this course, I can do that in a format that is more reinforcing than therapy alone!

This course would be ideal for a couple to take together. It’s not necessary to do this with your partner, however, and singles are more than welcome!  Each individual will get 2 visits with me to support your personal process during the 6 weeks. (Couples can use this together or individually.)

When you join my course The NOW CALM method: Come Home to You, you get access to the 6 core modules of this course which I’ll be delivering over 6 weeks on my private membership site, as well as one live lesson per week and two private consults per person over the 6 weeks with me. 

• In Module 1, you’ll immediately receive my signature mindfulness practice,“The SUTTER SCALE for SELF-AWARENESS” based on the concept of interoception from the Polyvagel Theory. (Don’t worry – you never have to become familiar with any of the brain science unless you’d like to.) This simple practice begins to work instantly, and becomes the foundation for your new way to connect with yourself and others. You’ll learn and practice additional simple but powerful calming truths based on our body’s natural design. These first practices will be the foundation of the changes you continue to make through-out the course and beyond.  
• In Module 2, POWER VS. FORCE, you’ll identify which of your feelings and beliefs originate in forces from the past, fears about the future or the projections of others. You’ll recognize the difference between these forces and your true feelings and needs, and you’ll experience new freedom in your ability to shift out of negativity and return to your calm powerful center. With growing self-awareness, you’ll be feeling more deeply connected to your true self and communicating differently about what you feel and need. 
• In Module 3, NOW CALM – Notice & Practice – You’ll become the expert on your own journey as you implement and continue to practice what you’ve learned in the first 2 modules. New learning and practices will reinforce and build on your foundation. Your new awareness and compassion will open you up to live differently for yourself and also to share with and care about others in new ways.  
• In Module 4  STAY & PLAY: The Factor Principle – From your calm center, you’ll identify and establish your clear priorities using “the factor principle.” You’ll notice that instead of living in “fight” or “flight” you can enter the state of the nervous system that I call, “stay and play,”  or “listen, learn, love.” You’ll feel your energy expanding to create the experience of the life you desire. 
• In Module 5 The Power of Rhythms: Finding Time & Keeping Time, you’ll establish  the rhythms your body and mind are craving, so that you can maintain and build upon the healing changes you’ve been making. You’ll address your needs for daily, weekly, seasonally and yearly rhythms, keeping your valued priorities in focus, and you’ll create your own unique action plan.
• In Module 6  Mind The Gap – You’ll practice and reinforce all that you’ve experienced with focus on your new action plan. Keeping your rhythms, you’ll recognize and cross the gap that exists between the stressful ways of “doing life” in the past, and living into the future from the peace of your calm center.

I’m inviting you to join me on this leg of my own journey. We’re starting soon! – in the beginning of 2021. I’m looking forward to a future where I continue to hold the calm center, where I know my priorities and stay clear on developing my deepest dreams with on-going growth, love and leaning into life’s promises; enjoying life with gratitude and peace within.

Join me! Let’s do this together! You can be one of the first people I take through this Integrated Experience course, and you’ll get 50% off the cost. I’m so curious about the changes you’ll be making, and excited for you to have this empowering experience. 
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Register here

Use the coupon code BETA to join my course The NOW CALM Method.

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FAQ

Q: How much time will this take? My days are very full.

A: This will take you about 3 hours per week maximum, (possibly less) but you’ll also be able to expand many of the practices to take as long as you’d like, if you have the time. My background in communication and education has trained me to be very succinct, and I’m told I have a unique ability to simplify complex concepts to provide powerful applications. The material will be dispensed in small, digestible nuggets, so you get the maximum benefit for the least investment of your time.

Q: Do you offer a money-back guarantee?

A: Yes, for the first 30 days of the course, I’ll refund you for any unused portion. (Obviously, my time used for live and private sessions can’t be refunded.)

Q: What is your professional background?

A: I earned a Masters in Teaching from UC Berkeley when I was quite young, and did my research thesis at that time on computer-facilitated learning, with an emphasis on writing instruction. I taught high school English/writing for a few years. When I made a career transition, I pursued a degree in Psychology with an emphasis on mental health counseling and starting a private practice. I focused my continuing education in two different, yet related domains: trauma therapy and couple therapy, and I earned certifications in both areas. In the decade of 2010, I served as a consultant in the Lifespan Integration therapy community, assisting other clinicians with trauma cases and guiding them through the certification process. I also wrote and published many articles for The Gottman Institute’s Relationship Blog and other sites with particular emphasis on how the nervous system impacts the couple dynamic.

Q: You mention ancient spiritual material, what do you mean, specifically?

A: With f-mri equipment, researchers have been able to study the brain activity and health of those who practice various forms of mindfulness meditation and yoga. Personally, I’m a Christian contemplative, and have been practicing Centering Prayer and yoga for over 2 decades. Buddhism has developed a rich history in contemplation or meditation, and modern psychology has drawn upon all of these roots to develop Mindfulness practices which are non-religious, but are described and supported in various spiritual texts and traditions.  I share some of this wisdom in the course, and I think anyone will find this history interesting and adaptive to personal beliefs. I don’t provide spiritual direction or specific doctrinal teaching.