Hello!
I’m Luana.

A Nervous System and Relationship Specialist with a seasoned expertise in Somatic Experiencing® and childhood (developmental) trauma resolution. With helping 2000+ people in 40+ countries worldwide with a variety of mental, physical, emotional and relational problems I know you’re beyond worthy of feeling safe and at home in your body and relationships. With a clear roadmap I know you have what it takes to move your life forward in a way that truly excites you.

I’m here to give you a tried and true roadmap.
I came to this body-based work over 10 years ago with a herniated disc in my back, social anxiety and a healthy dose of CPTSD. Thanks to this work, I no longer suffer with any of these symptoms. I’d be honoured to show you the way…

My Approach blends these modalities:

Click on the boxes below to learn more about the modalities I practice

Somatic Experiencing®

Relational Life Therapy®

Holistic Pelvic Care®

TouchWork

What Can I Help You With?

The missing piece in traditional therapy is nervous system regulation,
a crucial step for effective trauma healing and fulfilling relationships.
At The Good Human Academy, I'm here to help you reconnect with your true essence—your innate trust, joy, vitality and ancestral lineage. It’s all about coming back to the strength and goodness that’s already within you.

  • From an autonomic nervous system perspective, anxiety arises when the stress-response system remains constantly ON. Designed to activate briefly in danger, this system often stays active 24/7 due to daily stressors like work deadlines, tough relationships, and unresolved trauma. This continuous activation overwhelms the nervous system, leading to persistent anxiety.

  • Trauma can occur as early as in-utero and during the first 5 years of life, sometimes extending until age 18 or when a child leaves home. Many experts also consider intergenerational trauma, passed down through families, as part of developmental trauma.

  • For couples dealing with power struggles, survival patterns, or nearing divorce, I offer body-based sessions using Relational Life Therapy (RLT). Training in RLT, I help you reconnect with your feelings, needs, and desires to foster a deeper, more intimate connection with your partner. RLT's transformative techniques break old patterns and rebuild relationships with renewed understanding and closeness.

  • Studies reveal we can carry ancestral experiences in our bodies for up to 12 generations. Mark Wolyn, author of It Didn't Start With You, notes: "Traumas do not sleep but seek resolution in future generations." Though a life free of trauma is rare, human resilience enables us to heal these inherited wounds at any time. Healing offers the opportunity to break generational cycles and find resolution. When we heal ourselves our ancestors benefit and so do our future generations.

  • Grief

    In Western culture, we’ve lost the art of grieving. Traditionally, communities would mourn together for weeks. Intentional Touch offers a safe, gentle space to hold your grief, helping lighten the burden so you can move forward at your own pace.

    Depression and Dorsal Shutdown

    Depression often results from the dorsal shutdown, a deep freeze response to overwhelming stress. This state leads to numbness and disconnection. By expanding your ability to regulate your nervous system, you can transform this freeze, restoring vitality and emotional resilience.

  • Our sleep-wake cycle is tied to the autonomic nervous system. When this system is dysregulated, sleep issues often follow. Increased stress or unresolved trauma can disrupt sleep, causing problems with falling asleep or staying asleep. Addressing the root cause of this dysregulation can restore healthy sleep patterns and enhance overall well-being.

  • According to NCBI, PTSD is an anxiety disorder triggered by traumatic events involving serious threats. It can develop after events like natural disasters, assault, or abuse. CPTSD often results from growing up in unsafe environments and experiencing or witnessing violence. War is not required to develop CPTSD; early adverse experiences can also lead to a dysregulated nervous system and CPTSD symptoms.

  • Studies show that chronic stress can significantly weaken the immune system, contributing to chronic pain and autoimmune diseases. When the body is under constant stress, inflammation increases and immune responses become disrupted. By teaching clients to regulate their nervous system, I often observe improvements in symptoms or even remission of symptoms. Effective stress management and nervous system regulation help restore immune function and reduce inflammation, which can alleviate chronic pain and support better management of autoimmune conditions.

  • Break-ups, whether painful or amicable, signify major life transitions with deep emotions to process, from grief to relief. These changes offer a chance for personal growth and relational discovery, often revealing unresolved issues. Healing involves honouring the relationship’s end, exploring new aspects of yourself, and reconnecting with your inner compass. It's a time for self-compassion and rebuilding your identity and purpose outside the relationship.

  • Addiction can manifest as substance abuse or compulsive behaviors like spending, sex, or relationships. It often arises from unresolved pain or trauma, serving as a temporary coping mechanism that deepens cycles of shame and disconnection. Addiction is tied to emotional wounds and unmet needs, such as numbing pain or seeking validation. Healing involves more than stopping the behavior; it requires addressing underlying issues, restoring self-regulation, and developing healthier ways to meet emotional and relational needs.

  • Often stemming from nervous system dysregulation; they can be triggered by chronic stress or unresolved childhood trauma, which keep the body's fight-or-flight response in overdrive. When the nervous system is overwhelmed, even minor stressors can provoke panic, leading to physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Addressing the underlying dysregulation and trauma is key to reducing the frequency and intensity of panic attacks.

  • Most common are attachment issues developed in childhood due to unavailable caregivers, neglect or abuse. Dr. Ed Tronick is most well known for his work in Infant Mental Health. This youtube video shows one of his most famous experiments The Still Face Experiement

  • Nervous system regulation is vital for successful psychedelic integration because it helps anchor the profound experiences these substances can unlock. Psychedelics often bring deeply buried emotions, memories, and insights to the surface. In essence, regulating your nervous system enhances your ability to integrate psychedelic experiences, promoting sustained healing and growth.

  • Pediatric medical traumatic stress, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, involves reactions to pain, serious illness, or invasive medical procedures. These reactions can affect both mind and body, causing anxiety, irritability, unwanted thoughts, or nightmares. Children and families may avoid medical settings or lose interest in social activities, impacting their performance at school or work. Coping with these changes often depends on individual thoughts and feelings about the illness or hospital experience.

    • Adoptions

    • Attachment Disorder

    • Developmental Trauma

    • Medical Trauma

    • Post Traumatic Stress

    • Trauma

    • Abuse and Abandonment Issues

    • Grief and Depression

    • Physical Aggresion/Anger Management

    • ADD/ADHD

    • Oppositional Behaviours

    • Anxiety/Phobias/Panic Attacks

    • Social Skills

    • Bed-wetting/Enuresis/Encopresis

    • Brain Injury

    • Parent/Child Bonding

    • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

    • Bullying

    • Low Self-esteem

    • Grandiosity

    • Pre-Adoption Guidance

    • Stress Management

    • Separation Anxiety

  • What are Primitive Reflexes?

    Primitive reflexes are automatic movements that provide essential responses through the birth process and after birth.  When the birth and the early months go right, these primitive reflexes integrate into the system and are replaced with more adult reflexes to assist in maneuvering the world safely.  The brainstem directs the primitive reflexes and require no cortical intervention or thought to show up and later integrate.  These primitive reflexes are vital for survival in the new frontier called life.  As the higher and more sophisticated centers of the brain come online and develop, these early reflexes that don't integrate or show signs of retention become ruptures in the natural development of the child and can carry over into adulthood.

    • Fear Paralysis Reflex: The first to emerge and integrates in the first trimester, if this reflex is left active all situations are seen through the perspective of fear. Some signs of retention include: motion sickness, learning disorders, difficulty breathing, underlying anxiety or negativity, extreme fear of failure, phobias, aggressive or controlling behaviour, feeling stuck in life and constant overwhelm

    • Moro Reflex: This reflex acts as the baby’s “fight or flight” response to the world. This important reflex usually integrates into the adult startle response by four months. Some signs of retention are emotional immaturity, lack of impulse control, hypersensitivity or hypo-sensitivity, sensory overload, and social immaturity.

    • Rooting Reflex: Stroking a baby’s cheek will cause the child to turn and open the mouth. This is the automatic response to turn towards food.  This helps with breastfeeding. Usually disappears by four months. Some signs of retention are thumb sucking, picking eater, speech and articulation problems, and dribbling when eating/drinking.

    • Palmer Reflex: This is the automatic flexing of the fingers to grab an object if the palm is stimulated. This reflex should integrate by six months. Some signs of retention are messy handwriting, poor manual dexterity, and difficulty with fine motor skills.

    • Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR): This is intricate for the baby through the birth canal and to develop cross pattern movements.  The ATNR is seen when you lay a baby on its back and turn their head. The arm and leg on the side the child is looking at should extend while the opposite side bends. This response should end by six months. Without integration shows up as poor handwriting, trouble crossing vertical midline, poor hand-eye coordination, and poor visual tracking for reading and writing.

    • Spinal Galant: This reflex assists babies with the birth process.  This reflex happens when the skin on the side of an infant’s back is stroked. The child should swing towards that side. The spinal galant should inhibit by nine months. Some signs of retention are poor concentration, unilateral or bilateral postural issues, fidgeting, poor short term memory, and bedwetting.

    • Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR): The TLR helps with head management and prepares the baby for rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing and walking. This reflex actually integrates slowly while other core systems mature and should disappear by three and a half years old. Signs of not integrating include motion sickness, poor muscle tone, walking on tiptoes, poor balance, and poor short term memory.

    • Landau Reflex: Assists with posture development.  This reflex activates at 4-5 months and usually integrates by one year. When the child’s head lifts it causes the entire trunk to flex. When retained appears overall poor motor development.

    • Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR): STNR or the crawling reflex divides the body along the midline to prepare and assist with crawling. You can view this reflex by watching the baby’s head drop towards its chest while the arms bend and the legs extend. Interestingly, the STNR appears briefly after birth and the reappears between six to nine months. It should dissolve by 11 months. If retained, there is a tendency to slump while sitting, inability to sit still and concentrate, poor muscle tone, and poor hand-eye coordination.

    I offer a series of co-regulated exercise during the sessions to integrate any unintegrated reflexes.

Meet Hope

You may see her black tail wagging right on cue at the end of our zoom call.
When she chooses to be on duty, her sweet and playful presence provides that extra bit of support for everyone’s nervous system.
When she’s not on her therapy dog duties she’s chief branch officer, rabbit huntress and enthusiastic beach comber.

Before sessions with Luana, I struggled deeply with dissociation, feeling disconnected from my body and trapped in chronic freeze. Despite my efforts, relaxation seemed impossible. Luana's compassionate guidance changed everything. Through her support, I learned to feel safe within myself, experiencing true relaxation for the first time. I became attuned to my body's needs, navigating discomfort with patience and gentleness. With Luana's help, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, taking gradual steps towards wholeness. Continuously supported by her expertise, I finally found a sense of home within myself. Now, I can pause, make decisions, and create safety in my life. Luana's unique skills in somatic therapy and unwavering presence have transformed my journey towards authenticity. I am profoundly grateful for her support, which has made a profound difference in my life. If you're considering working with Luana, know that her invaluable expertise is a rare find. “

Brianne L., Social Worker ~ Golden, Canada

3 SUCCESS STORIES

 

Before starting sessions I was worried about investing my time and money into something I’d never done before, but it was beyond worth it!
I loved how even though I was often scattered at the start of a session I'd always leave feeling grounded and more myself. I think this was thanks to the combination of careful inquiry, conversation nudges and more meditative work. I found that focussing in on the body was particularly helpful, it woke up a calm in me that has stayed.
Luana, your approach is totally non-judgemental and objective, and I felt a lovely ease as though I've known you for ages. Great big thank you!

- Rosie F.
Children Book Editor, Yoga Teacher, London UK

Before working with Luana, my biggest challenge was navigating through my emotions. I would bottle them up and they’d wreak havoc on my physical health. I battled depression, fatigue, autoimmune diseases and digestive pains non-stop. Now I rarely experience any of these symptoms. I’m mastering how to ‘be’ with myself wherever I’m at. Ultimately these personal mastery sessions have given me more joy, vitality and ease.

-Tara G.
Marketing Executive, Vancouver Canada

If there is anything you need help with Luana can give you that deeper body practice you need to feel better. How informative she is before going into somatic work so you’re not left in the dark. Her sense of humour and kindness really makes you feel safe and welcomed. My life has greatly improved since doing the 5 session package. I don’t know where I’d be without Luana’s work.
Working on the mother wound was the most profound, I didn’t realize I needed that safety within myself till now.
I don’t think I had the words to voice it. Because in my head I was safe, I was at home of course. But it’s funny how traumatic events linger in the body till more capacity for safety is established. The people around me have said my shoulders aren’t so tense, I’m more present when I talk with people and generally I feel lighter. And now I have tools to keep up the work we’ve been doing together. I could cry honestly. Thank you.

-Sarah L.
Sculptor, Grad Student, New York USA

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