Private Sessions
Sessions are online, globally.
In-person at 721 Kings Road Victoria BC.
Individual Sessions
Sessions are not covered by insurance.
All Sessions are 75 minutes & $150 usd ($180 cad).
Couples Sessions
Sessions are not covered by insurance.
All Sessions are 75 minutes & $150 usd ($180 cad).
Know More About My Approach:
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, and vitality. It’s all about coming back to the strength and goodness that’s already within you.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
“I’ve gone from having a chronically dysregulated nervous system that caused constant anxiety, irrational fears and physical illnesses to living life from a state of calmness. I feel calmer than I’ve ever felt in my life. My mind isn’t a scary place anymore. I feel safe in my body for the first time in decades.
Living a life of peace used to feel unattainable, now I’m experiencing it everyday. Her skills are incredible and she’s guided me through very deep emotional releases with the most gentleness and kindness. Her space is so beautiful and calming to be in. Luana has changed my life. I’ve been seeing her for 4-5 months now. I appreciate her so much and would recommend her services to anyone looking for life-changing results.”
Jaycee Z., Entrepreneur ~ Sooke Canada
What people are saying:
I believe Somatic Experiencing is one of the best ways to tackle healing trauma in the body. What Luana brings is her expertise in this form of therapy and her own experience in going through what her clients go through. She has a warmth around her that really thaws a somewhat "frozen" system. Her energy alone brings regulation to the nervous system. In my personal mastery sessions I feel listened to and embraced in who I am and where I am. I’m beginning to experience a deeper, more rooted tone of living. It feels softer, less hostile - I feel more spaciousness. I’m much more self-aware so those spiralling thought loops are becoming less and less. A surprising side effect of working with Luana has been finding my passion in life.
- Lina E. Mom, Rome Italy
Since our session last week where we worked on the coupling, and attachment… something has shifted. And I’ve began writing and reading more and there’s a little warm light that comes on when I’m alone. I’ve never had that before. Something doesn’t feel as scary anymore....I think I’m in a relationship with myself. I think this is what falling in love with myself feels like. I think I am in love with my Self. And to think I was hesitant about committing to four months in the beginning!
-Tara G. Sales Executive, Vancouver Canada
My biggest fear was that this wasn't going to be for me. I was debating between joining this program and another one. I was afraid that I was making the wrong choice. Turns out, this was exactly what I needed and where I needed to be. I have absolutely no regrets. My favourite part was integrating the tools because it allowed me to see for myself how much progress I’ve been making. I loved being able to feel more in control and secure after incorporating the tools and knowledge. This work will empower you. It will help you know compassion, patience, empathy and acceptance. It will bring you back home and remind yourself how much love is there. I am proud that I can give myself more compassion and empathy when I feel overwhelmed. Before this program, I would've shamed myself for not being able to soothe myself right away. Now just being aware of my feelings is enough to regulate my experience which is a true gift.
-Tasha C. Nurse, Quebec City Canada