Making the body feel safe again

Maggie Reichler, Licensed Associate Counselor

This conversation emphasizes helping people who feel disconnected from or uncomfortable in their bodies and who are often anxious or dissociative. Maggie Reichler, Licensed Associate Counselor, shares her thoughts on how many people enter therapy wanting something different than just talk therapy, and aren't always willing or able to just learn deep breathing. When Maggie experiences people like this she explains "I take this as just information, because that means that you're not comfortable in your body, and we work together overtime to get you to feel comfortable in your body. Because when you can't sit with yourself like that, it's for a reason."

Something that really stands out about Maggie's approach is her technique of using everyday tools for sensory grounding and mindfulness. For example, using essential oils (lavender and lemongrass) as an external anchor for people who can't tolerate internal body-focused work. She keeps them in her bag and brings them to sessions, explaining, "instead of being in their body, they're kind of externally present, but then it is also still bringing them into their body by experiencing the different scents, sensations, and sometimes even memories associated." She noted that people often progress over just a few weeks using this method. Maggie herself has a memory tied to the sweet floral smell of lavender, one of her favorite scents. She grew up with lavender trees outside her childhood home, where "in the summers, it would just be so strong scented, lavender anywhere you would go, and it was just like the best thing ever."

Maggie often recommends building a sensory coping skills kit and gives a peek into her personal one: a fidget cube, very cold water with a straw, and of course, her favorite essential oils. She explained the layered purpose of cold water specifically, in that it interrupts rumination, creates sensory "shock," provides oral/tactile soothing, and serves as a self-care ritual that "reminds me that I deserve to be taken care of."

Another common technique Maggie uses opportunities for everyday mindfulness. For instance, washing the dishes can be a mindfulness tool. Maggie explains, "when you're washing the dishes, typically, people are thinking about the future and thinking about the past, and it can be an unpleasant experience. Instead, while you're washing the dishes, you can choose (what you pay attention to), and over time with practice, it gets easier. At first, it can be hard. You have to keep bringing yourself back to the present moment. But being super aware of your body in that moment and your sensations: feeling the warm water, feeling the soap, feeling the dishes and the sponge, hearing what that all sounds like, feeling your feet on the ground, smelling anything that's around, and just being very present with that thing (washing the dishes) that you're doing already. When you think about it in that way, it could be a very pleasant experience where you're just there, and there's nothing else going on. And you can be using that in itself as self-care and the practice of being present."

What is it like to be in the therapy room with Maggie? She leads with rapport-building above all else, and something a little different: she takes her shoes off at the start of every session to model comfort and informality, which she says immediately signals safety to clients-she's not wearing any shoes… we can be comfortable here. She encourages all her clients to be comfortable and show up authentically. She also sets a goal with clients at the end of each session and reviews it at the start of the next session, adjusting based on what got in the way if not achieved.

Ready to feel more at home in your body? Book a free consult with Maggie Reichler, LAC, and see if her approach is the right fit for you.