Sarah Saltzberg
Embodied Self-Compassion, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Trauma-informed Yoga
(225) 341-9925
Call a Truce with Yourself
Sometimes the most uncomfortable and challenging relationship in life is the one with our own being.
Ever feel disconnected from yourself? Not quite getting along with your own body, emotions, needs, desires, your own inner story?
If so, you are not alone. So often our circumstances appear to be blocking us from experiencing the peace, connection or contentment we deeply desire. Sometimes the circumstances are what truly need attention. Often, however, when the relationship with what is inside shifts, the circumstances seem to be less of a problem and the world feels a little easier to navigate. The authentic connections we seek are more and more available when we feel safe and at ease in our own being.
This is my passion, my calling in this life: to hold space for the unfolding and reclaiming of deep and lasting friendship with one's whole being.
There are many reasons we become disconnected from ourselves. For some it is an early or chronic experience of overwhelm or our needs not being met in our earliest years. For some the challenges begin before we were born. For many bodies, social injustice and the systems that perpetuate it are causing repetitive trauma which significantly impacts relationship with self. Disconnection from self is reinforced at every stage and at all levels of our experience. It is not your fault you became disembodied, disconnected or uncomfortable with your own being.
It is also not too late to reconnect and return to a deeply kind and nurturing relationship inside.
So how do we reconnect? There are many paths. I see this as a creative process that requires time, patience and commitment. It can be challenging, but is most often a practice that feels nourishing even when it’s hard. On this somatic path, we practice being present with the moment to moment experience of being alive in this human body. Imagine attempting to build friendship with another human without taking time to get to know them. Spending time kindly being curious and present with our body and our experience is essential.
We explore together with curiosity and practice unconditional kindness with whatever shows up.
When we have experienced significant or repetitive trauma or overwhelm, it may be challenging to remain present and curious especially with the body. For this reason, we take time to develop this skill slowly. We will explore nervous system states and how to navigate them more consciously so we can feel confident in the ability to return to a feeling of relative safety and connection. As we develop the skills of self-compassion and nervous system awareness, we increase our capacity to tend the the stuck places, the wounds and beliefs that keep us disconnected from ourselves and from life.
An embodied practice of self compassion can simply be saying yes to whatever arises in the body and tending to it with kind presence. Your presence when led by kindness is quite powerful.
I believe we need each other on this path. We are not designed to walk this alone. I invite you to reach out to learn more about working with me or joining a Truce Circle.
Sarah Saltzberg
A little about me...
It feels important to be real with you. This work is so much about my own journey and the way I have come to understand myself and life differently. After being in the prison of my own self loathing, shame, disordered eating and a persistent and brutal battle with myself and my body, I slowly and imperfectly found a way to be at home in myself. It is now a friendly, kind and compassionate home. Calling a truce with myself was not a simple choice or a linear process, but rather it was (and still is) a bumpy yet gentle enough road that includes real messiness along with deep respect.
After years of working with patients in medical settings, I realized that what mattered most to me was holding space for each person to explore their own story, to find room within each story for a new truth to emerge. I saw that the main roadblock to health for so many including myself was a damaged relationship with self.
I started practicing Iyengar yoga decades ago wanting to heal but mostly using this practice as a way to discipline and attempt to control my body. Over time, the practice of yoga changed me. I learned to trade control for surrender. I slowly started to have a relationship to the practice and to my body as it is. I have explored many styles of yoga and other embodiment practices which I bring to my work now to support others in finding an experience of being at home in the body.
As my journey of reconnection to myself continued, my inner voices gradually moved from judgment and shame to self-compassion and kindness. This happened as I started connecting to a voice inside (some would call a Spirit guide, Higher Self or Self Energy) that represented unconditional compassion and gentleness. Queen of Compassion, as I call this voice, guided me from my place of self loathing to one of friendship with myself. I still do not fully understand how this happened. For years I would write to her about my pain and she would write back to me in a voice I had never heard before - consistently kind, gentle and fiercely loving.
After many years of 12 step programs, self exploration and talk therapy, I realized that the wounding in my being was still being held in my body. I began to explore somatic therapies and hands-on modalities like Craniosacral therapy to more deeply shift my story. I began to experience gentle changes in how I related to my body to myself and to others. I saw that this type of work went deeper and touched the places where there were no words. I have spent years now studying Somatic Experiencing and finding the power of this modality, gentle yet powerful practice of befriending the nervous system and the body. I am now a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with Somatic Experiencing International.
I only bring to my work with clients the modalities that have been deeply powerful and meaningful in my own experience.
My current work with clients and groups (which is always evolving) blends authentic connection, deep listening, movement explorations, somatic and nervous system awareness, curiosity, and self-compassion practices in a unique way for each client and group.
My training and modalities in addition to my own lived experience include:
Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner,
Safe and Sound Protocol Certification,
META (Mindful Experiential Therapy Approaches) integrative somatic therapy,
Institute of Mind Body Medicine,
Peirsman School of Craniosacral therapy,
Kripalu Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification,
Trauma-informed yoga trainings with Hala Khouri,
buddhist meditation trainings, personal retreats and trainings in other mindfulness based practices. My teachers and beings that continue to influence and inspire me also include Tara Brach, Thich Nhat Hanh, BKS Iyengar, Arielle Schwartz, Peter Levine, Anna Delury and many others for whom I feel so much gratitude. I am trained as a Dietitian and worked in this capacity for years, although I have moved away from a traditional dietitian role.
I am also on the wild adventure of motherhood and loving it! My daughter is also my wise and powerful teacher.
My Mission
The powerful mind-body connection is at the heart of my exploration and work. I seek to know freedom on deeper levels and guide others on their own heart path. I continue on my own daily search for meaning and truth and have come to believe that we as humans are already whole, already enough, already fully lovable.
Services Available
Individual Sessions, Retreats and Yoga Classes
I offer individual Somatic Experiencing and somatic yoga sessions for nervous system regulation and trauma resolution. Somatic Trauma Processing Groups can be organized and designed to meet your needs. Please contact me for more information and rates. Safe and Sound Protocol sessions also now available.
Individual Sessions
Somatic Experiencing, Trauma Resolution, Self-Compassion, Mindfulness...
Groups
Somatic Experiencing and yoga groups; Nervous system regulation, Embodied Self Compassion Truce Circles
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Retune the Nervous System
The Safe & Sound Protocol was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, based on the Polyvagal Theory. SSP involves 5 hours of filtered music that has been processed specifically to retune the nervous system.
The SSP provides a sense of safety and the ability to socially engage. It helps the emotional and physiological state be calmer and more regulated. Social anxiety is reduced and many clients feel more able to enjoy connecting with others in a variety of social settings.
The goal is to gain more resilience in the nervous system. The SSP is not a stand-alone treatment or replacement for ongoing therapy. The effects of SSP can be registered immediately or up to several months after the intervention
Are you ready for more peace in your life? Call a Truce with Yourself....
Sarah is an amazing teacher, guide and inspiration for wellness. She has an incredibly intuitive gift for helping you find a path that both reflects and respects your life experience. I am so grateful for our journey together and her commitment and expertise. I feel truly blessed to work with Sarah.
Sarah is a powerful force of strong love. She is caring, and has the life experience to support others in their journey. It has been a pleasure to know and work with Sarah.
I am still feeling so much from class tonight. My drive home was peaceful and so relaxing. I haven't felt like this for so long. Thank you so much for your kindness! I can't wait for next week!
Thank you! I am so lucky to have you in my support crew. Your knowledge and understanding, especially of how to not be ashamed and really eat like a member of the living, has been essential. Permission is wonderful. Xoxoxox
“Sarah’s yoga is gentle, slow and delicious. My mind quiets, my breath deepens. I come out feeling soft, relaxed and expansive.”
Awards & Work Experience:
Sarah was recipient of 2016 Helen Gustafson Award for Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. "She brings a level of compassion, wisdom and complexity to her work with patients.... Patients report that her balanced mix of acceptance, warmth and curiosity is what has kept them grounded in being focused in a totally new way on their own self care.""She is an incredible combination of playful and professional..."
Schedule a Session
Contact me today to schedule your next session or to find out more information. I currently see clients via Zoom online and in person in NW Portland, OR.
Sunday morning 10:15 - 11:30am yoga class in person at People’s Yoga on NE Killingsworth. Sign up early as class is sometimes full.
New SE and Yoga Workshop series starting October 6th, 2024 at People's Yoga NE. Runs for 6 weeks on Sundays from 4-5:30pm. Contact People's Yoga to register or for more info.
(225) 341-9925
