Testimonials
“Bianca has opened the doors to stress release to my family! My husband and I were over-worked, poor sleepers, and lived on coffee. With her, we learned about Somatic Experiencing - titration, pendulation, placing our stress on a shelf, and many other fun techniques. We are truly grateful for such work being available through Zoom! We truly appreciate Bianca’s knowledge, and open, light-hearted manner.”
Gina, United Kingdom
“I joined Dr. Baciu’s studio as an exchange student. I had wrist pain when playing, and got tired easily. She taught me Body Mapping, and helped me find the reasons for tension in my body. I learned about alignment and how to play without effort. Gradually, pain diminished, and by the time I returned to Germany, it was gone. I have very good memories of my time with Dr. Baciu.”
Sarah, Germany
“Bianca is very intuitive, and has an uncanny ability to read minds and energies! She knows exactly which stress-release tool to use, and when. I trust her entirely. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and more training than anyone else I’ve worked with. Even on Zoom, she can catch my smallest movement, and take me on a whole journey of inquiry with it. Lovely person and wise practitioner!”
Susan, Austria
“ I was diagnosed with level 3 PTSD, and tried different kinds of therapy and medication over the years. I was unable to sleep, had severe anxiety, and despite my best efforts, was perpetually agitated. I read about the Safe and Sound Protocol, did some research, and decided to contact Dr. Baciu about it. We completed the protocol remotely. She took the time to know all that I needed her to know, asked thoughtful questions, and explained the process in detail. The third and fourth hours of the SSP were challenging. I felt very tired and sometimes dizzy following the sessions. After the fifth hour, a sense of calmness came over me, which I had not experienced in a long time. I found that I had greater clarity and less anxiety. My sleep has improved. I am able to self-regulate more successfully, and interactions with my family have improved. There is a lot to explore here, and I feel hopeful about the next steps.”
David, Canada
“Bianca is the quintessential teacher and practitioner. I have worked with her in both capacities, and she has formidable wisdom and intuition. There is always natural flow and endless depth to the time spent with her. She knows when to laugh and when to be quiet. She has a strong ability to read her students and clients. She is a fantastic musician, too! She is a very gifted and generous presence.”
Marianne, Canada
“I started working with Dr. Baciu as a teenager. I had many ingrained habits of body misuse at the instrument. Dr. Baciu helped me to find healthy alignment and fluid movement at the piano through her Conditioning for Performing Artists program. I find that I have grown significantly as a performer under her guidance.”
Peter, Australia
“I have childhood trauma, and have spent many years talking to psychologists. I found occasional relief, then my flashbacks would return. A friend recommended somatic therapies, and found Dr. Baciu. She is a very calm and patient practitioner! She taught me about Internal Family Systems, and I became fascinated with understanding my Manager and Fireman parts. Dr. Baciu gently guided me to explore my body and movements, and the information it gives me. Overall, an encouraging experience.”
Kaitlyn, USA
“My son has a Sensory Processing Disorder that challenges him even in the mildest of circumstances. He struggles with low self-esteem, and feels left out at school. He is often angry and he feels misunderstood. We decided to give SSP a try, to at least help with his auditory hypersensitivity. Bianca was generous with her time and very thoughtful in her interaction with my son. He felt at ease with her. Going through the protocol took small, patient steps. But by the end of it, and for many weeks afterward, we saw significant improvement in his auditory processing and social interactions. His vocabulary seems to have expanded as he is able to more clearly express his feelings. We are still discovering adjustments. My son became attached to Bianca and often asks about visiting her, or baking her cookies. We might return for a ‘booster’ in a few months.”
Andrea, Canada
“Bianca brings so much joy into her work with others. I had a difficult time finding ways to express myself in performance, and had debilitating performance anxiety. She introduced me to Conditioning for Performing Artists and Body Mapping, so that I could find relief from the tension I was experiencing while practicing and performing. There was a lot of laughing, exploring and walking backwards around the room in our sessions. The lessons have motivated me to start on the path of taking RCM exams, and to challenge myself more in performance.”
Melissa, Canada
“I never felt safe in my skin as an adult. I was never comfortable talking to my family, and lived with complex trauma. Dr. Baciu’s somatic approach to therapy took the pressure off because we spent many sessions almost not speaking at all. I found comfort in the silence and boundaries that were built. I learned how to make a space healthy for myself. I am not good with words, but these sessions meant a lot to me. Thank you!”
Owen, USA
“Bianca taught me how to meditate. I was uncomfortable with meditation and suspicious about it. She did not judge and was supportive. I have ADHD, and have difficulty sitting for long periods of time. Bianca taught me walking meditation and gave me confidence to try. I have made it part of my day to go for short walking meditations after work, and feel less stressed.”
Chris, Canada
“I have always had problems with paying attention. I have lived with generalized anxiety and an inability to focus my mind. In more recent years, meditation techniques have definitely helped, and I started looking for new ways to improve. The Safe and Sound Protocol is something that I learned about through Dr. Baciu, my therapist. She patiently took the time to explain all of the details, challenges and benefits of the program. She was so enthusiastic about the results that I decided to try it out. Once I started, my skeptical mind believed that this therapy would likely not do very much. It seemed that I was just listening to enjoyable music, although as if on an old gramophone. However, I started noticing changes in my behaviour after the second hour, during which listening was accompanied by a strong feeling of restlessness. I had to really struggle to find the patience to make it through. It got a bit easier for the other three sessions, and it seemed that every time, I was more at ease with staying relaxed and listening. Upon completion of the program, I started seeing significant changes in my behaviour. My response to situations has been much more balanced, and mental clarity has been better than ever. I feel as if my brain has been re-wired, and is much more on track with whatever task is at hand; it now takes a direct path instead of getting lost on the side roads. My mental clarity has never been this good, and my reaction to difficult situations don’t go to the extremes it used to. There is much more balance of feelings and moods. Meditation has helped before and I continue the practice, however this program has taken it all to a higher level. I generally feel more like myself now, and am much more at ease in just about any circumstance. Even meditation has gotten easier. I can achieve a deeper level faster, as the usual racing thoughts seem to have subsided to a considerable degree. I highly recommend trying SSP to anyone I talk to now. It has been a godsend for me, and am excited such an amazing tool is available!”
Ming, Hong Kong
“I am a violinist with joint hypermobility. Throughout my life, I had “strengthened” my joints by creating stiffness around them. It was the only way that I could find stability. As Dr. Baciu remarked at our first Conditioning for Performing Artists session, and as I have come to realize, this only created more weakness in my body. Hours of practice would leave me absolutely exhausted and sore. I am such a big fan of Body Mapping now! Dr. Baciu showed me how to use my body as a whole, and how to find stability through my points of balance. She humorously, but patiently, taught me about inclusive awareness, and how to put my hypermobility into context. I am grateful to her, and proud of myself at the same time. It has been a beautiful journey of growth!
Jared, USA
“My teenage daughter has ADHD, anxiety, and an auditory processing disorders, among other diagnoses. She started work with Dr. Baciu reluctantly, as she had already undergone other types of therapy with mixed results. The prospect of working on Zoom did not make things easier, either. We started by combining Somatic Experiencing with the Safe and Sound Protocol, and both she and I could see results almost immediately. The SSP is a fantastic tool, though tiring while going through the listening sessions. Dr. Baciu also used very accessible movement techniques and allowed my daughter to guide the release process. My daughter sleeps and eats better, and engages with others much more calmly. Noise and crowds seem more tolerable. She says Dr. Baciu feels comfortable and safe. We completed treatment 6 weeks ago, and we still see positive changes.”
Maria, United Kingdom
“My husband and I have been working with Dr. Baciu on Zoom. We were feeling depressed, tired and angry, and we argued a lot. My first session started so simply, by snapping my fingers and taking in the sound. Even that seemed overwhelming. As my body became more tolerant to sound, I graduated to working with movement. Weeks later, I could face stimuli and select responses. I chose to work with a stimulus (bolster), and was able to let anger release. I can more frequently identify what my body needs now. With Bianca, I have learned a new way to interact with my husband, and why it is important to always connect to myself and to movement. I am able to move anger more easily, and look forward to all the tools that Bianca can teach me. She is soft-spoken and knowledgeable, the perfect practitioner for me.”
Lydia, New Zealand
“Dr. Baciu is a very gentle trauma therapist. She is thoughtful, and makes you feel safe and at ease. I have been seeing her for 2 years, and I leave her sessions feeling optimistic. She introduced me to Somatic Experiencing, and although I used to think of this type of therapy as ‘hokey pokey’, I was in disbelief at how I actually seemed to make progress. I have been able to work through years of trauma in many unexpected ways. During our sessions, it also came up that I might be neurodivergent, so I am also pursuing some type of assessment for that. ”
Evan, Canada
“For as long as I can remember, I have lived with anxiety and have most recently had difficulties sleeping and regulating reactions to situations that are stressful. Dr. Bianca introduced me to the Safe and Sound Protocol, and it has truly been a blessing. I am able to sleep soundly, and am more aware of my emotions around stress indicators. I am able to be calmer in how I react. I am not anxiety driven in the mornings like I used to be, and very self-aware of my reactions and how to calm myself. Bianca was very attuned to the impact this treatment could trigger and was there every step of the way to ensure my utmost safety and that the delivery of the treatment was optimal.”
Katia, Canada
“Bianca has a unique ability to go to the core of an issue. Often, when I come in for my session, she takes one look at me and knows how I feel. She comes up with spontaneous solutions, such as building a chair-and-blanket fort (I am in my 50’s!) at the session, to create more protective space for my overwhelmed body. ”
Ian, Canada
“The world needs to know about Conditioning for Performing Artists! It’s such a cool program! I started this program with Dr. Bianca a couple of months ago, and I am exploring my body and my playing to an extent that I did not know was possible. I have learned some Somatic Experiencing, cooling breathing techniques for practice and performance, how to adjust the speed of my movements at the piano, body mapping, special yoga stretches and solid alignment at the instrument. Dr. Bianca is a fountain of knowledge and kindness! There is nothing else like this program out there, and I still have so much left to explore!”
Alyssa, United States
“My flute teacher in California recommended Dr. Baciu’s Conditioning for Performers. I was intrigued, but as a student, I did not have the budget for a comprehensive program such as this. Dr. Baciu was accommodating, and created an affordable option for me. We worked with the vagus nerve for my severe performance anxiety through SSP remote delivery, and added a few sessions of Body Mapping. I was surprised that right away, while on stage, I had better control of my jitters and memory, and even had a few moments of true enjoyment. I was also able to introduce my pieces to the audience without stuttering and losing my train of thought. I am saving money now, to return for a few more sessions. I feel like I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg here.”
John, United States
“I am an adult performer, returning to cello after years of being a lawyer. I learned about Dr. Baciu’s Conditioning for Performing Artists on Facebook. I was interested in the blend of trauma and body work, and in my options as an amateur musician. Dr. Baciu asked many “how” questions, and did not push any agenda. She opened an invitation for me to explore any aspect of the conditioning program that I felt drawn to. I have severe anxiety from years of working as a lawyer, and also, previous performance-related injuries. I chose to start by exploring Somatic Stress Release, yoga for anxiety and Body Mapping. The package so far has been a reassuring blend of resource building for anxiety relief and movement re-patterning, so that I can enjoy my cello without back and shoulder pain. Learning about and experimenting with the humeroscapular rhythm has given me solid hours of enjoyable practice. I feel excited about this program, and about learning body awareness and healthy techniques in my 50’s!”
Christine, Canada
“Conditioning for Performing Artists is a fantastic idea! As performers, we are often underpaid and overworked, and struggle silently with mental and physical challenges. But on stage, we have to shine. This program gives us confidence and inspiration. Dr. Baciu is extremely experienced and knowledgeable. She has a great sense of humour, which is necessary when working with anxiety and stress, and is deeply compassionate. I am an orchestral musician, who learned about Dr. Baciu’s program on Facebook. I gathered a few colleagues so that we could split the cost, and we booked a group session with Dr. Baciu on Zoom. We were given options for our session, and we decided to go with Somatic Parts Work/boundary work, and a masterclass. We learned how to yield, push, pull, grasp, and complete a satisfaction cycle with our bodies. Also, we learned how to create healthier boundaries around ourselves. The second half of the 2-hour session was the masterclass. Each one of us played, then worked on alignment and movement flow with Dr. Baciu. She is a humble but very confident clinician. We felt encouraged to experiment with new ways of doing things. We were grateful and appreciative after the session. A couple of us sent her e-mails with questions, which she answered promptly. This experience gave us much food for thought.”
Allison, Canada
“A friend of a friend sent me a link to Dr. Baciu’s website. As I went through her offerings, Conditioning for Performing Artists caught my eye. I was experiencing pain and tension at the piano, many personal problems, and felt burned out. The last two years of Covid had negatively impacted my studio teaching. Dr. Baciu did not ask about my story, but instead concentrated on how my struggles felt in my body, and on where I was experiencing them. This was new to me, and I discovered that my body awareness was not as good as I would have hoped. For a couple of Somatic Experiencing sessions, we worked solely on finding resources in the body, places that I could be aware of. Once I was able to connect with my body better, we added Body Mapping sessions. I found that I was not engaging my shoulder blades and upper arms at all while playing. It’s been quite the journey finding support in my body, and I feel accomplished! I have also introduced Bianca’s teachings to my own students, and their tension at the instrument seems to have diminished. Next month, I start the next step - SSP for my anxiety and depression. I am thankful and feel like this program has positively impacted many areas of my life.
Betty, Canada
“ I am a piano student from China. Growing up, piano learning brought me much tension and pain in my hands, forearms and back. I learned to play very fast and loud, but there was little interest in expression. My teacher yelled at me often, so I felt a lot of stress I played. My mother found Dr. Baciu’s website and her Conditioning for Performing Artists. I was getting ready for an important audition, so we decided to try a few sessions online. Dr. Baciu was very nice and patient. She showed me my bad habits and the reasons for my pain. She gave me “thinking” and “feeling” homework after each session, and taught me where to find support in my body. She also introduced “the ground” to me, which I had never thought of before :) . I also learned a few breathing techniques to help with my back and shoulder tension. I definitely have less pain now, especially when I practise for many hours at a time. Dr. Baciu gave me confidence that I was a good player. I hope to study more with her one day!”
Alice, China
“Bianca is a true body whisperer. It is rare to find people of her kind in academia. She has an extraordinarily sharp sense for guiding bodies and nervous systems toward healthy flow, it is nothing short of magic. I have complex trauma, pre- and peri-natal, and work with Bianca has gone beyond all of my expectations for therapist - client relationship and healing.”
Maddie, Canada
I have been evacuated due to wild fires twice in the past two years, and went through severe flooding last year. Have lost my house twice. Needless to say, I have a lot of trauma to process. I liked the simplicity of Bianca’s website, and felt drawn to Somatic Experiencing work. I am very glad that I have gone this route for healing work. Bianca gave me so many body-based tools to work with, and was accommodating with scheduling while I lived in hotels. She has very vast knowledge of many other disciplines, and it is neat to see how everything comes together in her work. I am impressed with the results so far.
Marcy, Canada
I am a pianist, and have been doing Bianca’s Conditioning For Performing Artists program for almost a year. There are many different aspects to it, and it has helped so many different facets of my playing and overall well-being. The way Body Mapping connects with yoga, somatic experiencing and eye work is pretty seamless. Growth has been so gradual that I barely noticed it, but comparing recordings from last year and last month has shown how the tension I was carrying has dissolved, and the bad movement habits I had have changed significantly. I also sleep much better and practice more efficiently.
Donovan, Canada
“My first Vision Somatics session was unlike any other therapy session I had experienced, and I had tried quite a few for early childhood trauma - Somatic Experiencing, talk therapy, EMDR and others. I am an engineer and believe in evidence-based therapy. My friend referred me to Bianca, and said that the her work was powerful and transformative. I looked through her many offerings, and was intrigued by the archetype work. It was new to me. I walked into the session and immediately warned Bianca that I was not into woo-woo stuff :). She was amused and put me at ease, that she was not interested in predicting my future. I chose some visuals to work with, one of them was a Tarot pack. I don’t know much about Tarot, but the art looked modern and compelling. I felt drawn to one of the Tarot cards, some type of knight on a horse, but holding a rake! It looked bizarre. As we worked with eye movement and bodily sensations with this card, looking at the rake, I was taken back to my childhood years, when a comb had been one of the instruments of physical abuse that I had experienced. Bianca guided me through the discomfort, and it was challenging to stay with the sensations. This comb had been a forgotten detail, and it must have stirred something important. I felt like I might blow up or fall apart. Bianca was very aware, and skilled at leading me to a more settled space. I left feeling light-headed and tired, but that night, I had the best sleep in a long time. I am not sure how this process works, it seems very intuitive. Bianca is funny and kind, and extremely knowledgeable. I would recommend this experience to anyone who doesn’t see enough results with other types of therapy.”
Tim, Canada
Vision Somatics is fairly new to me, I have had only a few sessions. I feel that due to these sessions, I am finding the energy and resources to make some changes in my life. I almost drowned as a child, and have had frequent nightmares since then. Two years ago, I lost my husband and two other close family members at very short intervals one after the other. I have been jittery, cannot get a full breath in, and have digestive issues. I don’t know what it is about the archetype and sacred geometry work that Bianca and I do. Part of it is probably the incredible beauty of the art - the images are very carefully selected and elicit very deep responses within my body. The other part is hard to name as it seems to be a mix of sensate, unconscious, emotional and cognitive experiences. As others have mentioned, the work is very fluid. Every time I leave a session, I feel like some kind of shift happened, and I am lighter and feel a little stronger. Bianca is very patient and accommodating, and also seems highly intuitive about what is needed, and when. The biggest win so far has been better sleep. I seem to have more energy to deal with challenges, and to connect socially. I am grateful and curious about how much healing is possible.”
Renate, Canada
I am pretty open-minded about new experiences, but have had a hard time finding a therapist that I can connect with. Many seem detached, cold even, and I cannot justify paying for sessions in which I do not feel heard. My lawyer (funny enough) referred me to Bianca, and she has definitely changed my mind about “alternative” therapy. I cannot think of a time that I have been more heard, seen and noticed. There is warmth, laughter and fantastic depth in the sessions. Vision Somatics is exactly what its name says - finding a door to hidden (from me) experiences from my early life through engaging my eyes, instincts and awareness in the moment. This therapy model has also helped with trauma that my family has experienced for generations, and which has contributed to much anxiety, depression, syndromes and chronic conditions in my family. We are a really unhealthy bunch, emotionally, mentally and physically. The images and sensations that we work with in the sessions bring up much of the suffering, but Bianca is excellent at guiding me through the discomfort. As a person who has lived mostly in her head, I also appreciate the cognitive unpacking that takes place in each session. it is reassuring to know that there is neuroscience to support my process and the work that we do together.”