Vision is our dominant sense. Up to 80% of the information we take in comes through sight—everything from beauty and connection to subtle (and not-so-subtle) threat cues. Our visual system is constantly scanning the world, shaped not only by culture and spirituality, but very much by our trauma history. In other words, our eyes don’t just see what’s there—they see what we’ve survived.

My journey with Vision Somatics® began long before the model had a name. As a child, I noticed that I could “see” into people’s physiology. Walking past someone in a grocery store or sitting near them in a park, I could sense the health of their organs, ongoing illness, or areas of vulnerability—sometimes even potential injuries. This wasn’t something I set out to do; it simply happened. (As you might imagine, this was not a skill set encouraged by my culture of origin—or later, by academic environments.)

So, like many intuitive capacities that don’t fit neatly into a résumé, this got tucked away for decades.

As I moved into somatic therapy and developmental trauma work, this way of perceiving gradually re-emerged—this time grounded in training, theory, and clinical attunement. What once felt confusing became a precise and nuanced tool for trauma resolution, supporting both my clients’ healing and my own understanding of how the body communicates beyond words.

I created Vision Somatics® to support access to traumatized spaces within the individual and across lineage—particularly when explicit memories or coherent narratives are absent (which, as it turns out, is quite often). Vision Somatics® is a gentle therapeutic process that works with what lies just beyond conscious awareness.

Research on implicit visual memory shows that attention and eye movements can be guided by non-conscious processes. Emerging work on implicit collective memory and inherited symbols further supports how meaning, imagery, and patterning are carried across generations. Vision Somatics® draws on these understandings, relying less on intention and effort, and more on how perception quietly shapes behaviour, emotion, and healing. I believe this realm of implicit collective memory holds enormous, still largely untapped potential for trauma work.

Developmental and generational trauma often involve separation, fragmentation, and ruptures in attunement—along with a profound sense of loneliness. By leaning into non-conscious, collective sensory and meaning patterns, Vision Somatics® helps reveal a quieter, often overgrown path back toward belonging and safety.

Vision Somatics™ brings together:

• Functional vision (the eyes, visual pathways, and related brain regions that support engagement with the world)

• Archetypal imagery and symbols as an anchor into the collective subtle body

• Somatic Parts Work to gently unburden protectors and exiles

• Somatic tracking of sensation, image, behaviour, affect, and meaning

• Gentle, purposeful eye movement

A note on eye work: Vision Somatics® is not EMDR. While EMDR often targets the most activated core of a traumatic event, Vision Somatics® approaches trauma from the edges inward. This process may be slower—but it is often remarkably powerful, allowing the nervous system to release activation without overwhelm (or heroics).

To date, I have supported somatic trauma healing through Vision Somatics® worldwide, both online and in person. This approach has supported healing related to developmental and transgenerational trauma, dissociation, out-of-body and near-death experiences, grief, loss, and addictions. It is suitable for all ages and continues to evolve—as living systems tend to do.

What to Expect

Sessions are gentle, collaborative, and paced with care. We work slowly and intentionally, following the wisdom of your nervous system rather than pushing for insight or catharsis. You do not need to relive or retell traumatic stories in detail, and there is no pressure to “perform” healing in any particular way.

Much of the work happens through subtle shifts—attention, sensation, imagery, and guided eye movement—allowing implicit and non-conscious material to emerge organically. You may notice changes in bodily sensations, emotional tone, perception, or meaning-making, sometimes during sessions and often afterward, as your system continues to integrate.

Sessions may feel quiet, spacious, or surprisingly ordinary at times (profound work does not always announce itself with fireworks.). The goal is not intensity, but safety, curiosity, and increased capacity for regulation and connection.

Above all, expect a respectful, attuned partnership—one that honors your history, your body’s intelligence, and your unique timing for healing.