Jessica’s Favorite Quotes:

  • “Within each of us there is an intense need to feel that we belong. This feeling of unity and togetherness comes through the warmth of a smile, a handshake, or a hug, through laughter and unspoken demonstrations of love. It comes in the quiet, reverent moments of soft conversation and in listening.”

    - William Bradford

  • True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.

    - Brene Brown

  • “It is not so much the meaning of life that we seek but our aliveness. When we have that, the meaning of life is obvious”

    - Anodea Judith, Eastern Body Western Mind

Jessica Ryan Cuttance

LCMHC, CYT

(she/hers)

*not accepting NEW CLIENTS*

ACCEPTS SELF-PAY, BCBS & AETNA

VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON (Durham OFFICE)

Hello, I'm Jess and i’m glad that you are here. I utilize a holistic, whole-person approach rooted in evidenced based theory to help you restore balance and find ease in your life. I am a somatic trauma therapist, meaning that I work with the energy and functioning of your subtle body and nervous system to help you process, release and integrate stressful or traumatic experiences. My personal style is compassionate, laid back and thoughtful but also clear, accountable and direct. If we work together, I will accept you for exactly who you are, no matter what you are going through. We will work actively together to help you by gaining awareness, developing new perspectives, identifying skills, connecting with all parts of you and finding practical solutions to your current challenges along the way. We may also explore earlier experiences that inform or reinforce your current struggles.

Some evidence-based treatment approaches and treatment interventions I utilize include:

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

  • Internal Family-Systems Informed Therapy (IFS Informed)

  • Radical Compassion/Radical Acceptance

  • Applied Polyvagal-Informed Trauma Recovery and Resilience

  • Trauma and Tension Release Exercises (TRE) - Module 1 Trained

  • Embodied Movement practices

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills

My clinical approach is rooted in several theories and beliefs that I like to disclose prior to working with clients:

(1) Attachment theory- in other words, understanding the dynamics of long-term and short-term interpersonal relationships between humans and how this impacts social and emotional development with an emphasis on the underlying processes of the attachment nervous system.

(2) Somatic therapy/polyvagal theory- I utilize polyvagal theory to facilitate nervous system repair and encourage sensation-based and body-centric awareness in session.

(3) Internal Family Systems-informed (IFS) - I believe in multiplicity and that we all have inner parts that influence us in our relationships and during our emotional processing. I work with clients to explore their protectors and exiled parts and recover the energy of the Self utilizing this framework.

I work with adults and adolescents (ages 18 and up) on themes and presentations including but not limited to:

  • Adults who went through trauma as a kid or young person

  • People with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, shame, grief and heaviness that are bothersome, impact how they function or otherwise won’t go away

  • Worry that is hard to control, worst-case scenario or constant thinking (‘living in the head’), tense and tight bodies

  • Feeling disconnected in a fundamental way (from self/body/community/spirit/others) or having a hard time being present

  • Adult children of emotionally immature parents or adult children of narcissists

  • Repeating patterns over and over that just aren’t working or are causing harm, particularly in relationships

  • Adjustment difficulties to an ever-changing world/ climate or life is changing in a way that is hard to settle into or accept

  • Chronic pain, feeling tired all of the time

  • Irritation, annoyance, anger that persists and impacts quality of life

  • Managing a chronic illness or multiple illnesses

  • Stressful or difficult memories, images or sensations that keep intruding into the present moment

  • Difficulty concentrating or feeling ‘fried’ in the brain or even ‘foggy’

  • Overwhelm or distress in life that you don’t know how to cope with

  • Seeking connection but unsure how to give or receive it - themes of spiritual connection, collective connection, source