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

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 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)

  • Parts Work (Ego State Therapy and Internal Family-Systems Informed Therapy)

  • Radical Compassion/Radical Acceptance

  • Applied Polyvagal-Informed Trauma Recovery and Resilience

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

  • Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

  • Parasympathetic Nervous System Repair (postural and fascial repatterning)

  • Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy (currently in training - set to complete Part 1 of 2 June 3, 2025)

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

(1)Somatic therapy/polyvagal theory- I utilize polyvagal theory to facilitate nervous system repair and encourage sensation-based and body-centric awareness in session (with an emphasis on the attachment system).

(2) Parts Work - 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 various ego states, protectors and exiled parts and recover the energy of the Self utilizing this framework.

(4) Decolonization Framework: I diverge from the dominant eurocentric lens of mental health. I acknowledge we live in an oppressive system that separates us from land, community, ancestors and radical joy and it is this oppressive system that is the cause for most mental health challenges. I help clients emotionally deprogram from long held colonial beliefs and bravely reckon with the truth. (In other words if you’re looking to “manage” stress so you can continue to work 60 hours per week in an unsupportive environment with low pay, I view this as self-perpetuated colonial violence that no amount of therapy can fix because…. you aren’t the problem that needs fixing and your system is responding correctly to the conditions it is asked to live with… this is the trap of eurocentric mental health models that I have a passion for helping clients understand).

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, Chronic illness, chronic fatigue

  • Anger and Feminine Rage

  • 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