Joanna Fassl, LMFT

Relationships are the most profound mirrors, revealing parts of ourselves that are known andother parts that we have disowned. Relationships ask us to brave the most challenging terrain ofall: the landscape of our hearts. Relationships are like a zen koan asking us how we can at oncebe fully ourselves and fully connected, feel safe yet liberated.

I am a keen advocate of relationship as the most profound catalyst to inviting in our ownwholeness. I am also keenly aware of how deeply difficult and painful relationships can be.They bring up fears of abandonment and engulfment, oftentimes causing us to hide for fear thatif we show ourselves we could be hurt, lose ourselves or be left behind. They bring up places ofunmet needs, causing many of us to reactively hurt each other with caustic words and actions.They require us to soften and come closer when we may have hardened and distanced due tounresolved past grievances and trauma. They require work. They require play. They carryunconscious and conscious hopes, dreams and goals; as well as our deepest wounds. They arelife itself!

My style is forthright, lively, creative, warm and inclusive. My aim in working with you is tocarry the proverbial torch into our sessions together to illuminate the shadow parts so they cansprout and grow new life; and to illuminate the ghosts of the past that unconsciously drive muchof what couples struggle with. I will help you navigate sticky areas of communication, amuch-needed and under-taught skill in our culture. I will also guide you toward safely bridgingemotional and physical intimacy. I aim to illuminate blind spots in your conscious awareness ofyourself and the other that keep you from seeing yourself and each other clearly in full 3dimensional technicolor view. A big part of my work with you will also include tending to thelanguage of the nervous system and the body; awakening self-awareness and self care as integralto relating securely and intimately with self and other.

Background and Experience

I bring 25 years of experience working both one on one with clients and in groups as aLicensed Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, a Pilates Instructor, and Rehabilitative YogaInstructor. My unique background as a health practitioner gives me the benefit of a richunderstanding and expertise in the language of the Soma/Body. Additionally, my work as aCreative Performance Artist performing and directing worldwide as a Cirque Aerialist, Singerand Modern Dancer enriches my sessions with an uplifting approach that calls in the world of theimagination to traverse difficult times and relationships. Together we will get down to workdigging through the ashes of the past with an eye toward the expansive sky where the Phoenixrises from the flames.

My Approach

I specialize in a profoundly alive and engaging form of therapy called Orgonomy.Orgonomy involves an in-depth exploration of your unique way of interacting with yourself,others, and the world around you. Much of how we engage in the world is an adaptive responseto what we have experienced. Many of these adaptive responses once helped us to survive butare now part and parcel to our current symptoms. I will help you uncover the ways in which yourunique coping strategies both help and stymie your well-being. Together in a safe and consistentcontainer, we will unmask areas that seek to hide, divert love and/or brew in anxiety &depressive symptomatology. We will address insecure coping strategies and aim to createstability and confidence as you begin to open to your fullest authentic expression. I also bring thepoetic world of Jungian archetypes, dreamwork and shadow work into sessions whenappropriate. My work is also greatly informed by Gottman, Ester Perel, and Internal FamilySystems.

I am a trauma-informed therapist who works well with high-conflict couples, addictions,eating disorders, highly sensitive people, and many somatic presentations. I am an LGBTQIAally and take an inclusive allied stance culturally, spiritually and religiously.