Individuals
“A lot of therapists and self help gurus say things like, "To achieve health and vitality, the change must come from within." That's all well and good, but if you're stuck in a rut emotionally and/or physically, how do you even get there? For me, Bruin has been the conduit between between my hypercritical thinking brain and my wise-yet-long-ignored body. By skipping all the talking and rehashing of feelings and behaviors I don't want, I'm actually learning how to be .... within.”
“My capacity is growing in a way that is void of shame, which is key to me. Bruin receives what I share with politically compassionate eye to the world we live in & how that affects us individually and collectively. Bruin is the first therapist I’ve worked with who sees and hears me. The way Bruin operates does so without judgment and with so much compassionate care. My heart knows that this gift of working with Bruin is truly a gift that allows me to unwrap myself in a new way.” “Bruin’s compassion, attentiveness, and intellect have helped me give myself permission to be human and to be free from the unrealistic expectations of society and self to “should” or be anywhere else besides where I am. By developing a physical sense and familiarity of my body through somatic practices, my own awareness and my own here-ness have deepened my capacity to be with what is, to honor my experiences, and to choose life over survival. Bruin's work is powerful, and has care at its core.” “Bruin has been a catalyst for some of my deepest healing. The space that he creates has allowed me to unfold parts of myself that I hadn't previously felt worthy or safe enough to share with anyone. His gentleness, nuggets of wisdom, and ability to ask simple questions that help to reframe stuck thought patterns has been super helpful. Bruin has helped me respect the power and strength of tenderness; the revolutionary struggle of slowing down and accepting guidance from my body.” "Working with Bruin is a little like taking a guided nature tour through your own emotional landscape. He’s able to identify and call attention to rare and hidden features that may have gone unnoticed before, features that can perhaps profoundly deepen an experience or understanding of self. Gracefully incorporated into his practice is an informed awareness of the challenges of living within the matrix of a deleterious dominant culture; he abandons the legend of normality and encourages the discovery and practice of more authentic, mindful modes. I would readily recommend Bruin and his gifts to anyone." "I have been in and out of talk therapy for many years, and found it to be pretty unhelpful. As a survivor of abuse and a queer woman with an invisible disability/chronic illness, I have been searching for a practitioner who has both an embodied experience and a political analysis of the ways in which these experiences intersect. I have found these qualities in Bruin. Somatics has been one of the most helpful forms of therapy that I have encountered thus far, in part because it works on the level of the body which is where I have experienced so much of my trauma, and in part because Bruin is a very intuitive and receptive practitioner." |
Partners & Families
"Bruin’s ability to facilitate my girlfriend and I talking honestly about race and class in our relationship was such a gift. We were ecstatic to find someone whose politics could support the issues we were struggling with and who had ideas and practices that really helped us find and shift our patterns.”
"Bruin is a total dream to work with. I would recommend him to individuals or couples of any identity, age or walk of life. We have been working with him for the better part of a year and I began to feel the affects of the work that we are doing together from the very beginning. Because he is focused on the body, and the way that our nervous systems pattern and hold on to our life experiences, I am constantly being challenged and compassionately supported to be aware of my body, my reactions, my patterns, and as a result, the change that comes is conscious and lasting. I understand what is happening, I feel it and I can communicate from new places inside of myself, instead of responding directly from my pain, or my darker, more default places.” “Working with Bruin, I feel met, I feel seen, I feel respected and engaged with, I feel challenged but also supported and safe. He is able to help me and my partner find our growth edge, without pushing us over the edge into overwhelm. We almost always leave a session feeling a breath of movement and new energy. And when we don't, we feel like we are gaining the tools to be able to be comfortable with not feeling good all the time. I appreciate how he partners with me, with us, as a facilitator, but also allows us to lead the way. He steps in when necessary, and allows us to dictate the directions of our sessions and our work together when we want to. He brings himself and his own experience into the room when its appropriate which I appreciate as well, and he also maintains healthy boundaries such that I trust him and trust that he is able to both work with me in this capacity, and also share social and political community with me outside of our sessions. I can't speak highly enough of his work, his perspective, and his skill sets, and his heart." "During a period of time when I've felt wracked by old trauma and many convergent life stresses at once, somatics has given me a framework by which to re-claim my own values and commitments. It has given me a powerful way to feel and sense these values, not just think them. I have re-connected to the true purposes of my being in this world, and now look forward to expanding my commitments and sense of purpose into the future. Bruin's presence has a certain unassuming grace, which has helped my partner and I move through a difficult time of conflict and transition. He has a keen sense of how to guide us into somatics practices which can create new space, insight, and compassion around the hard stuff that sometimes feels impossibly stuck." |
Classes
“Bruin's classes has helped me think about, feel, and notice the body's relationship to healing in new and extremely useful ways. I feel as though as I have concrete take-aways after every class that not only apply to my emotional and spiritual growth, but also to my creative and professional practices as well, which feels incredible. Bruin is a gentle guide that knows how to offer challenge and hold space for what is simultaneously and in equal measure.”
"Within the first few weeks of Bruin’s class I found myself thinking this class is going to change my life and I was right. Although I have been studying somatics for years, Bruin’s class has illuminated the hard places for me to go in terms of shifting my long standing deep trauma patterns, and with equal parts humor, encouragement, and brilliance, Bruin has guided me into doing the things I usually say I should be doing but never actually move towards." "As someone who always wants a gold star, and who always does my homework, and always does my practice, Bruin has helped me to understand how those patterns, the ingenious strategies that help me survive childhood violence and abuse, are not the only choices available to me now. And I can move towards those new choices in ways that don’t replicate my usual patterns and in ways that don’t re-traumatize me. It’s so rare to be in a space where nothing about me is pathologized and where there is an invitation not to pathologize myself. I am leaving this course not just with new tools, but with a different relationship to my toolkit altogether. The spaciousness of having more choice has given me a sense of freedom I didn’t even realize I was missing. Invaluable class!" "Bruin's Sitting And Sensations course really helped me to synthesize the therapeutic work I've been doing with the embodiment work I've been doing, to take my self-exploration and healing to the next level. I highly recommend any of Bruin's classes for anyone interested in a thoughtful, tender container for growth work and healing. Bruin is brilliant!" |