~ The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful. To be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well ~ Ralph Waldon Emerson
I have been working with Alyson for over two years. I first came to her at a time where I was perhaps the most vulnerable in my life. I was experiencing chronic pain, anxiety, and depression with no significant progress for about 3 years since the start of the symptoms. I had tried traditional talk therapy in the past but rational reconciliation of issues did not address the physical pain I was feeling. When I was first introduced to Alyson and Somatic Experiencing I did not fully understand what this work was or what it entailed. I decided to take a leap of faith and was guided through SE over the next weeks and months. Looking back on how far I have come with Alyson's guidance I can honestly say I have become a completely different person. This work requires consistent practice even outside of sessions and multiple times throughout the last two years I still felt extremely frustrated. However if one persists and trusts the process you will come out on the other side stronger and more resilient. In the end, lasting change does not come about in a short period of time; one has to work hard every day for it, for months and even years. I would highly recommend Alyson and SE to anyone looking for lasting and tangible change.
Mehrad K, Vancouver
I cannot speak highly enough about my experience working with Alyson. Coming from a complex trauma background, I spent years living in a state where I felt stuck, constantly overwhelmed, weighed down by something I couldn’t identify and afraid of everything. After almost a year of working with Alyson I have learned more than I could have possibly imagined and have developed a clear understanding of my body’s stress responses. She is highly intuitive and approaches every session with patience, curiosity and compassion, and her commitment to her work has been integral in helping me transform from an anxiety sufferer into a former anxiety sufferer. My body now feels the healthiest that it ever has and I have endless gratitude for her passion, support and dedication to my healing journey
Cleo Halls, Vancouver
When i met Alyson in June 2016 I had been suffering with some chronic anxiety and high stress for a few years. I had tried everything from energy medicine, different mind/body therapies, to nutritional and herbal medicine. I had experienced some relief, but nothing that was long lasting. I enjoyed the subtly of our initial sessions and the safe and comfortable environment she created. I began to notice a difference in my stress levels within the first month of seeing each other. During our sessions I allowed myself to feel more and emote more, something that was challenging for me. It was Alyson's encouragement and allowing of my natural unfolding that made this transition gentle and pleasurable. As time has passed, I feel more free, alive, and like myself. I feel stronger and more capable of being able to handle things that really scared me. I love that I'm able to do this work on my own and I feel grounded and a sense of autonomy without needing or depending on a practitioner to save/fix me. I love working with Alyson because she understands this work from her own exploration with it. She knows all the stages of change and transformation that occurs and can direct me when I'm needing more encouragement or guidance. She's very genuine, sincere, and real, which I love. I highly recommend seeing her!
Tara Akuna, Milton
Tara Akuna, Milton
I don’t know how she does it, but Alyson works magic. Somehow she knows just what to do in the unfolding of a session. A simple statement or phrase will unlock a huge emotional release out of nowhere. Alyson offers wisdom, humour and a realistic take on the world, along with a safe container for profound emotional processing. Within minutes of sitting down with Alyson, whether in person or virtually, my system starts settling - I always know from the yawns. Co-regulation is a mysterious and wonderful thing! Each session is a journey that leaves me feeling profoundly different. Working with Alyson has provided me the tools to self-regulate, and when I get off track a session with Alyson brings me back to neutral.
Lillian Z, Vancouver
Lillian Z, Vancouver
Alyson's services came to me at a time when I was in great need and had tried everything I could think of to resolve mysterious pains in my body that no one could figure out. Alyson's description of what was occurring in my nervous system was the only thing that made sense for what was happening to me. Her care at each visit was thorough and consistent. It started to become the only thing that made me feel better. She peeked my curiosity in Somatic Experiencing and I began to investigate it myself along with her guidance. Within a few sessions my symptoms began to subside, and I had learned some tools I could use if I was having a bad day. I no longer suffer from the body pains that plagued me for 8 months, and I attribute that greatly to Alyson’s care and Somatic Experiencing. Thank you Alyson for being there for me and teaching me about SE.
Rachelle Tersigni, Paris
www.rachelletersigni.com
Rachelle Tersigni, Paris
www.rachelletersigni.com
When I finally found Alyson, I was at the end of my rope. I'd spent a lifetime with depression and felt trapped by behaviours and ways of thinking that I was aware were no longer useful to me but I had no idea how to escape them, it was the only way I knew how to survive. I felt constantly right on the edge of rage and the typical stresses of life were becoming overwhelming and insurmountable. I felt these things acutely in my body but had spent so much time and effort disassociating from that body that I felt completely helpless when it came to figuring out how to help myself. Alyson brought me back into myself, maybe for the first time in my life. I felt the benefit of our work immediately and consistently, and now all I need to do when I catch myself starting to detach, is use the tools that she taught me and I can recreate, for myself, anytime, that oasis of calm that I felt during our sessions. I experience life differently now, there are still many challenges like there was before I met Alyson, but I am experiencing it all from a baseline of calm, instead of flailing panic, and that really does change everything.
Susan Young, Vancouver
Susan Young, Vancouver
Words can not describe how grateful I am a friend recommended Alyson to me. Having dealt with debilitating anxiety and depression for what has felt like a lot of my life, my work with Alyson has been the key to the lock for the type of healing I have so desperately needed for years. As a professional broadway actor, singer and dancer living in hectic New York City, there have been numerous times where feelings of overwhelm had me not able to leave the house let alone endure the thought of going to an audition or being on stage. Alyson assured me that healing would take time but wasn’t impossible despite the sometimes high levels of stimulation that came with my job and the environment I lived in. Before working with Alyson, I had been on various kinds of medication for anxiety and depression. I saw many kinds of doctors and tried everything from cognitive therapy, emotional intelligence workshops, mediation and yoga. Though I believe all these did help me to some degree, my somatic work with Alyson is what really changed my life. Alyson’s approach felt kind and gentle. I gained a deep trust in her, knowing she healed her own trauma through doing the same work and for this reason I felt very safe and understood. She was always available and just a phone call away on days when I felt stuck and needed extra help. Over time I started to feel my nervous system and capacity to take on more start to change. I began to feel the weight I was carrying in my body feel lighter. I was able to be more present with people around me and gained tools I still use daily at home, on the subway and most definitely on stage. Though I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to return to performing, I am so thankful to say I have. Thank you for everything Alyson
Jodi McFadden, New York
Jodi McFadden, New York
Alyson is fantastic at utilizing her expertise and experience to create a safe and supportive environment while providing the tools necessary for clients to process their trauma both while in her presence and in between appointments. I recommend her to anyone who is seeking to heal their trauma with a pace that is suitable for each individual client's needs. I personally feel she has helped me beyond measure.
Wendy Dipalma, Vancouver
Wendy Dipalma, Vancouver
Being too hot, having a sore belly, being kinda nervous in general, had just been the norm for me. I didn’t go to Alyson to manage these issues. I started working with Alyson because I wanted to learn about nervous systems. But a wonderful thing happened as i showed up week after week to my sessions. As I learned to notice what my nervous system was doing by paying attention to my body, it started responding differently. No more nervousness. No more sweating. Far less triggers and upsets in my life. But more then this, it was my growing capacity to be more and more present to myself and the people and experiences in my everyday that really changed things for me. Awareness, depth, richness, that I could not have imagined is now available to me. This gets me to why I love working with Alyson. I feel safe in our sessions. I can bring anything to my sessions that I want to explore and Alyson gives the space to explore with a professional navigator. There is no agenda. Nowhere to get to. Just us paying close attention to me and my nervous system. I have learned so much that is applicable on the court of my life, I feel that I can take care of myself in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I am so grateful to you Alyson. I experience you as a Master of your craft. Selfless. Caring. Clear. Non-judgemental.
Joani Bisson, Vancouver
Joani Bisson, Vancouver
Working with Alyson has been a life changing experience for me. Alyson introduced me to my own nervous system. During our journey together she shared her knowledge and expertise with me and gave me tools I can use to self regulate my nervous system. Through her kind personality, I felt her passion to help me, and that made me feel safe and confident. I feel very blessed to have worked with Alyson as she taught me many things that I will use daily throughout my life to help me navigate with much more ease.
Brenda Howes, Saskatchewan
Brenda Howes, Saskatchewan
I am a Person With Disabilities (PWD) due to PTSD, GAD, and cognitive impairment. In 2016 I was forced into self-representation in BC Supreme Court on a custody matter. It did not go well; I collapsed in front of the judge, and ended up in ER. I did not know how I would do it again. When I met Alyson she met my situation with professional compassion and dedication assuring me that she would teach me how to manage my condition and prepare me for the challenges ahead. After four sessions and several weeks of practicing the techniques Alyson provided, I returned to court. I argued my case with effectiveness and congruency, staying focused and calm, while experiencing none of the debilitating anxiety that had hospitalized me previously. Through our work together Alyson helped me to calm my nervous system and access the capacity, as well as the courage, I needed to have my voice heard by the court.
Lester Phillips, Vancouver
Lester Phillips, Vancouver
Alyson is a gifted healer and scientist of the body, mind and spirit. In my experience with Alyson I felt safe and nurtured. I could feel Alyson's genuine sensitivity and care come through her work and I felt comfortable letting my nervous system relax. Alyson's personal experience using Somatic Experiencing to resolve her own struggles makes her, in my opinion, very authentic in her healing work as she has personally travelled the path her clients are on and her understanding of that journey allows for a deeper connection with her clients. Her faith in the methods of Somatic Experiencing are inspiring.
Kristy Smyth, Vancouver
Kristy Smyth, Vancouver
If you have been curious about the powerful trauma healing modality Somatic Experiencing, you are in the right place. Alyson Groll is an intuitive, highly skilled and compassionate Somatic Experiencing practitioner who creates transformational results for her clients with her exceptional skills in trauma resolution. Whether you are interested in touch work or somatic therapy sessions, you will be in good hands with Alyson’s extensive knowledge of the nervous system and it’s complexities.
Sandy Dow, SEP
The Dow Effect www.sandydow.com
Sandy Dow, SEP
The Dow Effect www.sandydow.com
When I met Alyson in September 2015 I was suffering from acute and debilitating anxiety and depression due to a relationship ending . The exercises Alyson gave me and the time we spent in her office calmed my anxieties and quieted the incessant chatter in my head. Alyson provided me with a safe, non-judgmental space and relationship in which to explore issues that were challenging me. Through Alyson, I learned that there is an innate capacity of the human bodymind to move towards healing and growth given the right therapeutic environment. Alyson helped me immeasurably to look inside and explore myself to find the person that was always there and longing to emerge. While seeing Alyson and finding that person, I got better. For that, I am eternally grateful. Alyson proved to be empathetic, insightful, supportive, kind and respectful. I highly recommend her to anyone suffering from trauma.
Michael Stunden, Vancouver
Michael Stunden, Vancouver
Somatic Experiencing has been the most profoundly impactful work I have experienced in my life. During my healing journey of many years, I have frequently felt excited about various modalities that I have utilized, only to become discouraged as similar unwanted patterns would continue. After discovering Healing Trauma, and then Alyson, I finally understood why my life had always felt like Groundhog Day. What I discovered & experienced was the futility of most healing methods without first addressing the nervous system. I now understand that no matter what I attempted, it was all over top of a very dysregulated and unresilient nervous system, which is why the patterns in my life continued. Alyson, I am forever grateful for your work. An example of where SE has altered my life is with my daughter. For years we had been caught in a trauma cycle where we would continually trigger each other in our interactions so no matter how hard we tried we would invariably end up arguing leading to tears and both of us feeling hurt, sad & sorry. Shortly after beginning my sessions with Alyson, I was able to notice when I would start to get triggered and was able to use the tools I learned to begin to break the cycle. Now 10 months later, my nervous system is so different that I am able to respond to my daughter in a completly different manner. Our upsets have completely stopped. Thank you Alyson for your incredible work… You’re a gift!
Juanita Cusack, Vancouver
Juanita Cusack, Vancouver