When Maya first booked a consult, her voice trembled. She was a 43‑year‑old mom balancing teens, aging parents, and a demanding job. Hot flashes and 2 a.m., ruminating thoughts and worry‑spirals left her exhausted before dawn. She felt snappy with her kids, distant from her partner, and guilty for wanting time to herself. She’d never tried therapy and feared she’d “fall apart on camera.”

I assured her: “Falling apart is just another way of opening up—and we’ll do it together, at your pace.”

In our first sessions we:

• Named the invisible load she’d been carrying since childhood—perfectionism, people‑pleasing, and the belief she had to earn rest.

• Used somatic grounding to calm nightly anxiety surges and ease the tension she felt in her jaw and shoulders.

• Practiced EFT tapping to soften shame around setting boundaries.

Six months later, Maya reports fewer panic flutters, warmer family dinners, and a newfound habit of morning stretches instead of doom‑scrolling. Her kids notice she laughs more. Her partner says, “You seem lighter.” Most importantly, she feels like herself again—steady, energized, and hopeful.