Michael Rommal, LCSW
(he/him/his)
As a therapist with complex trauma, I see myself as a fellow traveler on the path of healing. I know the terrain of anxiety, depression, anger, dissociation and wanting to escape. I too have struggled with relationship issues, self-esteem issues, and fear…Fear of feelings, of the body and of other humans. This has not been an easy path, though it has brought the gifts of empathy and humility, which figure largely in my approach as a therapist.
Because of life experience and practice, doing this work tends to feel intuitive to me, but I am very concrete and practical when it comes to what works and what does not work. I don't believe that all skills work for everyone; instead I know that certain skills and approaches can be very powerful when used with the right amount of trust, timing and persistence.
Helping clients mindfully cultivate awareness of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensation is an essential foundation of my work. When we don't see things mindfully, they tend to operate in the shadows and affect us in ways that seem out of our control. Mindfulness creates increased freedom and empowerment. When we learn to be non-judgmental with our experience and allow it, healing emerges.
One of the powerful tools I have access to is Somatic Experiencing (SE). I came across SE right in the midst of parenting my son during the elementary school years. The stressors of this time in life paired with the untreated symptoms of my own trauma was an overload and it was very painful to see my dysregulation affecting him. As they say, “I tried everything and nothing worked." This all changed for me with the training I pursued in SE as well as the sessions I received in my own therapy. I have never stopped pursuing that process of healing for myself, and it motivates me to help others find the same relief and insight.
Another helpful tool I am trained in is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ). This is an evidence-based practice for resolving trauma and working with the unprocessed emotions that accompany it. I have seen it offer incredible effectiveness for adults and even children.
I wish I could say that learning to notice my stressful thoughts and gaining insight into myself made everything completely better, but that is not what happened. However, I have learned that having patience and realistic expectations of the process as well as allowing emotional experiences to unfold often leads to deep and lasting healing.
These personal and professional perspectives inform the way I work with clients and I hope to help you find a personal path towards healing for yourself that meets you precisely where you are now. Borrowing from the wisdom of many years dedicated to supporting people of all ages, I am skilled in accompanying others in learning to cultivate mindfulness, tolerate emotions and find the transformation that can result from following what naturally comes up and incorporating the use of new tools and insight as we are able.