Chi for Two®: A Relational, Developmental Approach to Embodiment and Trauma Healing
A somatic, relational method that supports nervous system repatterning, generational healing, and a more connected, embodied way of living
In-person in Atlanta, GA, and online across Georgia
Lasting change in how you relate—to yourself, to others, and to life—comes through new relational experiences, not just insight.
You are someone who feels deeply, senses other people’s energy, and longs to stay grounded in yourself while in relationship with others.
At times, you may feel pulled off center—anxious, overwhelmed, or shut down—especially in certain relational dynamics. You might notice yourself swinging between feeling overstimulated and depleted, and that cycle can be exhausting.
You may sense your strengths, your depth, your potential—but something holds you back from fully expressing or inhabiting it.
Feeling like you can’t be fully yourself is not a flaw. It reflects how your nervous system learned to adapt through relationship. Early experiences—and patterns carried across generations—shape how you respond to connection, stress, and self-expression.
Over time, these patterns can become automatic, unfolding as a kind of relational “dance” between you and the people in your life.
Lasting change doesn’t come from insight alone. It requires a new kind of relational experience—one that allows your body to safely explore new ways of being, expressing, and connecting.
Chi for Two®: A Relational, Developmental Approach to Embodied Change
Chi for Two is a relational, developmental somatic method designed to support deep and lasting change in how you relate—to yourself, to others, and to life.
Rather than focusing only on individual coping or regulation, this work centers on the interaction between nervous systems—how ways of responding to stress, connection, and closeness are shaped, reinforced, and ultimately transformed through relationship.
Many of these responses are learned early in life, before we have words. When experiences are overwhelming, inconsistent, or incomplete, the body adapts—holding protective strategies that continue to shape how you feel, move, and relate over time.
Through invitational, relational practices, Chi for Two offers the body new experiences—often described as symbolic redos—that support nervous system repatterning.
These practices draw from early developmental movement patterns, allowing the body to revisit and reorganize foundational experiences of safety, connection, and exploration. As these shifts occur, many people begin to experience greater flexibility, responsiveness, and a more grounded sense of ease in themselves and in relationship.
Rather than working only with thoughts or behaviors, this approach supports change at the level of physiology—where these patterns live and take shape.
This work is grounded in an integration of attachment theory, trauma research, dance/movement therapy, and nervous system science. While informed by polyvagal theory, Chi for Two expands beyond it—focusing specifically on how two-person interactions influence biological states and relational capacity.
It is a comprehensive, multi-year training and an ISMETA-Approved Training Method, reflecting a depth of study and practice that goes beyond surface-level approaches to regulation.
In my practice, this work is expressed through M-Bodied®, where these relational and developmental principles are woven into therapy for individuals and families—supporting deeper nourishment, connection, and change that extends beyond the therapy room.
What Sessions May Feel Like
Chi for Two is an experiential, relational approach—so sessions often feel different from traditional talk therapy.
Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we slow things down and notice what’s happening in your body. At times, we may explore developmentally-informed movement and relational practices that help you experience new patterns of connection, support, and self-expression.
You are always invited into anything we explore.
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This work is not about forcing change or “getting it right.” We value depth over speed. Invitation over prescription. Chi for Two practitioners “dance with” their clients rather than “do to.”
We follow your unique pace, allowing space for curiosity, choice, and integration. You don’t have to perform, explain everything perfectly, or arrive with the “right” words—your experience is enough.
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Because this method is relational, part of the work happens in real time—through the interaction between us. Over time, you gain capacity to practice on your own.
You may begin to notice patterns as they arise: moments of reaching, pulling back, bracing, or softening. Together, we explore developmentally-informed practices of moving through those moments, creating different internal experiences that support change.
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Since movement is part of our work, it is simple, supported, and purposeful—not performative or prescriptive. And, while movement might include more expressive gestures or patterns, movement can also involve stillness.
These practices are based on early developmental patterns and are designed to help your body experience support, connection, completion, and expression in new ways.
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Over time, many people notice subtle but meaningful shifts:
feeling more present in their body
responding instead of reacting
experiencing more flexibility in relationships
maintaining their own sense of self while in relationship with others
sensing greater capacity for connection, expression, and rest
Through Chi for Two and my M-Bodied approach, you begin to embody…
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Embodied change doesn’t come from insight alone—it comes from experiencing something different in your body.
Through relational, invitational practices, you begin to shift patterns. Instead of repeating familiar reactions, your body has the opportunity to practice new ways of responding with relational support—creating the foundation for meaningful, lasting change.
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Some patterns and functioning form early, before you had words—shaping how you connect, express needs, and respond to stress.
This work revisits foundational developmental experiences through exploring new movement with relational support, offering “somatic redos” that allow your system to reorganize with more ease, flexibility, and resilience.
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Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in the subtle, moment-to-moment interaction between people.
With greater awareness of relationships where power differentials or power equality exist, you begin to notice and shift the “dance” of connection—how you move toward, away from, or against others and yourself. Over time, this creates more choice, clarity, and capacity in how you relate.
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Your nervous system is designed for more than just “calm.”
Chi for Two supports a wider range of experience with the embodied invitation and celebration that no moves or no parts of you are intolerable. Chi for Two helps your system move out of patterns of shutdown or overwhelm and into greater capacity for connection, unique expression, play, and restoration.
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The patterns you carry may not have started with you—but they can shift with you.
As your nervous system begins to reorganize through new relational experiences, you create new patterns that can ripple outward—impacting your relationships, your family, and future generations.
Experiencing Change from the Inside Out
Chi for Two® invites a different kind of healing—one that unfolds through relational experience, not just understanding.
As your body begins to encounter new patterns of support, connection, and movement, change often feels less effortful and more integrated. What once felt automatic or stuck can begin to soften, shift, and open into new possibilities.
Over time, many people experience a growing sense of steadiness, connection, and aliveness—in themselves, in their relationships, and in how they move through life.
If this approach resonates with you, I welcome you to reach out to learn more about working together.
Your Questions, Answered
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A: Movement is always invitational and adapted to your comfort level. Some sessions may include simple, guided movements. Some might be micro-movements, while others may focus more on reflection, conversation, or energetic awareness. Some could include more expressive movement. There is no expectation to perform—this work meets you where you are.
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A: While Chi for Two draws from dance/movement therapy principles, you do not need any dance experience. The focus is not on performance or choreography, but on relational movements that support your nervous system, sense of self, and relationships with others.
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A: Many somatic approaches focus on the individual experience. Chi for Two, Chi meaning energy and Two meaning relational, specifically centers the relational aspect—how patterns form and shift through two-person interactions and affect energetic, relational and physiological functioning. It also uses developmental movement patterns and guided relational practices to support deeper, more integrated change.
Another highlight of our developmentally-informed approach is the importance of the percussive and oppositional movement expressions within the two-person interaction (client/helper) that helps to foster autonomy, agency and eventual individuation.
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A: That’s completely normal. This work often involves exploring new ways of being, and it’s okay if it feels unfamiliar at first. Sessions are paced with care, and there is no pressure to do anything beyond what feels manageable and supportive.
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A: Yes. Because this approach works with nervous system patterning shaped over time—including patterns influenced by early and multi-generational experiences—it can support shifts in patterns that may feel deeply ingrained.
