Testimonials
After experiencing a traumatic event last year, I found myself struggling with anxiety and panic attacks that seemed to come out of nowhere. I knew talk therapy alone wasn’t going to get me where I needed to be, so I began looking into more holistic, body-based approaches — and that’s what led me to Stefan. From the moment I walked into his office, I felt at ease. The space itself is beautiful, calm, and thoughtfully designed, and I immediately felt safe — something that mattered a lot to me in the state I was in. Stefan’s therapy dog, Sage, was also a huge part of that comfort. Her presence added a softness and grounding energy to each session that I didn’t realize I needed until I experienced it. Stefan used a combination of EMDR and hypnotherapy to help me revisit and reprocess the traumatic event. I’ll admit, I was nervous at first — I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I didn’t know if I’d feel ready to go “there.” But Stefan guided the process with so much care and intention. He made me feel like I was in control the entire time, which helped me trust the process more fully. The transformation was honestly remarkable. After just six sessions, the panic attacks stopped. I found myself feeling more grounded, more resilient, and able to think about the event without the same level of emotional activation. It’s not that I forgot what happened — it’s that I was finally able to move through it in a way that felt safe and healing. For anyone considering EMDR, hypnotherapy, or somatic approaches: I want you to know it doesn’t have to take years to feel better. With the right practitioner — someone like Stefan — deep healing is absolutely possible. He holds space with warmth, integrity, and a deep understanding of how trauma lives in the body. This experience has completely shifted how I move through the world. I’m more present in my body, more connected to my breath, and more equipped to handle life’s inevitable stressors. I’ll be forever grateful for Stefan and the work we did together.
— Former Client
I found myself stagnant in my healing progress after years of CBT with an older therapist and was looking into different modalities and I thought more about the possibility of CPTSD. Beyond making improvements to mental and emotional health, I have been able to break out of 8 year long addiction to smoking cannabis after 6 months of work. EMDR and hypnotherapy has helped me process past trauma in a way that has had fast and far reaching effects in my life. I have found myself able to have control back after feeling carried along by the issues in my life, and found myself able to process long standing issues I labeled as solved when they were only began to be realized.
— Former Client
For years, it seemed as though I tried everything under the sun (and then some) when it came to addressing my unhealed traumas. I was open to growing and evolving, but could seemingly never find the opportune modality. I frustratingly felt that though I had been participating in talk therapy on and off for years, my tangible results were quite limited. I tend to be drawn to more whole-body type approaches, so when I found Stefan’s practice, it felt perfectly right. With an open heart and an open mind, Stefan guided me through many successful sessions of EMDR. It changed my mindset, and changed my healing trajectory completely. I had more success in half a year working with Stefan than I had in over 5 years of traditional style therapies. My advice is to try it! It could be the perfect fit and just what you are looking for. If you are open to an alternative and holistic approach to bettering yourself, I cannot recommend Stefan enough. Thank you for helping me through some of the most challenging aspects of my life. To you, I am eternally indebted.
— Former Client
I had spent many years working with a number of different therapists, but could never quite find the right match or method to effectively process trauma. When I started working with Stefan, he introduced me to EMDR after I shared my struggle with trauma and emotional blocks. EMDR and Hypnotherapy significantly challenged me to open myself up to vulnerability, to really understand my younger self and who I am today. With EMDR, I was able to create a container, a safe space and what my "ideal self" looked like. When reprocessing trauma, I would find myself immediately utilizing these tools to stay grounded and connected to the work. It is an understatement to say EMDR and Hypnotherapy changed my life and the way I take care of myself on a daily basis. Every day, I continue to use these tools, embrace my autonomy to self-regulate and connect to all parts of myself e.g., younger self, past self, current and future self. 3. I would want others to know that going into EMDR, Hypnotherapy or other somatic/holistic approaches, remaining open-minded is crucial to the experience. You have to trust the process, but most importantly, you have to trust yourself. In moments where a technique or a tool might seem silly or even just uncomfortable, allowing yourself to fully be present and open is the key. You will walk away with so much more than you could've imagined. 4. I don't think I would've called myself a skeptic going into EMDR, but I will definitely say that I had no idea it would impact me the way that it has. I can't say enough good things about EMDR/Hypnotherapy/holistic health, but most importantly, having a therapist like Stefan to guide me through my healing was what did it for me. It's one thing to know a method works -- to be open to the process, to be fully invested in yourself and your treatment. But it's another thing when you have a therapist who truly sees you, who sits with you through the good moments and the really difficult moments, and has an ability to connect with you as if they're feeling everything you're feeling. There is a safety, a warmth and a kindness that you feel stepping into the room with Stefan. It was a privilege to work with him, and an even greater gift to finally feel at home in my skin.
— Former Client
I came to Stefan in a tumultuous state, with enormous self-doubt, uncertainty, and shame. He listened to me calmly, seriously and addressed all of my concerns with respect and importance. I firmly believe that Stefan gave me the tools to change my life for the better. He guided me toward the answers and helped me see my truth. Stefan suggested EMDR therapy. He always made it clear that I was in control which, at the time, was a rarity for me.. I feel as if I am an evolved version of myself. My mental and emotional changes through our sessions helped me understand my emotion recognition and regulation. I was able to see the root of many of my struggles that spanned back to my childhood. I never knew how much had been repressed or how much I had kept in. When I first began seeing Stefan, I had an inability to cry. Now, I am able to be vulnerable for others and self-regulate if I get triggered. Physically, I was improved enough to cease taking all of my behavioral medications and have not required any of them since. I find it hard to explain in words my gratitude for Stefan and the magnitude of change I have gone through in a handful of years. I've become a confident, unashamed, and proud version of myself. Those close to me have noticed I am able to handle situations (that would have previously impaired me) with ease. He gave me the tools to visualize myself in the present, past and future. It was not an easy journey and it's not over yet, but it was worth every step. I was able to revive my passions for writing, improve my relationships with friends, understand my own emotions, and choose my own happiness.... It was as if a thin curtain was pulled from my eyes and I could look a little better at the things holding back my progress. I was incredibly lucky to join Transforward and I will always speak my truth about the help that Stefan has provided me.
— Former Client
Before starting, I wasn’t sure that EMDR would be all that beneficial for me, but I found that it completely changed the way I viewed how I was existing in the world and within myself. I hadn’t anticipated dreams and subconscious processes of my mind to factor so strongly into my mental health, and the reconnection to my body through EMDR brought those inner workings into focus. Grounding practices especially are something that I still use, scanning my body and releasing energy through my breath to recenter. I struggled to talk about things that I felt would change how I was seen as a person. The continued atmosphere of non judgement in sessions was what helped me to overcome that hurdle. Something that I’ve also struggled with for years is “stuckness.”… I feel like I’m stagnating, self care becomes nearly impossible. Outside, I’m completely functional, but my internal world is in shambles. Working through certain experiences with EMDR allowed me to chip away at what was fueling these symptoms. I noticed myself waking up with more energy, not dreading being alive, and feeling a real desire to be social again. I still have my struggles, but the frequency and severity of my symptoms has lessened to a very manageable level. Learning to locate my feelings in my body and identify the connection between my physical and mental wellbeing brought me a more consonant sense of self. My time in therapy gave me the tools that allow me to live my life day to day without ruminating about my identity or how it makes me lesser. Having the space to think about anything besides the dissonance in my identity made a world of difference in my quality of life. The hardest choice is the one to get help, especially when you feel undeserving of it, but it’s the gentlest one you can make for yourself.
— Former Client
Thanks to his use of EMDR and extensive play therapy, my daughter has made remarkable progress. Today, she’s a smart, self-aware, and emotionally resilient 10-year-old. She manages her feelings with thoughtfulness and maturity, and she’s not only an accomplished athlete and drummer, but also a confident young person with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. I credit so much of her healing and growth to Stefan and the early work he did with her.
As a parent, I also felt supported by Stefan. He offered me tools and strategies to help my daughter, and he was a calming, reassuring presence—especially during the times I blamed myself for the situation. His empathy and guidance were invaluable.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Stefan to anyone seeking healing. Yes, the process requires commitment, but with his warm, compassionate presence and extensive training across multiple areas of mental health, Stefan is uniquely equipped to help people navigate some of the most difficult parts of their lives.
— Former Client
My biggest concern when starting EMDR was my relationships. Before EMDR I always felt like I was being chased by the notion that it was my responsibly to settle people’s confusion about my inability to understand society. Since, EMDR I don’t blame myself and for that I feel like I can survive it. It was an opportunity to really look at what has built the feelings I battle with. I do often feel afraid and alone as I wiggle out of limbo into a renewed purpose. Despite, I am feeling very independent. I have moments of clarity and happiness that I don’t ever remember feeling even in my lightest of memories. My EMDR therapy wasn’t much about me mending my relationships to others but my relationship to me. While mending my relationship to myself, I was shook how much of the pain I carried about my trans experience wasn’t even mine. I had heard rumors that is how it works, but I never could complete the line of reasoning when it came to my own person. As I was processing my memories with Stefan, I started to feel how much the dread puppets my posture and pinches the right side of my face. I started to notice that I wasn’t even really meditating. I had practiced on my own for years in an effort to ease anxiety but I was actually just disassociating on purpose. I think in the beginning I even laid claim to feeling no shame at all. I was just sure my transition was a need, but it felt so out of reach when I came out and I couldn’t seem to explain myself to the people around me. I actually still can’t, but I don’t feel responsible to do so anymore. EMDR helped me logically break the tether between my identity and those around me. This ended my ‘stuck in the past’ mindset because I wasn’t sending every free braincell on a search for evidence about who I was anymore. My therapy with Stefan was in the context of gender identity because that has been the context of my life. I think EMDR therapy is for everyone.
— Former Client
Therapy with Stefan became my safe space during one of the loneliest times of my life, despite the work of it all. EMDR grounding practice doesn’t feel like work like school work does, but work like changing a lot of habits at once. I was not prepared for how much it would stir me. I was nervous once I really understood what I was getting myself into, what was I going to discover about myself? I had been chipping away at my mental health symptoms for 7 years and most of it felt like molasses, so I was generally shaky with mental health professionals. I did not understand how bad I really felt, or even what it felt like to really relax. I was not even resting in my sleep. I even found Transforward’s trauma scoring therapeutic, nobody had told me about CPTSD before. I had been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, depression, psychosis, considered for schizophrenia, and definitely had a moment with autism... I was not moved by another brain label at first, but I kept my mind open and this one turned out be different. After about 10 months or so of seeing Stefan something broke, I hadn’t noticed because I still had a lot of free radicals in my head but I suddenly had direction! I was off my antipsychotics, sleeping at night, forming my business, going back to school real quick, and I started considering living alone with my new crazy dog. I had actually changed the only thing I could, I once felt terribly sour about myself and what I feel, now it’s pretty okay at moments. A little confidence next to self awareness will change you in a way that you don’t need to try. I felt like I hadn’t done anything but closing out the process was the best part. I realized I technically processed two memories, a sexual/medical trauma and a social trauma from my childhood, but considered 1000s on 1000s memories. I had never seen myself as well as I did when we reviewed what we processed.
— Former Client
My experience with EDMR though brief was helpful for me. It is a different way to process that I had never experienced before. Therapy has been a big part of my life for years…I felt safe to share my whole truth. It can be very hard at times to find spaces where I feel completely safe. Stefan always made it feel very safe. I feel that I have grown as a person in so many ways. I am more confident, grounded and all around more level headed in ways. As a queer and trans person of color, I feel my voice is sometimes not heard in certain ways but, I always felt comfortable expressing myself in my sessions with Stefan. He is very articulate and has a calming presence. I feel I have a better sense of self.
— Former Client
This work required a lot of trust on my part, and I was uncertain about it when we started. I felt suspicious of the process and probably took a long time to actually let my guard down. This, despite the fact that Stefan was absolutely a safe space for me - I think that's a huge part of what makes this work useful. Being in therapeutic relationship with someone who assured me that he would be present and never push me past what I could tolerate was really reassuring. I could also tell that Stefan was monitoring my body language as well as what I was able to express through words. He was attuned to me and would make a helpful observation if I was not fully engaged or becoming too activated. After the work we did together, it was like I had just gone for a swim or had a massage - I felt refreshed. Some of it was very difficult, but it 100% brought healing for me. As a bisexual woman with a lot of internalized homo- and bi- phobia, this was integral for me to grow in self-acceptance. Before we did this work, I could not out myself in most settings, even non-professional ones. I was very cautious about naming myself as queer. Now, I'm relieved to say that I am "out" to everyone, and feel comfortable naming my Queer identity.
— Former Client
A friend recommended it as a better treatment for CPTSD than CBT or DBT. I feel like I have a space between my emotions and me, whereas before my emotional responses to things were screaming so loudly in my ear that I couldn't make rational decisions. It's mostly internal work, so for very private people (like me) who feel that traditional talk therapy is too vulnerable or invasive for them, EMDR has been great. I enjoyed getting to customize my preferred sound for the audio portion. The hypnosis felt very helpful in sectioning off a part of my mental landscape just for calming down/taking a step back. I love Sage!
— Former Client