We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Vanessa Ruiz . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Vanessa below.
Dr. Vanessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?
I’m so blessed to work with some of the bravest and strongest people. Their courage to show up, to be resilient in the face of the tragedies of their life is inspiring to me. They are so ready to do what it takes to heal and often what’s missing are simple components of healing: encouragement, safety or direction. There are so many stories – one is of a sexual abuse survivor who I worked with and I had the privilege of holding space for her healing and grieving. She went from being shutdown, not trusting others to finishing her doctorate, building her own community and starting a new chapter of her life in a bold way. Another story is of a woman with complex trauma who would have panic attacks, which made her question her dream of becoming a lawyer. We worked together to reduce her panic attacks and I’m happy to say that she’s in law school now. These are heroic people who overcome what’s happened to them in order to live a life on their own terms. It’s amazing to be part of that.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’m a holistic trauma coach and naturopathic doctor. I got into this field because of my own struggles in mental health and I realized that I could share this work with others. I give clients tools and skills to help them stabilize their nervous system to recover and heal from the effects of trauma. I also help my clients create a healthy relationship with themselves.. From my journey as a doctor and nurse, I realized that there are stages to healing: safety first, stabilizing the body through nutrition, herbs, movement, breathwork and ultimately, helping them build healthy patterns of thinking/self talk. I’m a safe companion in their healing journey that helps simplify the process for them.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think it’s so important to be trauma informed and to have the training to help clients with trauma. Aside from those fundamentals, I think what’s helped me be successful with my clients is the ability to hold space for them. Clients often share that they are able to open up to me with ease, and that’s because I hold unconditional regard for them. I’ve had a mindfulness practice now for several years, so it helps me be fully present with them and without judgement. I also practice what I preach – meditation, movement, nutrition and self-care, so that when I show up for them my body is also ready and present. There’s so much wisdom that a client shares that if you listen, observe and are present, can really unlock their healing.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the most important times of pivoting my business was during COVID. There was so much uncertainty in seeing patients in person and pivoting to the online platform. I didn’t think that my patients would want to do telehealth and in the end it worked out so beautifully. I spent that summer in the gorgeous mountains of Aspen Colorado, all while handling my business online. It was then that I realized I could have the business of my dreams, and I’ve since then focused 100% on my practice online and through social media. I have clients from all over the US and can travel anywhere!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.healingtraumanaturally.com
- Instagram: Traumahealingdoc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/drvanessaruiz