Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Summers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I think a second career is always a bit of a risk. Once you’ve been established in your industry and know it inside and out, it can be a challenge to start over in your 30s and 40s. My career pivoted from massage therapy and energy healing to mental health counseling in my late thirties. I knew I was burning out in massage; it can be a really physically demanding job. I could tell that after 15 years, my passion was starting to wane. So, I put myself through grad school as a single mom and got a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling. It’s definitely risky to take on such a big undertaking when you already have so many obligations. It meant waking up at 4:00am to write my papers and study, managing my full time massage therapy practice, and taking care of my daughter. It was a balancing act.

It was a big comittment, and an undertaking like that is a risk too, because at any minute I could have said, :this is too hard,” and given up. Going to school, working full time, taking care of kids, and managing my own personal life wasn’t an easy task. But I am really proud that I did it, and proud that my daughter gets to see what a hard working determined woman looks like. I not only set an example for her about what determination means, but also with my career pivot, I am able to provide for her in a way that feels more sustainable.

There was also a risk that maybe after all of that hard work, a new career as a therapist would not be what I hoped, or I would miss my old career. Luckily, I could not be happier with my choice – being a therapist is amazing and I get to keep helping people in new ways.

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 back background and context?

I have lived my whole life as a highly sensitive person. My younger years were filled with being overpathologized and overmedicated by the medical community. Being extremely sensitive felt like a liability until I began my healing journey.

I dove headfirst into my trauma recovery journey when I started studying bodywork and energetics in 2008. Over the last twenty years I have become fascinated with psychology, spirituality, holistic medicine, and a vast array of therapeutic modalities.

The gifts of trauma therapy, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation changed my life in every way for the better, and it is my joy to offer counseling and somatic therapy to other seekers, sensitive souls, and star seeds.

Now, as a licensed professional counselor, I offer holistic psychotherapy and nervous system recovery using my unique blend of mysticism and therapeutic training.

My offerings include somatic experiencing, traditional talk therapy, EMDR, inner child healing, breath work, shamanic journeying, psychedelic integration, mindfulness, and meditation. As a former massage therapist, I blend years of studying bodywork, energy medicine, holistic health, and spiritual wellness into my therapy practice.

I published my first book, Supernatural Recovery in 2021 as a guide to healing from trauma and addiction. I am currently working on my second book, a blend of memoir, feminist theory, and autism advocacy.

In addition to somatic therapy, trauma healing and talk therapy, I also offer neuroaffirming assessments to screen for Autism and ADHD. Many of my clients, like me, are highly sensitive individuals, and many of us have neurodifferences. I myself am autistic, and enjoy helping other high masking autistic people learn about their sensitivities, masking strategies, and teaching them about nervous system regulation.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For me, the most effective strategy for building my business has been learning who I am, and sharing my true self generously. Rather than offer general therapy services, I have a pretty specific niche. I work with people who align with me and I am careful about who I let in my energy field. In this way I have been able to build a practice that is sustainable instead of draining.

Knowing who I am and exactly what I offer attracts the right people to me. I have a specific skill set, not just because I am passionate about learning and training, but because of my life experiences.

Some of my more difficult life experiences have given me the most valuable training to help other people navigate challenging family dynamics, abusive relationships, and trauma responses.

I also got a lot of training to be a trauma therapist – EMDR is very well known, and it is a useful modality. But my true passion is Somatic Experiencing. Undergoing this three year training program to work directly with the nervous system has helped me become a more grounded and balanced human, and I see how powerful this work is every day.

Essentially, I know who I am, and I am able to offer something specific and unique to my clients.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Think and Grow Rich is a great one although it is noticeably outdated in its focus on white men as the only entrepreneurs, it is a classic in terms of aligning your thoughts and intentions with your dreams and your hard work. It’s also does not solely focus on “rich” meaning financial success, but growing a rich life in many ways.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle is one of my favorites. A total shift in consciousness, helping you learn to stay present and act from a place love.

The Four Agreements is another classic to me, a simple read about having integrity in your personal code of conduct.

Anything by Matt Kahn is a guiding light for me. He has been my spiritual teacher for seven years. His teachings have helped me through dark times and have helped me become a better person, a better listener, a better partner, and a better practitioner. He recently started offering teachings with his wife Joy Kahn, and I have taken her classes on channeling as well.

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. This book is about transmuting your pain into wisdom and bravery. She has taught me a lot about compassion. And those are pretty much the tenants of my therapy practice. Transforming pain, Gaining Wisdom, and operating from a place of compassion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cosmicheartlpc.com