Gustav Moen
Psychotherapist
I believe that we are all conditioned, culturally, to ignore the impacts of the unresolved events from our past, effectively constricting and suppressing our emotional needs until they cause physical conditions that demand our attention.
I believe that we can all work from a place of empowered understanding to provide ourselves with the unmet needs of our past, freeing ourselves from our adaptive behavior patterns, triggers, and relational conflicts.
I believe engaging in compassionate inquiry is brave and challenging work, but that work will result in freedom from constriction, pain, and illness.
Areas of Expertise
Psychotherapy, Traumatology, PolyVagal Theory, Safe and Sound Protocol, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Compassionate Inquiry, and Trauma-informed Care Education: Speaking, Training, and Consulting.
My therapeutic approach varies from others in that I leverage empathic witnessing and narrative sharing as a means to create mutuality, collaboration, and peer support.
Oftentimes, therapists create power dynamics that lead to transference and engagement in drama triangle encounters that reinforce adaptive patterns of behavior. Rather than working from a power differential, I work from a place of commonality and collaboration, sharing stories as a means to understand a client's perspective, goals, and experiences.
This narrative-based approach allows for me to make informed therapeutic decisions and assist clients in creating an understanding of the root events associated with patterns of behavior. Once we understand the root, we can work to provide for the needs that were left unmet, resolving the pattern of behavior.
Additionally, I provide Trauma-informed Care training and consulting for organizations seeking to work from a trauma-informed care approach. I have trained organizations in client-facing services, internationally, as well as in leadership and policy creation. Organizations that work from a trauma-informed approach have increased success and satisfaction in every aspect of functioning.
Contact Me
My journey back to psychology was spurred by my partner's seemingly sudden physical paralysis. As we started to investigate the causes of this paralysis, we learned that it was psychosomatic, which prompted me to go back to my educational roots to understand how I could help her heal. In the process, I discovered how common trauma-related dysfunction and dysregulation are, which led to a private psychotherapy practice in order to facilitate others in learning to heal.
202 Pawnee Avenue
Manitou Springs, Colorado 80829
Tel: 719.722.7422
email: gustav@gustavmoen.com