Meet Sharan Chahal | AMFT #126633, RYT-200, EMDR provider

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sharan Chahal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharan, what do you attribute your success to?
As a psychosomatic therapist specializing in trauma and addiction, I lead my therapy sessions with the understanding that the the origins of an individual’s addiction is created in an attempt for an individual to mediate and self soothe their complex traumatic experiences. The client’s trauma history and their efforts to mask their pain are both highly personal and subjective processes dependent upon the client’s unique life experiences. No two persons’ experiences of trauma and their attempts to self soothe their distress are identical. Addiction has historically been recognized as a disease process. I also view addiction as a maladaptive survival response compulsion created in an attempt to soothe the dysregulated nervous system brought upon in response to facing traumatic experiences and memories. Honoring the client’s personal life experiences and embracing a power based perspective in therapy allows me to highlight each client’s innate strengths and resiliency. This allows me to individualize the client’s journey of processing and integrating their pain in order to build newfound hope in creating new meaning and purpose to their suffering. I like to expand beyond traditional talk therapy and guide the client through their intuitive, nonverbal processes of their stored trauma. This allows the therapeutic space to be open towards acknowledging and drawing awareness towards the client’s somatic experience of storing trauma fused with their verbal narrative to allow for a more holistic approach to healing. There is so much information the body can rely to us by way of nonverbal communication and it is helpful to access that information and gain deeper insight along with the spoken word. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a psychosomatic therapist, I feel privileged to be gifted with holding space for individuals who are overwhelmed or in severe distress navigating some of the most difficult moments in their lives. I believe strongly that the success of the therapeutic relationship depends on the relationship I build with my clients. A relationship that is built on support, trust and most importantly empathy. Within my field of psychotherapy, I lean heavily on the spiritual and somatic specialties of healing. I specialized in spirituality psychology in my Clinical Psychology master’s program and have a background guiding others in their yoga and meditation practice. It has always been my vision to evolve beyond offering traditional talk therapy and integrate and honor the complex layers of healing. In the therapy space, I love to integrate cognitive therapy with body and spirit integration. When working with my clients, I invite inquiry into the intuitive and somatic realities of my clients in addition to their cognitive reality of being to process the pain and allow for present mindedness healing. I have been level 1 trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and have recently taken the Basic Training to become an EMDR provider to expand my knowledge and depth into somatic integration towards the healing of trauma.

I understand with trauma, sometimes it is difficult for people to have the narrative to speak about their hurt. I believe deeply in the bottom up approach for some clients. I often begin with their intuitive non verbal somatic aspects of their understanding and work our way up to the logical cognitive aspects when processing and integrating their trauma. I approach each individual by meeting them where they are in their recovery and healing process. I strive to create a healing space to allow the client to find strength in their vulnerability and strengthen their connection between their mind and body to provide the opportunity for new insights and meaning. There is so much additional information the body contains and accessing that information with somatic approaches to healing has been incredible in my client’s growth and progression of healing their past pain. I love to get to the origins of their trauma and hurt rather than only mending their symptoms.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Now that I live on the westside of LA, I would love to start the day taking my friend to the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine to begin the day with a peaceful walk around the soothing scenery. When we’d get hungry, I would drive my friend about 20 minutes north to Cafe on 27- a tree house like brunch spot in the heart of Topanga Canyon. Afterwards, I would show my friend the Santa Monica Pier and lay out on the beach the rest of the day. If we feel like it, I would take them to Elephante in Santa Monica to enjoy a sunset dinner.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a Shoutout to Muse Treatment based in Culver City and Westwood, that provides both mental health and addiction recovery treatment to individuals wanting to make a meaningful shift in their lives from a life of addiction and pain to a life of hope and recovery. https://musetreatment.com/

I would also like to give a Shoutout to my group private practice, Trauma Resolution Therapy Group, that integrates mindfulness based healing with trauma processing to provide individuals, adolescents and couples with healing therapeutic care and progress through difficult life transitions.
https://www.traumaresolutiontherapists.com/

Website: www.sharhealing.com

Instagram: @shachawhatev