I am honored to help you uncover your trauma, get closer to your authentic self and move toward your dreams.
Hi, I’m Mara Adelman
For over two decades, I have worked as a Physician Assistant at a family practice clinic. While I find great satisfaction in my work, I've observed that in today's disconnected world, it's increasingly difficult to help patients achieve optimal health and wellness. Many patients have confided that they struggle with truly connecting with others, particularly in dating and relationships.
It became clear that unless I helped people address their mental health and interpersonal relationships, I would only be treating symptoms—not truly helping people be balanced, connected, and well. This led me to enroll in a Sexuality Coaching Program, and more recently, a year-long intensive Psychedelic Practitioner program through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, along with a certificate in the Biology of Trauma and Attachment.
As a Physician Assistant, Relationship Coach, and Psychedelic Practitioner, I combine my medical knowledge and coaching passion with the profound insights I've gained from this powerful medicine work. I look forward to guiding you on your healing path.
Trauma
Gabor Maté, renowned trauma specialist, explains that trauma is not the event itself, but what happens inside you as a result of that event, often manifesting as a disconnect from oneself.
“Whether we realize it or not, it is our woundedness, or how we cope with it, that dictates much of our behavior, shapes our social habits, and informs our ways of thinking about the world.”
"Healing from trauma should begin with compassionate curiosity towards oneself, focusing on understanding why certain feelings and behaviors developed rather than simply asking 'why' they exist.
~Gabor Mate’
“As we take care of our body, we need to take care of our mind and soul.”
My Healing Journey
Like many in helping professions, I spent years believing I could compartmentalize trauma. I worked as an EMT and in emergency rooms, and served as a Disaster Medical Response Team member and Emergency Preparedness Manager at my clinic. I prided myself on "leaving work at the office" and blocking out the emotional toll. Although nothing traumatic happened to me personally, the secondary trauma from my disaster team's deployment to the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina, along with years of supporting colleagues and patients affected by local disasters, stayed with me. Through it all, I still didn't think the past traumas were affecting my life. That was, until multiple added stressors made it clear that the cumulative trauma and stress were, in fact, taking a toll.
The pandemic brought unprecedented strain as a medical provider, compounded by family illness and loss, natural disasters requiring evacuations, and major life transitions. Somewhere in the chaos, I forgot how to feel anything but numb. I unconsciously shut out challenging emotions by leaning on my old friend, compartmentalization, and in doing so, I also dulled my ability to feel joy. When the chronic stress finally ended, my body didn't understand it was safe to relax. My nervous system was shot. I felt "three tanks below empty," and my usual coping strategies were doing nothing to replenish me.
As Bessel van der Kolk explains in The Body Keeps the Score, "trauma isn't just a mental event; it becomes stored in the body, shaping our physical and emotional state long after the experience has passed." This proved true for me. I began to feel physically unwell. It took several years, an autoimmune diagnosis that forced me to slow down, and many different healing modalities before I began to feel "almost human again." I'm unsure if my mind, body, and soul would have healed without ketamine-assisted therapy, psychotherapy, EMDR, nature therapy, parts work, and somatic practices. Through these modalities, I've learned genuinely healthy coping skills that I can't wait to share with you.
Thanks to somatic work, I finally became embodied—truly present and at home in my body, able to experience my physical and emotional sensations rather than just thinking about them. Let me tell you, it feels good to get out of your head for a while. Let me teach you how.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned both personally and professionally is that it's important to work through your trauma to connect and anchor your mind, body, and spirit. This means stripping away the parts of yourself shaped by trauma that no longer serve you, and learning to befriend all of your parts and emotions—even the challenging ones. The more you release old trauma patterns, the more your gut and intuition come online to help you make grounded, life-affirming decisions from a place of abundance rather than scarcity.
As a Western medical provider and former first responder, I'm particularly passionate about helping my colleagues process the heavy toll of our professions because when you strip away the parts shaped by trauma, your true spirit comes forward! I have found my authentic self and rediscovered my wings. There is nothing simple about diving into your own trauma work, but the results are absolutely worth it! I am here to guide you to rediscovering your wings and dreams!
Stay connected,
