Hi, I'm David.
I was born in Washington, DC and raised in Alexandria, VA.
My parents separated when I was 5, divorced when I was 8.
I was molested at daycare at age 8.
I was raised Jewish, had a Bar Mitzvah at 13.
I was a pothead in high school, among other things.
I dropped out of college to pursue a career as a professional poker player.
While it was an especially unique lens through which to experience the world, I quit in search of deeper meaning in my work life.
I immigrated to Israel, and eventually returned home.
I fell in love and suffered a broken heart.
I worked with plant medicine and studied in Brazilian spiritual traditions.
I quit watching porn.
I dove into yoga and began teaching, but I wanted more depth.
Overuse injuries led to chronic pain, which seemed to emerge at the same moment I decided to learn alternative therapies—the universe’s way of saying, “to initiate: untangle your own karmic knot, then help others.”
My healing is still in process, but I have acquired much wisdom and practice along the way that I now wish to share with you.
I share my short bio with you in this manner for two reasons: simplicity, and shared experience. I have found that the former offers refuge in today’s complex world. The latter I hope will reveal overlap between us that will help you to know and trust me.
My Approach
Polarity Therapy utilizes both talk and touch techniques. Chinese medicine (one of Polarity’s influencers) holds that there are only four illnesses: too much, or too little, of yin, and yang. From there, 10,000 symptoms emerge. Imagine a pendulum that swings and gets stuck on one side—fixation. These methods aim to restore natural rhythm at the level of the nervous system, with reverberating benefits for emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
Somatic Experiencing was initially developed to treat acute or high-impact trauma. The same approaches were later seen to be effective in treating so-called “complex” trauma. Primarily we focus on slowing down, attuning and attending to what’s happening in the body, differentiating, expanding, and deepening the texture and dimensionality of that experience. We learn to find internal and external resources for grounding and settling when things become too intense.
Functional Movement I arrived to through my aggregated studies in many styles of yoga as well as other movement disciplines, including capoeira, Ido Portal, dance, weight-training, and continuum. I draw from these and other influences to create my own movement regimens. In turn, I will help you find ways of moving that feel safe and appropriate as a means of integrative support for the work we do in our sessions.
Professional Qualifications
RYT-200 Carrboro Yoga Co. & Yoga Alliance 2014
- +50-hour Rocket Yoga Teacher Training w/ David Kyle, Arlington, VA 2016
- +Sobin Anusara Immersion Program, w/ Paul & Sommer Sobin, Carrboro, NC 2015-16
Level 1 Associate Polarity Practitioner
- Colorado School of Energy Studies, w/ John Chitty, Boulder, CO 2018
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner*
- Beginning I, II, III, w/ Ariel Giaretto, Chapel Hill, NC 2017
- Intermediate I, II, III, w/ Alicen Halquist, Boulder, CO 2018-19
- Advanced I, w/ Berns Galloway, Ottawa, CA 2019
- Advanced II w/ Joshua Sylvae, Portland, OR 2019
*pending completion of case consultations
My Clients
My clients are...
- Visionaries
- Hard-working
- Resilient
- People with good hearts
and they are challenged by...
- A single event or ongoing stressful experience
- A sense of disconnect them from themselves, from their gifts & talents
- A dissonance between their vision and their reality, without knowing how to reconcile the two, and not wanting to go it alone anymore
- Perfectionism, disorganization, cynicism, victimhood, procrastination
And I offer support by...
- A foundation of deeply rooted compassionate presence that I work hard to cultivate within myself, in order to be of service
- Joining with my clients, right where they’re at, investigating and taking the true next step together
- Tracking & supporting what is already serving my clients, affirming there is a deep, innate intelligence to all processes
- Lighting a torch to illuminate the cavern of overwhelm through the process of titration
- Ensuring that all of our work together is taken at a digestible pace, and integrated IN. THE. BODY.
Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing®, believes that unresolved trauma and its ensuing stress response is sometimes linked to the root causes of many ailments.
While I am not qualified and therefore do not offer treatment for any of the following issues, many clients experience relief from these issues as an ancillary response to our work together.
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
- PTSD
- Grief & Loss
- Anger
- Heartbreak
- Addiction
My methods are, at heart, educational. I use awareness of body sensations and movement practice to cultivate greater presence of mind, and capacity for one to tolerate unpleasant experiences. By increasing this tolerance, the experiences become more palatable, and over time, perhaps even unnoticeable. This is the essence of psychosomatic healing.
Testimonials
“David is mellow and practical. I frequently find myself quoting his [sometimes genius] insights to my clients and to myself.”
Kasey David
Colleague, LCSW, California
“David has been an invaluable part of my healing journey. I am incredibly grateful for the guidance he has offered. His expertise combined with his compassion make for a truly great coaching experience. I can’t recommend him enough for others out there still suffering from trauma right now.”
J.M.
Client, Tulsa, OK
“I got so much from working with David. He taught me about how to be ok in my body by exploring and listening to sensations with curiosity and compassion. I also learned to hold space for my emotions such that I’m confident in my ability to take care of myself, which is incredibly empowering. Allowing myself to be okay in my body and has been one of the greatest growing experiences ever. He introduced me to a true form of self healing and was an amazing facilitator of this. I am so grateful for the gifts he shared and for the support he offered me. He is actually the most effective practitioner I have worked with, and I’ve worked with countless over the years!”
A.D.
Client, Toronto, Ontario
“David is just so present, and there’s such an intelligence to it. He gives me hope for the new world.”
A.F.
Compassionate Inquiry classmate, Budapest, Hungary
Rates & Contact
Reach out to set up a free, 20-minute phone consult. The regular session rate is $120 for 60 minutes, with discretionary sliding scale available upon inquiry.