Adriana Popescu

I developed my expertise in treating trauma, abuse, and PTSD throughout my 20+ years of working in this field, in environments ranging from psychiatric hospitals, group homes, residential and outpatient clinics. I have also been involved with a nonprofit organization called FREA – Finding Recovery and Empowerment from Abuse (frea.support). I use highly effective, evidence-based methods to treat trauma and PTSD, particularly the tools of Energy Psychology. Trauma affects a person on every level and has lasting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual effects. My approach is that all of these components must be addressed in order for a person to truly and completely heal from these experiences. I take a strengths-based, empowering stance in working with these issues, in which we move from an identity of victim to one of survivor. How can I support you to transform your traumatic experiences into triumphs?

I developed a specialty in treating addiction and co-occurring mental disorders over 15 years at a variety of addiction treatment programs the Bay Area; most recently as Clinical Director of Avery Lane, an innovative women's treatment program in Novato, CA. As with all my clinical work, my approach to addiction is a holistic one, incorporating the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of this issue. I've been part of developing The Conscious Recovery Method™ with my colleague TJ Woodward, an approach which moves beyond simply treating behaviors and symptoms. It focuses on the underlying root causes that drive destructive patterns, which include unresolved trauma, toxic shame, and spiritual disconnection. You can find out more about that work here: www.tjwoodward.com/consciousrecovery

Over the years, I’ve led thousands of therapy groups, and provided hundreds of people with individual, couples, and family therapy. I’ve treated people from all walks of life, with all kinds of presenting problems, from depression and anxiety, to chronic pain and illness, to addiction and severe mental illness. I have found that the common denominator across populations and issues is low self-esteem; people really don’t seem to be able to accept or love themselves. I have come to realize that the true core of my work is to empower people to find the light within themselves – to discover their true nature and free themselves of their self-judgments. I believe that this is what brings us true joy and inner peace, and allows us to create all that we desire in life.

I have years of experience and training in treating addictions and co-occurring mental health disorders. I tend to take a motivational, harm-reduction approach in my work, and am also fully in support of those choosing abstinence. There is no one strategy or answer for everyone, so a big part of what I do is to help tailor one's recovery program to meet their unique needs and desires. My approach to addiction and recovery is a holistic one, and I am particularly well-versed in the spiritual aspects of this through my work facilitating The Conscious Recovery Method™. I also use the Energy Psychology and Access Consciousness® tools to enhance the traditional addiction counseling methods, as I find that I get far greater results that way. I am interested in changing the current treatment paradigm, and I am bringing my years of experience and integration of these methods to Avery Lane, the women's addiction treatment program of which I am currently the Clinical Director.

I have been using the tools of Energy Psychology personally and professionally for over 20 years. I am a certified NET (NeuroEmotional Technique) practitioner, and I use this modality, along with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), BSFF (BE Set Free Fast), TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique), Brainspotting, Access Consciousness® and more, in my practice. Some of the techniques include hands-on energy work and need to be done in-person, many can be done over phone or video sessions. I am also an active member of ACEP (The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology) and have been involved in various humanitarian projects and outreach, including being the local chapter representative for ACEP in the Bay Area. I host monthly gatherings where other healing professionals interested in the EP tools gather to learn and share about these techniques and how to best practice them for ourselves and our clients.

There are a variety of methods to treat trauma, and I am well-versed in many of them, including somatic and energy-based therapies, mindfulness and cognitive therapies, and spiritual and transpersonal approaches. From my perspective, it is crucial to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of trauma, and the techniques I am using have been shown through research and clinical practice to be highly effective, often more so than traditional talk therapies. The problem with talk therapy is that it may not be able to access the unresolved traumatic experiences and energies that are held in the body and psyche. The methods I use allow us to not only uncover those energies and their origins, but to actually shift them so that they no longer create distress and limitation. It actually is possible to fully heal from trauma and go on to live a vibrant, fulfilling life free of its aftereffects.