ABOUT ERIN FLYNN

It’s Been A Journey

I chose this profession after finding my own self through an outward journey from coast to coast and through an inward journey of embodiment. I have long felt the call to serve others.  Though it took me some time to figure out how to get here, I’ve learned a lot and lived life fully.

In The Beginning

I was born in Chicago, IL and though the moniker ‘The Windy City’ applies to its verbose politicians, the weather is also quite unbearable! I left for sunny Colorado winters as soon as I could find a good excuse. Once I finished school, I hit the road with my sister and partner in crime for the skiers’ life in the Rockies. Since my transformative ski season in Aspen, I have lived on both coasts, Seattle and New York City. I had two southwestern stopovers in Taos, NM and Boulder, CO. I was in search of adventure and on the lookout for a place to call home. It could have been the immigrant spirit of all four of my grandparents that lead me on my cross-continent quest. Their desire to provide a better life for their children gave them the strength and resilience to leave Ireland and find a new home in the United States.

A Calling

I heard my own call to serve as a kid, seeing my dad serve as a Chicago Firefighter. I felt his passion for his work in the way he shared his experiences with me and my siblings. He instilled in me a desire to find work that was a calling, that supported myself and my family, and gave me the opportunity to serve. He also suffered from PTSD. Due to the stigma of a helper not needing help, his PTSD was untreated. I want to work to eradicate the stigma of mental health treatment for all beings who suffer.

I have benefited from therapy. I have learned how to love myself, to parent myself, and to create meaningful, connected relationships. We are all, paradoxically, alike and unique at the same time. I love the story of each person I meet. Our stories help us to define ourselves, though sometimes our stories get stuck in a loop or we could use assistance making better sense of what has happened to us. We get to define how the events of our lives stay with us or give us the spark we need for transformation. I want every one who wants to experience healing in their lives to have the opportunity to do so.

My Specialties

I specialize in PTSD treatment and recovery support. My practice is enriched by the expanding field of trauma treatment as it relates to PTSD & recovery from addiction. There is a broad understanding that trauma lives in our bodies. There has been a new movement to treat the impact of trauma by incorporating our bodies into the treatment. When we have a traumatic memory, where does that come from: our brains, our bodies, or a combination of the the two? If there’s not a specific locale, then how do we incorporate the whole of ourselves in therapy?

Through all of my travels, the place I could always count on to keep me grounded was my experiences in my body. I began a somatic understanding through competitive athletics in my childhood. I experienced the freedom of movement through skiing and mountain biking in the mountains of Colorado and Washington St. I began to explore the inner landscapes of my human experience with a daily ashtanga yoga practice. I gained a better understanding of my resilience and sense of self through my lived experiences.

My yoga practice helped me to balance a fast-paced life style, working in fashion, and attempting and failing to get a yoga lifestyle start-up off the ground in NYC. It ultimately lead me to a career change into body-based studies for help with my personal recovery from the effects of the life I had lead in the big city. I studied natural healing at New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics and became a licensed massage therapist.

Still On The Lookout For Adventure

The way I bring my adventures with me is to engage in a high degree of silliness, play and spontaneity. I bring joy to the activities I engage in, like rollerskating, longboarding, or riding my bike around town. Along the way I’ve noticed a kind, encouraging word can have an impact on others in a positive way. And as much as I’ve been encouraged, I like to offer the same back to others. I am dedicated to a somatic meditation practice in the Dharma Ocean lineage. The practice strengthens my sense of groundedness and aids in my ability to remain calm in stressful situations. I have good sense for seeing things as they are, a high tolerance for difference, and a propensity to call out injustice. To keep a balance in my life, I dance, take in the beauty our surroundings, and write about both.

Perhaps Our Paths Will Cross On Your Journey

I bring a wealth of life experience to my practice. My know-how and skills serve a wide range of people in the Boulder community. I have been pursuing an understanding of how our bodies impact our minds and our minds impact our bodies through many different modalities. From competitive athletics, downhill mountain sports, to yoga, massage, and mediation. I bring the blend of all of my studies and journey into our sessions as an offering to serve you on your own route to embodiment.
My degree is from Naropa University and is Master of Arts in Somatic Counseling Psychology with and emphasis on Body Psychotherapy. I have EMDR certification and I am working on becoming a Licensed Addiction Counselor, LAC.