I Know What It's Like to Live in Fear.
— and I know what it means to find your way out.
The Story Behind the Healer
For most of my life, I was afraid.
Anxiety. Panic attacks. PTSD. Depression.
The kind of fear that shapes every decision, every breath, every moment.
I tried everything: therapy, medication, and coping strategies.
Some things helped a little, but nothing reached the deepest part of what I was carrying.
Then life brought me to the edge.
Cancer.
Two near-death experiences.
Medical trauma.
More fear than I’d ever known.
I stood at a crossroads:
I could let this break me, or I could get curious about what my mind, body, and spirit were trying to tell me.
I chose curiosity.
And that choice changed everything.
The Journey That Became My Purpose
I began exploring approaches I'd never considered before:
Holistic Healing.
Trauma Education.
Nervous System Work.
Energy Medicine.
Somatic Awareness.
Spiritual Integration.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t managing symptoms.
I was healing the root.
I learned that:
- My anxiety wasn’t a flaw. It was my nervous system trying to protect me from old wounds.
- My body was holding stories I’d never consciously remembered.
- My panic wasn’t random. It was a pattern that could be understood and unwound.
- Healing wasn’t about “fixing” myself. It was about returning to wholeness.
Slowly, gently, the fear began to soften.
The panic attacks stopped.
The depression lifted.
I found a peace I didn’t know was possible.
And I realized: If I could heal this deeply, others could too.
From Lived Experience to Professional Practice
My path to becoming a holistic counselor wasn’t linear. It was earned.
I bring together:
Lived Experience
I’ve survived cancer, near-death experiences, PTSD, chronic anxiety, depression, and medical trauma.
I don’t just understand these experiences clinically, I know them intimately.
Clinical Training
I’m currently earning my Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling, with specialized training in trauma, grief, and integrative approaches.
Holistic Experience
Certified Holistic Health Coach and Energy Medicine practitioner.
I work with the whole person, not just the mind, but the body and spirit, too.
Teaching Background
Years as a teacher gave me deep insight into how different minds work, especially for those with learning differences and neurodivergence.
Bestselling Author
My memoir, Dying to Live: Surviving Near-Death, shares my journey and has helped thousands understand their own experiences with trauma and transformation.
I didn't choose this work because it sounded interesting.
I chose it because I lived it, and because I know the way through.
My Approach: Whole-Person, Root-Cause Healing
I don’t just treat symptoms. I help you understand the story.
Whole-Person Healing
You’re not just a diagnosis. You’re a person with a history, a body that remembers, and a spirit that’s trying to find its way. I honor all of that.
Root-Cause Exploration
We don’t just put a Band-Aid on the pain. We gently uncover why it’s there so you can heal it at the source.
Nervous System Regulation
Your body’s reactions aren’t “crazy.” They’re protective responses that made sense once. Together, we help your nervous system learn it’s safe now.
Trauma-Informed Care
I understand how trauma lives in the body and shapes everything. You’ll never be rushed, pushed, or re-traumatized in our work.
Compassionate Presence
You will never be judged here. Never dismissed. Never told to “just get over it.” Only met with deep respect, safety, and understanding.
Spiritual Integration (For All Beliefs)
I honor the spiritual dimension of healing, especially after illness, loss, or near-death experiences. Whether you’re deeply spiritual, questioning, or somewhere in between, there’s space for you here.
Who I Work With:
If you’re carrying something heavy, you belong here.
I specialize in supporting people through:
- Anxiety & Panic Disorders: When your nervous system won’t let you rest, and fear follows you everywhere.
- PTSD & Complex Trauma: The wounds that live beneath the surface and shape how you experience the world.
- Depression: When the world feels gray, distant, or like you’re watching life through glass.
- Grief & Loss: The kind of loss that changes everything and leaves you wondering who you are now.
- Illness & Medical Trauma: Cancer, chronic conditions, and diagnoses that alter your entire life. I’ve been there.
- Life Transitions: Divorce, career loss, identity shifts, becoming someone new when the old life falls away.
- Parenting Challenges: Especially for parents of children with learning differences, ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergence.
- Addiction Recovery Support: Compassionate guidance for those healing from substance use or supporting a loved one.
- Spiritual Crisis or Awakening: When your spiritual experience brings more confusion than clarity, or when you feel disconnected from meaning.
- Near-Death Experience Integration: Few people understand the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aftermath of NDEs. I do.
Why This Work Matters to Me
Because I remember what it felt like to hurt that much.
I remember lying awake at 3 am, heart racing, certain that something was terribly wrong. I remember the panic that came out of nowhere. The depression that made everything feel impossible. The grief after illness that no one else seemed to understand.
I remember feeling broken. Unfixable. Alone.
And I remember the moment I realized I wasn’t any of those things.
I was hurting. I was carrying wounds that needed tending. And with the right support, the right understanding, the right kind of healing, I could find peace again.
Not perfection.
Not a quick fix.
Not a promise that life won’t be hard.
But a path through.
A way to understand yourself.
A gentle, compassionate space where you can finally put down what you’ve been carrying and discover the peace that’s been waiting underneath all along.
My Promise to You
When you work with me, you’ll receive:
- Deep Listening: I hear not just your words, but what’s beneath them.
- Safe Space: No judgment. No rushing. No pressure to be anything but yourself.
- Professional Expertise: Clinical training combined with lived experience.
- Holistic Understanding: We honor your mind, body, spirit, and story.
- Personalized Support: Your healing journey is unique, and we’ll honor that.
- Hope: Because I’ve walked through the darkness and found the light, and I know you can too.
You Don't Have to Do This Alone Anymore.
If you’re ready to stop managing symptoms and start healing the root, I’m here.
If you’re tried of feeling broken and ready to feel whole again, I’m here.
If you need someone who truly understands what you’re going through, I’m here.
Let’s begin.
Cathy Gabrielsen
Holistic Counselor • Trauma Healer • Cancer Survivor • #1 Bestselling Author
