HEI, I AM LAINE!
Information below is in English.
If you would like to read information about me in Latvian, click here.
Ja vēlies lasīt par mani Latviski, tad spied šeit.
I like traveling, reading books, the sea, the mountains, cats, and dreaming.
But most of all, I love working on my own growth and inner healing—and helping others do the same.
I help ambitious, sensitive people heal so they can thrive in their lives.
I am a somatic trauma therapist and a holistic personal development coach.
Somatic trauma therapy is body-based work—working with the nervous system and its regulation to release the stress and emotions that have accumulated as a result of trauma.
The way I help people is based on two core principles: inner child healing and nervous system regulation.
My approach is holistic: we work not only with the mind, but also with the body and the nervous system.
I help with:
various types of anxiety (generalized anxiety, autonomic dysfunction/vegetative dystonia, health anxiety, social anxiety, anxious attachment in relationships, etc.)
insecure attachment in relationships (anxious, avoidant, disorganized), helping to develop a secure attachment system
chronic pain (migraines, chronic back pain, etc.)
burnout, its symptoms, and preventive work to avoid it
sleep disturbances
depression
working through various patterns that create chronic stress in everyday life (perfectionism, inability to relax, people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries, a tendency to control, absorbing other people’s emotions, procrastination, etc.)
self-worth, self-confidence, self-love
emotional difficulties in relationships, career, and finances
emotional and stress regulation
somatic trauma therapy methods can also be helpful for chronic conditions that have no medical explanation or treatment (for example, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, etc.)
I use several internationally recognized somatic trauma therapy methods developed by well-known trauma experts such as Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Richard Schwartz, Diane Poole Heller, and others.
My Professional Training:
Compassionate Inquiry® Certified Practitioner
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (Advanced level)
DAR (Dynamic Attachment Repatterning), Level 3 (a somatic approach to healing attachment wounds)
Somatic Parts Work (based on the Internal Family Systems therapy model)
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy
Somatic Developmental Trauma Certificate Program
Bessel van der Kolk Traumatic Stress Studies
Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health Certificate (The Neuroscience Academy, created by Dr. Sarah McKay)
Trauma-Informed Coach
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Practitioner
Certified Life, Mindset & Success Coach (YES Supply)
Master’s degree in Humanities (University of Latvia)
Altogether more than 1000 h in different trainings. My certificates are available here.
I have worked with over 600 people in my individual and group programs.
A couple of quotes that my approach is based on:
“Trauma is not what happened to you, but what happened inside you as a result.” /Dr. Gabor Maté/
“To be traumatized means to organize your life as if the trauma were still going on—unchanged and permanent—as if every new experience were already colored by the past.” /Bessel van der Kolk/
“The essence of trauma is disconnection from the self.” /Dr. Gabor Maté/
“The body keeps the score.” /Bessel van der Kolk/
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence. Trauma can be healed—not only healed, but with appropriate guidance and support, it can be transformative.” /Dr. Peter Levine/
Apply for a free 15 min consultation call with Laine
Why working with the body is so important?
I originally started out as a mindset coach, saying, “Change your thoughts, change your life.”
Until I realized that this is definitely not enough.
Rationally, I knew perfectly well what I needed to do, but I still kept repeating the same thinking and behavioral patterns I wanted to change.
Many of our limiting beliefs and behavioral habits live not only in our head, but also in our body and nervous system.
In fact, the state of our nervous system in every moment of our life determines everything else: sensations, emotions, thoughts, reactions, decisions, behavior, etc. All of it depends on whether, in that particular moment, our nervous system is sensing signals of safety or threat.
The nervous system is constantly scanning the environment around us, our relationships with others, and the internal state of the body. This scanning happens outside the control of the conscious mind and is called neuroception.
When we work only with thoughts and behavior, we’re trying to change one of the end results. That’s why working with the nervous system and trauma is at the root of so many of our problems.
Additionally, our vagus nerve, which makes up the largest part of our parasympathetic nervous system, sends 80% of all information from the body to the brain and only 20% from the brain to the body. This means that to get out of a chronic stress state, somatic (body-based) therapy methods have a much greater effect.
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Laine Kalēja is a somatic trauma therapist and a holistic personal growth coach. In her work with clients, Laine uses internationally recognized somatic therapy methods: Somatic Experiencing, Dr. Gabor Maté’s method Compassionate Inquiry, and Somatic Parts Work (based on the Internal Family Systems therapy model).
Laine helps sensitive people with inner healing by supporting them in healing anxiety (including autonomic dysfunction/vegetative dystonia), depressive states, preventing burnout, and learning to effectively regulate the nervous system and emotions in everyday life. Laine helps clients process various traumatic experiences (childhood/developmental trauma, shock trauma, and attachment wounds/relational trauma), thereby reducing disruptive patterns and emotional reactivity.
Somatic trauma therapy methods can also be helpful in cases of chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and autoimmune conditions—helping to reduce symptoms or, depending on the situation, even fully resolve them.
Laine has professionally trained in the internationally recognized somatic trauma therapy method Somatic Experiencing, and continues to develop professionally in this method by attending trainings outside Latvia twice a year. Laine has also completed the training in Dr. Gabor Maté’s therapeutic method Compassionate Inquiry and is now a certified Compassionate Inquiry® practitioner. In addition, Laine holds a certificate in Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health (The Neuroscience Academy) and several trauma-informed personal growth coaching certifications.
Laine holds a Master’s degree in the Humanities. She has 10+ years of direct sales, mentoring, and leadership experience in the international company Southwestern Advantage, which has been in operation for over 160 years. She also received the Top Business Builder award in 2019 and has been among the top 5% in results several times among approximately 2,000 other young people.
Laine’s certificates are available here.
Laine lives in Jūrmala and works with clients worldwide via Zoom.
