Tired of keeping the peace while losing yourself?
Start honoring your needs—without the fear of being cruel. Somatic therapy helps you unfreeze your voice and feel more at ease in your body, even as you navigate life's hurdles.
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Offering in-person trauma therapy sessions in Baltimore and virtual therapy throughout Maryland for compassionate people-pleasers ready to advocate for themselves while keeping their values intact.
Somatic Therapy for People Pleasers in Baltimore, MD
Ever feel like you're wearing a mask all day long—and worry what would happen if you took it off?
Let me guess: everyone sees you as the kind, capable, easy-going one. The one who always picks up the slack when someone's sick, goes with the flow even when you're screaming on the inside, or smiles through family dinners where your identity isn't acknowledged.
Maybe you've been unhappy in your relationship but you're not sure you're ready to leave, or you're facing new parenthood and all the past stuff from your own childhood that's coming up along with it. Or you're at that crossroads—late twenties wondering what you actually want, or navigating your thirties or forties and realizing the old patterns aren't working anymore.
Intellectually, you know you're not living the life you want. Emotionally, you feel frustrated and disconnected from yourself. But your body (despite all the talk therapy and coping strategies you may have tried) won't let you actually speak up or make changes. Because what might happen if you do?
If this resonates, you're in the right place—especially if you're someone whose identity has been dismissed, invalidated, or oppressed (doubly so if that’s in past therapy rooms). I want you to know all parts of you are welcome here and you've found a soft spot to begin the healing your body longs for—including those family patterns you've never quite known how to talk about—and to bring your full self forward with confidence.
What Makes Our Work Different:
Real Talk with a Side of Weird Metaphors
I'm not a blank-slate therapist. We'll laugh about the absurdity of breaking generational patterns under late-stage capitalism, I'll definitely swear, and I'll probably compare your nervous system to a cat at some point. Healing doesn't have to feel like homework.
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Somatic Therapy That Actually Unfreezes You
Your body knows something your brain doesn't—it's still protecting you from old threats. Through Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, we'll gently work with your nervous system to help you move from freeze/fawn to actually speaking up. No more being held hostage by your own stress responses.
Long-Term Support from Someone Who Gets the Long Game
I've been in private practice my entire therapy career because I believe in the magic of being truly known. This isn't quick-fix therapy with worksheets and homework. We're playing the long game here—building trust, unwinding patterns, and creating lasting change at your pace
Social Justice Baked In, Not Sprinkled On Top
Your people-pleasing didn't develop in a vacuum. We'll talk about how systems of oppression shaped your coping strategies, because healing happens when we understand the whole story—not just the personal parts. (Yes, I provide letters for gender-affirming care. Obviously.)
Plus: Intensives & Groups When You're Ready
Sometimes you need more than weekly sessions. I offer somatic therapy intensives when you want to go deep, and people-pleaser coaching groups when you're ready to heal in community.
Hi, I'm Erin—your gentle bunny meets real-talk therapist.
I came to this work after burning out in nonprofit spaces, watching brilliant changemakers (myself included) sacrifice their wellbeing for the cause. That experience taught me something crucial: you can't sustain the fight for justice when you're abandoning yourself in the process. Now I help fellow HSPs, ambiverts, and overthinkers find their voice without losing their values.
As someone trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Levels 1 & 2), I help you slow down, listen to your body, and trust yourself as we untangle past and present. Together, we'll unwind the patterns that keep you stuck—with laughter, realness, and increasingly weird metaphors and 80s/90s references that somehow make everything click.
Here's what we'll actually work on together:
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Setting boundaries without the guilt trip - We'll help your body unfreeze so you can actually speak up instead of just rehearsing it in your head and trust that you're being kind, not cruel
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Coping with the grief that comes after setting boundaries - We'll process the loneliness and relationship changes that nobody warns you about when you stop people-pleasing
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Overcoming your fear of conflict or confrontation - Through somatic work, you'll learn to stay present in your body when conversations get uncomfortable
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Addressing patterns of avoidance - We'll build your capacity to have hard conversations and do the hard things you've been putting off
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Identifying and honoring what you really need in life and relationships - Rather than staying stuck or keeping the peace
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Feeling confident being yourself - You'll learn to trust your needs without requiring ten people to validate them first—and actually enjoy your relationships
You don't have to become someone different. I promise. I'm here to support you in feeling safe to be who you've always been.
Ready to learn more? Check out my specialties in trauma therapy in Baltimore, somatic therapy, and therapy for people-pleasers, or browse frequently asked questions.
Want to see if we'd vibe? Explore my Instagram @erinbowmantherapy for more hot takes on boundaries and the intersections of identity, politics, and therapy.
Working together looks like:
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Where: In-person somatic therapy sessions in Baltimore or virtual trauma therapy anywhere in Maryland. I also offer Walk & Talk sessions along Stony Run Trail.
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When: 45-50 minute weekly sessions
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Investment: $195 per session
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Insurance: I am not in network, but provide superbills and tools to help make reimbursement easy for you
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Options: I also offer somatic therapy intensives or people-pleaser recovery groups for when you're ready to go deeper
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Questions? Check out the FAQ or email me directly to book a complimentary 20-min consultation.
Therapy won't make you stop being kind. But it will help you stop abandoning yourself to keep everyone comfortable.
And finally start enjoying your relationships instead of performing in them.
