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Raina LaGrand (she/her)
LMSW • MPH • CYT

I’m a somatic therapist, yoga teacher, speaker and facilitator, living on Anishinaabe land (Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA).

 

In my practice I help mixed race adults, interracial couples, and other inbetweeners find peace and feel emotionally connected to others through somatic therapy, coaching, and courses. My expertise and passion lands at the intersection of racial identity, emotions, trauma, relationships, and somatic practice.

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I'm also an avid gardener, cook, dog mom, yoga practitioner (I've been teaching for 10 years) and lover of dance and art.

How Did I Get Here?

I’ve lived my entire life at the intersection of this and that. I understand firsthand how complicated life can feel when you live in between identities. It's especially difficult to feel secure in your relationships - family, friends, romantic, or otherwise - when you aren't sure where you fit in or how people view you. 

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I deeply believe that we all make sense and that we all have the capacity for fulfilling connection. My training (and work with clients like you) has proven this to be reality when we have the right support, skills, and feel safe enough to own what we want and need. 

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MyApproch

Why I Do What I Do

I see myself as a guide in helping you come into your truth and a state of being that feels good. 

 

Therapy with me is therefore not just about healing but about reimagining what’s possible. It is an active process of Self-discovery, Self-care, and Self-expression.

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If you’re ready to reimagine what’s possible for your relationship to your body and the people in your life you are in the right place. I consider this work sacred and I am honored by the possibility of joining you in your journey.

I'm Rooted In The Beliefs That...

  1. You make sense. Our lived experiences shape how we see the world and how we show up in it. Our identities shape our experience of connection and wellbeing. You aren’t broken. Not one bit.

  2. You belong. Humans are naturally interdependent creatures. At the same time, our wounds are often the result of things that have happened to us in our relationships. Because of that, we need to create the circumstances to have different experiences in our relationships.

  3. The relationships we choose are opportunities to practice new behaviors and values that weren't available to us in previous relationships. 

  4. Social transformation starts with personal transformation. Some of the most important work you can do for the movement is work on yourself.

  5. You don’t have to do everything alone. There doesn't have to be anything "wrong" with you to seek support. It is normal to have needs (and even wants!).

My Background at a Glance​

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Licensed Masters in Social Work (Clinical) & Masters in Public Health, University of Michigan

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Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certificate, The Embody Lab

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Trained in Gottman Method for couples therapy

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Extensive training in trauma treatment, including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1 & Jane Clapp's Movement for Trauma

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Certified Yoga Teacher, A2 Yoga

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Background in health education & health coaching​, including sexual health, consent, sexual assault prevention, and more

Somatic Lineages That Influence My Approach

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The following is a list of the lineages that are with me when I’m supporting clients. Learn more about somatics here.

 

  • First and foremost, lived experience and practice-based evidence

  • Yoga, in particular Hatha lineages, Shiva Rae/Prana Vinyasa, and the teachings of my teacher, Ana Hough. 

  • Black Liberation Theologies, Black Queer Feminisms, and scholars/writers including bell hooks, Paolo Freire, Audre Lorde, adrienne maree brown, Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry and more.

  • Indigenous wisdom about the bodymind, colonization, and more from Native American teachings via scholars including Renee Linklater, Joseph Gone, Eduardo Duran and Cheryl Metoyer-Duran, and Maria Yellow Horse Braveheart.

  • Buddhism & Mindfulness Meditation

  • Dance in the styles of Cecchetti Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical/Contemporary, and West and Southern African

  • Contemporary somatics practitioners, such as Jane Clapp, Amber McZeal, Resmaa Menekam, Beck Beverage of the Trans Embodiment Project, Marika Heinrichs of Wild Body Somatics (who encouraged me to write a lineage statement in the first place), Prentis Hemphill, and more.

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