About

Melissa Chana, MA, LPCC, PHC

Trauma-Informed Counselor, Coach & Author

Hey there, I’m Melissa - a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) based in Colorado, a trauma-informed coach, and author of Healing Through the Pain, How I recovered from Interstitial Cystitis.

I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a Bachelor’s in Life Coaching Psychology, Certification in Primal Health Coaching and training in EMDR, Brainspotting, EFT Tapping, Somatic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I specialize in helping high-functioning adults heal what traditional talk therapy often can’t reach, by getting to the root of emotional pain and unconscious beliefs.

This Isn’t Talk Therapy, It’s Structured Healing

What I Offer

I’m not a “just talk about it forever” therapist.

I don’t offer open-ended, endless sessions where we simply vent or revisit the past without direction. In my experience, this doesn’t lead to true healing. Instead, I guide you through a focused, trauma-informed process that integrates mind, body, and belief.

Here’s what you can expect in our work together:

Modalities I Use:

• Parts Work (inspired by Internal Family Systems)

• EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma resolution

• CBT Therapy for thought-emotion-behavior patterns

• DBT Therapy for emotional regulation and distress tolerance

• Psychoanalytic Talk Therapy for deeper insight (used intentionally: not endlessly)

Integrative Tools I Include:

• Bilateral Stimulation (based on EMDR principles)

• EFT Tapping for emotional release and nervous system resets

• Somatic Regulation Tools to calm the body and reconnect with safety

• Trauma-Informed Breathwork to support integration and release

• Belief Rewiring to shift core identity patterns rooted in early experiences

Every session is structured to create forward movement. Mentally, emotionally, and biologically.

A Personal Note

My work is deeply shaped by lived experience. I’m a survivor of complex childhood trauma marked by early loss, abuse, emotional neglect, and instability. These experiences impacted my nervous system long before I understood what was happening.

By the time I was 24, the years of stress began showing up in my body. I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis - a painful, life-altering condition doctors told me had no cure. Soon after, symptoms of complex PTSD began to surface, affecting not only my own life but also those around me.

At the time, I didn’t realize my pain was rooted within me. I believed the source was external. Through trial, error, and many difficult life lessons, I eventually saw that I was unconsciously recreating experiences that mirrored my chaotic childhood. My nervous system had been wired for survival, not safety, and that wiring shaped the way I lived.

I refused to believe that chronic pain and emotional suffering were my final story.

I immersed myself in psychology education, trauma healing, counseling, nervous system repair, and mind-body science. I also used ozone therapy and other integrative methods involving diet to help my body detox, regulate, and regenerate. Over time, I made a full recovery.

That journey led me to write Healing Through the Pain, and more importantly, to support clients who are navigating the effects of childhood trauma, chronic illness and mental health challenges. My work is for those who are ready to move beyond just coping or talking, and begin the deeper work of rewiring patterns from the inside out.

I know what it’s like to be in survival mode, and what it takes to shift out of it. I now use everything I’ve learned to walk alongside others on their path toward real transformation.