Today we’d like to introduce you to Melisa Baker.
Melisa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, I’m Melisa, and I’m a Trauma Coach trained in the Instinctual Trauma Response (ITR)® Method. I help people who feel stuck in life find a way forward. Many of the struggles people face come from old beliefs and patterns they learned in childhood, often through neglect, abuse, or unhealthy family dynamics. Those patterns can show up later in life in relationships, careers, health, and even in how someone sees themselves. My role is to help people understand what is happening inside and give them tools to shift those old patterns so they can live with more freedom and confidence.
What I’ve found is that what many people think of as mental illness is often unprocessed trauma. It is not that something is wrong with them, it is that trauma gets stored in the nervous system and continues to affect them until it is addressed.
My path to this work started early. I grew up in a dysfunctional family, which gave me a lot of practice listening and paying attention to others before I even had the words for it. In college, I realized business classes were not for me and I gravitated toward psychology and art, which felt natural. I eventually earned a degree in psychology and later a master’s in art therapy while pregnant with my first son.
After he was born, I worked as an Art Therapist at a behavioral health hospital in San Diego. When my second son came along, I decided to stay home for a while. Those years of raising my boys and my nephew showed me how much childhood experiences shape us. Later, when I returned to work at a small mental health group in Pacific Beach, I worked with both veterans and civilians who carried heavy trauma from childhood into their adult lives. Many had tried therapy, medication, or meditation but still felt stuck. That is when I discovered the ITR® Method, and it completely changed the way I understood healing. It combines neuroscience, art and storytelling, and parts work, and it helps people get to the root of their struggles in a safe and effective way.
Today, I work with clients through my telehealth practice, A New View of You, as well as at that same small group practice in Pacific Beach. I feel grateful to be able to work with people locally, across the country, and even internationally, helping them let go of the weight of the past and move forward with more clarity and hope.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Actually, I think the experience of creating the type of coach I wanted to be with the backing of neuroscience and the creative elements that help with expression was an organic. Even though the beginning was in childhood trauma which wasn’t easy way, I can look back now and understand how I got to where I am today. I became wiser and more selective as I learned what was important to me and what worked for my clients. It took a circuitous pathway for sure, and many years; but I learned so much just from life experiences alone by observing others, dealing with my own problems along the way, finding the proper higher education and finally seeking out specialized trainings (ITR Specialist and Life Coaching). If I hadn’t had the personal side journeys along the way and dabbled in things that interested me, I wouldn’t be here today because honestly, I had no clue this is where I wanted to be. But here I am, and I know I have landed on my feet.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is trauma coaching for people who have experienced childhood trauma such as abuse or neglect. I help them get out of survival mode, because that is often where they are stuck without even realizing it. People live in survival mode unaware, carrying negative beliefs they learned long ago. Those beliefs shape how they react as adults, leaving them trapped in what feels like a never-ending cycle of responding to abuse long after it has ended.
Here’s a story that shows how powerful those old beliefs can be.
The Elephant and the Rope
A man walking past a camp of elephants noticed these huge animals were being held by nothing more than a small rope tied to their front leg. There were no chains, no cages. Obviously, the elephants could break free at any time, but they didn’t.
He asked a trainer why the elephants made no attempt to get away. The trainer explained, “When they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size rope to tie them. At that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow, they’re conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope still holds them, so they never try.”
The man was amazed. These massive animals could easily break free, yet because they believed they couldn’t, they stayed stuck.
The same thing happens to people, and it happens more often than we realize.
What I do is give clients tools based in neuroscience, parts work, art, and narrative therapy. I teach them how to use these tools so they can begin responding from their present adult self instead of from their past hurt self. True trauma is not being able to live in the present and continuing to react out of old wounds.
The method I use is called the Instinctual Trauma Response® (ITR) Method. It is a structured, evidence-supported process designed to reduce stress symptoms like depression, anxiety, anger, and self-harm. The goal of the ITR® Method is not just symptom management, but full recovery from trauma.
It helps people to:
* Experience rapid relief from traumatic stress symptoms, often in a matter of days
* Treat the root cause of trauma rather than just managing coping mechanisms
* Reduce trauma phobia with a holistic approach that uses neuroscience, art, and narrative therapy
* Address different types of traumas, including early-life trauma
* Find results when other methods haven’t worked
* Access support easily through telehealth
* Ground when overwhelmed using simple, effective grounding tools
Doing this work with me, people come to understand the impact childhood stressors and trauma have had on their lives. They begin to see themselves with more compassion and acceptance—and honestly, who couldn’t use a little more of that?
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think finding your tribe where others believe in what you believe in is very helpful. That tribe often has similar values and beliefs as you do which gives you a good foundation and confidence that you can then root in and grow out of. Believe in yourself and listen to yourself as you are your very own best mentor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anewviewofyou.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisa-baker-anewviewofyou/
