MEET ALISON DAGGER
Somatic, music-centered, trauma therapist
for creatives, performers, and healers
Based in Waterbury, Vermont
Serving clients virtually in Maryland & Vermont
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), & Nationally Board-Certified Music Therapist | she/her
Dear creative humans…
Does any of this resonate?
You feel the tension between what society expects of you - constant achievements, stable career, conformity to social norms - and what truly makes you happy.
You struggle with feelings of loneliness. It doesn’t matter how many people are around. It’s hard to fully let people in, no matter how badly you want that connection.
Often you say one thing, but feel another. It’s like you’re wearing a mask. There’s the version you let everyone see, and the version you feel you are deep inside. It’s terrifying to think about letting other people see that version of you.
Creative expression has been a central pillar in your life. As one of your safe spaces, it’s helped you better understand your lived experiences. But lately, you’ve struggled to find your true voice, motivation, and inspiration.
You’ve been in talk therapy for years. While it helped you make progress in an intellectual way, you’re ready to go deeper. You recognize that over-thinking is probably part of the problem, and you want to get back in your body.
You are in the right place.
This is where deep inner work happens.
Welcome. I’m Alison.
I became a music therapist because music brought me back home to myself… and it can do the same for you, too.
As a performer, recovering perfectionist, and granddaughter of survivors of the Holocaust, I’ve seen how art and creativity can lead to profound healing and connection.
I’d be honored to partner with you on your journey - so you can move from seeking worthiness outside yourself to feeling it from within.
Reconnect with your creativity.
Recover from trauma.
Feel more grounded, authentic, and fully yourself.
MY STORY
At five years old, attending my first ever concert, I discovered the flute - and I loved it. Without even realizing it, practicing gave me purpose, regulated my constantly on-edge nervous system, and taught me to breathe properly.
In high school, listening to emo and grunge music, singer songwriters, alt rock, and musical theater helped me feel understood, even though I felt so misunderstood everywhere else in my life.
Although performance led to a sense of achievement, there was also a disconnect between who I knew I was inside and how I felt perceived by everyone around me.
In college, I majored in music performance and dreamed of making that my career.
Though I loved music, the intensity of training as a classical flutist came with its challenges (which you probably know all too well).
The constant competition for solos and top spots.
The pressure to be perfect and fear that comes in anticipation of making a mistake on stage.
The self-doubt, insecurity, and relentless comparison of your creative work to others.
By the time I graduated, I was completely burned out. It took me years to pick my flute up again. But when I did, it was to play music from my heart, not my head.
Across time, as my relationship to music performance changed, so did my relationship to myself. My inner talk became more compassionate and I felt inspired and confident.
I finally felt that who I was on the inside was reflected in who I was on the outside. And that included within my musical expression.
If any part of my story resonates for you, I’d love to be of service. Let’s help you rebuild your own inner relationship, so you too can celebrate your inner strength and show up as yourself, no matter where you are or who’s around.
I work well with…
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Therapists and healers who need a space to exhale and feel held, after holding space for others all day
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Artists and performers who want to reconnect with their creativity
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Creative, insightful adults who want to stop overthinking and start trusting themselves
Through creative, somatic, music-centered therapy, it is possible to shift from…
being stuck in your head, thinking and talking in circles
striving for perfection, never feeling like enough
having to prove your worth
overthinking and second-guessing every decision
wondering when the next shoe will drop
to…
healing deeply, in ways that go beyond words
knowing your worthiness from within
trusting your own voice
creating and living a life on your terms
feeling grounded and rooted in your body
I specialize in…
complex trauma and PTSD
sexual and emotional abuse
Jewish mental health and intergenerational trauma
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
What makes me qualified to support you?
MA, Lesley University, Boston, Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Music Therapy
BA, Goucher College, Baltimore, Music Performance (Flute)
7+ years of experience as a trauma-focused, somatic, music therapist
Licensures
Trained in creative & embodied approaches to trauma recovery, including Brainspotting and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
These are my guiding lights as a therapist.
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On some level, we all know what is right and what is wrong for us. If you didn’t know this, you probably wouldn’t be seeking therapy right now.
I believe my role as your therapist is to help you access this knowing that’s already inside of you. One of the ways we do this is by centering your relationship with music.
The artists, songs, and musical spaces that have meant the most to you become a guide, helping you attune to this knowing inside. It’s like a tuning fork. When you first hit it, the sound is all over the place, but as things settle, the true tone reveals itself.
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In our work together, we don’t ask “what’s wrong with you?” Instead, we look at the whole context, and the impact of systems, culture, and intergenerational experiences - and ask: “what’s wrong with what happened?”
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I value our connection, and strive to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and safe to explore your inner depths.