About Romi
About Romi
Romi Cumes is a leading professional in somatic and relational psychotherapy, bodywork, yoga Instruction, and intuitive healing. She is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Certified Massage Therapist, and has been committed to healing, mindfulness, and movement-based studies for over twenty years. Her intention is to support people from all walks of life to explore the profound relationship between somatic (body-centered) awareness, inner-healing and personal growth.
Romi integrates clinical knowledge with intuitive wisdom to initiate greater transformation and healing for her clients. Based out of Santa Barbara, California, she founded Transformative Healing Arts in 2006 and in 2021 established Romi Cumes Somatic Therapy P.C., a Marriage and Family Therapy Corporation, providing psychotherapy, counseling, spiritual coaching, bodywork, yoga and energy healing sessions.
Visit the contact page to submit an appointment request, and stay tuned to Romi’s blog to get updates, access wellness resources, and learn about upcoming lectures or workshops.
My Background
Movement has been one of the most profound sources of soul-nourishment in my life. Long before I was interested in psychology, I was inspired by gymnastics, dance, and yoga, all of which opened me up to the power of innate body wisdom. I believe there are endless pathways to self-discovery, including both subtle and dynamic embodiment practices. Personal exploration of somatic and relational psychology taught me how to slow down and feel into the more subtle aspects of life.
I still love to climb mountains and do handstands, but I continue to challenge myself by slowing down, sensing my body, and allowing life to move through, rather than against me. My exposure to wilderness healing and international curanderos and shamans also galvanized my interest in healing, and I continue to glean insight from various spiritually-focused traditions.
I feel most aligned with myself and spirit when immersed in nature. I feel passionate about ecology, nature-based education, and sustainable living systems, and enjoy spending as much time as I can in the wild, especially California and South Africa, where my family is from. I received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, with a minor in Ethnobotany and Holistic Health.
I strongly believe there is a direct relationship between nature and one’s individual healing process. How we treat ourselves and the earth directly impacts both our personal experience and the global psyche.
My Journey
As a child, I loved gymnastics and trained consistently in California and one summer in Russia. I began practicing yoga as a teenager and completed my first teacher training in 1998. I became interested in massage therapy in college and became a certified massage therapist in 2001. I have been committed to studying bodywork (massage therapy, cranial sacral, myofascial release, accupressure, neuromuscular therapy), yoga, and other therapeutic studies for over 24 years.
After working with massage and yoga clients for many years, I felt called to deepen my understanding of the mind-body connection as it pertains to an individual’s physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms. I completed a master’s in clinical psychology from the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute/The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2012, and became a licensed psychotherapist in 2018. This academic journey opened me up further to the powerful world of somatic, relational, and client-centered psychotherapy approaches that greatly influence my clinical practice today. For more detailed information about my approach and offerings, visit the Somatic Psychotherapy page.
Other Offerings from the Cumes Family
Shamanic Healing & Readings with David Cumes, M.D.
Willka T’ika Wellness Retreats in Peru. Director, Terry Cumes. Founded by Carol Cumes.
Our first duty as human beings is to proceed as if there were not limits to our ability. We are collaborators in creation.