About Us
Where Nervous System Science Meets Human-Centered Culture.
Root to Rewire Trauma Training Institute was founded on a simple, profound belief: true healing begins in the nervous system.
What started over thirty years ago as hands-on, client-centered work by Founder Amy Sullivan, LPCC, has evolved into a comprehensive framework used by helping professionals nationwide. Amy's deep clinical experience, showcased through her therapy practice, Rooted Compassion Counseling and Consulting, revealed a critical need for practical, nervous system-informed tools that honor both the science of trauma and the authenticity of the practitioner.
Our "Root to Rewire" method offers grounded, accessible training that moves beyond theory. It empowers therapists, social workers, first responders, businesses, and organizations not only to understand the neurobiology of stress and trauma but also to effectively facilitate resilience, safety, and connection for those they serve.
Meet Our Founder
Amy Sullivan is a clinician, educator, and somatic health expert with three decades of experience helping professionals translate Polyvagal Theory into meaningful, embodied practice. As the founder of Root to Rewire, Amy has transformed Stephen Porges’ groundbreaking neuroscience into the Rooted Pathways framework—a clear, practical map that supports clinicians in understanding the nervous system and skillfully guiding clients from survival states into safety, regulation, and connection.
Amy’s work is grounded in a polyvagal lens that recognizes feelings as first expressed through the nervous system before they are processed cognitively. This perspective allows her to support clinicians in moving beyond theory into lived, observable nervous system patterns—both in their clients and in themselves. Her teaching style is compassionate, direct, and infused with humor, creating learning environments that are both intellectually rigorous and deeply human.
With over 20 years of experience as a massage therapist and bodyworker, Amy brings a rare depth of understanding to the body–mind connection. This somatic foundation uniquely positions her to help others develop greater nervous system literacy, refine their clinical intuition, and confidently integrate bottom-up approaches into their existing modalities.
Through consultation, teaching, and facilitation, Amy supports professionals in clarifying their clinical approach, expanding their capacity for co-regulation, and sustaining their own nervous systems in the demanding work of care. Her goal is not only to enhance clinical effectiveness but to help others experience greater ease, confidence, and well-being in their professional lives.
Meet our Training Partners
Alison Savage, LPCC-S
Alison brings more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field, along with advanced training in nervous system regulation and healing. As a trainer, she is deeply motivated by the ripple effect; watching moments of insight extend far beyond the training room as participants carry new understanding into their practice, relationships, and communities. Her trainings are relational and experiential, weaving together science, humor, and real-life examples so people don’t just learn the material, they embody it. She is passionate about helping others build confidence in their skills, deepen their professional identity, and reconnect with who they are as both practitioners and people. Creating meaningful connection and witnessing those “lightbulb” moments of awareness are at the heart of her work.
Keri brings over a decade of experience to Root to Rewire, specializing in the intersection of trauma-responsive care and attachment-based neuroscience. A dedicated practitioner of Polyvagal Theory, Keri integrates advanced frameworks—including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and the Gottman Method—to help clinicians navigate complex family and relational systems. Her expertise in fostering emotional safety and nervous system regulation makes her an invaluable partner in training practitioners to facilitate deep, transformative healing through a neurobiologically informed lens.
Keri Perdrix, MA, LPC
Who We Serve
We are dedicated to empowering the executives, managers, and helpers. Our training is specifically designed for:
Workplace Wellness Programs
Therapists & Counselors
Social Workers & Case Managers
Healing Centers & Organizations
By equipping these professionals with the wisdom of a nervous-system lens, we aim to create a ripple effect of resilience, safety, and connection across our communities.
The "Root to Rewire" Philosophy
Our name reflects our core methodology
PATHWAY Learning the Nervous System Through Rooted Pathways
Knowledge alone doesn't heal—experience does. At this point, we use the Rooted Pathways mapping system to explore our own patterns. After we understand our responses, we need compassion-based tools to help shift them. Somatic and expressive arts practices bridge awareness with lived experience. These create pathways to safety, connection, and regulation.
Through movement, breath, art, sensation awareness, and relational attunement, we rewire the nervous system from within. These practices do more than help us cope. They teach the body, heart, and mind, moment by moment, that safety is possible. This is the living laboratory of healing.
REWIRE Living in Calm Responsiveness to Life
The goal is not to eliminate stress, but to gain the ability to respond rather than react. Rewiring builds presence and resilience. It makes connection and groundedness possible, even during life's challenges.
When the nervous system learns safety, it becomes the new default. Relationships feel possible. Rest is accessible. Joy is no longer something to brace against. Passion, purpose, and productivity take a new shape. This is post-traumatic growth in its truest form. We move from surviving to living with genuine aliveness and calm.
ROOT Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma
Healing begins with understanding. Before we can change our patterns, we need to explore them. Grounded in the nervous system and polyvagal theory, this foundation helps therapists and clients see how the nervous system shapes every thought, feeling, and relationship.
Dysregulation is not a character flaw; it is the nervous system seeking emotional protection. Understanding this biology lessens shame and nurtures compassion. The journey begins with recognizing this process, not fixing what we see as broken.
Our training is grounded in the latest neuroscience but made accessible for the demanding realities of helping professions. We honor the science while protecting the humanity of both the practitioner and the client.
AMY HAS TRAINED IN COLLABORATION WITH THESE AGENCIES AND BUSINESSES:
ADAPO
American Counseling Association, National Conference
Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio
Bethesda North Hospital
Butler County Families and Children First Council
Butler County Juvenile Detention Center
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Clinton County Mental Health and Addictions Services Board, Plattsburg NY
Community Action Agency
Compass Point
The Counseling Source
Envision
Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services
Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services, the Fatherhood Collaborative of Hamilton County
High Schools That Work
Mental Health Recovery Services, Wayne and Clinton Counties
Northern Kentucky University
St. Aloysius School
Tristate Trauma Network
Union Institute and University