Dr. Laura Bowles specializes in helping high-achieving teens and adults navigate the connection between trauma, relationships, and physical health, particularly IBS and other gut-related conditions. Known for their warm, curious, and thoughtful presence, they create a space where clients feel deeply understood while also being gently challenged to move forward in lasting ways.
Their work is especially impactful for individuals who are highly self-aware yet feel stuck. These are often people who understand their patterns intellectually but struggle to connect with or shift their emotional experience. Dr. Bowles helps clients translate insight into real change, from greater confidence in relationships to less anxiety in their bodies and a stronger sense of self.
Blending psychodynamic, relational, and mindfulness-based therapies with advanced training in hypnotherapy, Dr. Bowles works across both psychological and mind-body levels. They are particularly skilled in addressing how early experiences and identity shape present-day relationships, self-esteem, and chronic health conditions.
Dr. Bowles is dedicated to helping clients feel more empowered, more connected, and more at ease in their relationships, their bodies, and themselves.
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Dr. Laura Bowles is a Clinical Psychologist with expertise in childhood trauma, relationship challenges, IBS and gut health, anxiety, and eating-related concerns. Their trauma-informed approach focuses on how early experiences shape self-perception, emotional patterns, and interpersonal dynamics—often in ways that continue to affect high-functioning individuals well into adulthood.
They have extensive experience working with survivors of emotional, physical, and sexual trauma, and bring particular depth to understanding how trauma lives not only in the mind, but in the body. This is especially relevant in their work with IBS and other functional gastrointestinal disorders, where emotional and physiological systems are closely intertwined.
Dr. Bowles earned their Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Vassar College, followed by both a Master’s and Doctorate in Professional Psychology from The George Washington University. Their doctoral research focused on racial and interpersonal trauma, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care for individuals navigating racialized and developmental trauma.
Their clinical training spans both psychoanalytic and evidence-based modalities. They completed their predoctoral internship at Nassau University Medical Center, providing therapy and comprehensive psychological assessments, and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at The Psychiatric Institute of Washington.
Dr. Bowles has also served as a Clinical Psychologist and Supervisor at Montefiore Medical Center, where they mentored early-career clinicians and supported high-quality care across both outpatient and inpatient settings.
They are deeply committed to providing inclusive, culturally competent, and affirming care, including for LGBTQIA+ clients and those in nontraditional or alternative relationship and lifestyle communities.
Dr. Bowles is an active member of Division 39 of the American Psychological Association (APA) and regularly participates in ongoing professional development to stay at the forefront of clinical research and practice.
Dr. Bowles is recognized for their ability to bridge deep insight with practical, tangible change. Their therapeutic style is both exploratory and action-oriented. They help clients understand the “why” behind their patterns while also giving them tools to shift how they think, feel, and relate.
They completed specialized training at the Donald Delaney Eating Disorders Clinic at Children’s National Hospital, where they worked with adolescents and families navigating complex eating disorders. This experience continues to inform their nuanced, compassionate approach to eating issues, body image, and control.
A key area of Dr. Bowles’ expertise is the mind-body connection, particularly in the treatment of IBS and functional gastrointestinal disorders. They utilize a structured, evidence-based hypnotherapy protocol designed to reduce physical symptoms while also addressing the underlying emotional patterns that contribute to them. This work integrates visualization, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation, helping clients feel more in control of their bodies and less preoccupied by symptoms.
Beyond IBS, Dr. Bowles uses hypnotherapy to address deeply held beliefs about self-worth, safety, and relationships, as well as to build skills for managing anxiety and increasing confidence. Their training through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) allows them to tailor these techniques to each client’s needs.
Dr. Bowles is particularly attuned to working with high-achieving and perfectionistic individuals, including those in demanding fields such as healthcare and mental health. They understand the unique pressures of maintaining high performance while navigating internal stress, self-criticism, or emotional disconnection.
Clients often come to Dr. Bowles with strong insight but feel stuck in the same patterns. Through their work, clients begin to feel more confident asserting themselves, more connected in relationships, and less anxious about their physical symptoms. Many describe a greater sense of control in both their emotions and their bodies.
Dr. Bowles approaches each client with curiosity, warmth, and a collaborative spirit, believing that meaningful change happens not by forcing transformation but by developing a more compassionate and empowered relationship with oneself.
Outside of their clinical work, Dr. Bowles is drawn to creative expression, whether through 1970s punk rock, reggaeton, or an interest in fashion design and illustration
