Open the doorway to self-knowledge and healing with Holistic Psychotherapy.
Holistic Psychotherapy
What is Holistic Psychotherapy?
There are many different approaches to psychotherapy. I use a holistic, integrative approach. This means that I use a variety of therapeutic modalities that relate to mind, body and soul when working with adults individuals.
I use a combination of the approaches below depending on what is right for YOU :
- Psychodynamic - Aims to bring the unconscious or hidden parts of ourselves to awareness in the hopes that bringing these hidden parts to awareness will help alleviate emotional and even physical symptoms. (MIND)
- Somatic (Body Oriented) - Aims to locate where your emotions and experiences have become stored in your body. What happens with the body affects what happens in the brain! When you work with the mind you must also work with the body to access our deepest hidden parts. (BODY)
- S.A.F.E. EMDR - EMDR is a neuroscience-informed, brain-body, treatment which targets the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, using eye movement or bi-lateral stimulation (repeatedly activating left brain-right brain) while utilizing focused mindfulness. S.A.F.E. EMDR is EMDR that is Somatic and Attachment Focused. EMDR is an excellent treatment for anxiety, trauma, PTSD and many other disorders. (BRAIN-BODY) More info here.
- Brainspotting - Brainspotting is a neuroscience-informed treatment which targets the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, using specific eye positions and focused mindfulness. Research has shown that it is as effect, if not more effective than EMDR. Brainspotting is an excellent treatment for anxiety, trauma, PTSD and many other disorders. (BRAIN-BODY) More info here.
- Transpersonal - Views people not only as human beings but also spiritual, energetic beings and considers your spiritual self in the therapeutic treatment. (SOUL)
- Existential - Focuses on free-will, self-determination, and finding meaning in a world that often feels meaningless. (SOUL)
In addition to these modalities my work is always:
- Trauma informed - I work with a deep understanding of trauma and aim to integrate this into all aspects of therapy. This means understanding the neuroscience of trauma and how trauma impacts the brain, body, thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
- Attachment informed - I work with an understanding of how we have been shaped by our earliest bonding experiences and how this continues to play out in adult relationships.
With this Integrative approach to psychotherapy and counselling I use established therapeutic methods such as traditional "talk therapy", inner child work, emotional expression and release, guided visualization, dreamwork, expressive art, breathing & meditation, somatic/body awareness, somatic movement exercises, and dramatic enactment.
The aim of my approach is for you to develop a greater self-awareness and expand your understanding of how both past and present experiences and relationships influence your present feelings, emotions, thoughts, behaviors as well as health and body.
Bringing these hidden parts of yourself to awareness can help alleviate emotional and even physical symptoms. If you have tried to eliminate "negative" emotions, only to find yourself repeating the same old patterns, then you may find this approach helpful.
It is difficult to tune into the joy of being your authentic self and create the life you want if you are blocking out parts of your emotional world. Instead of trying to simply control or push down painful emotions, together we can help you face them.
Working in this framework allows the problems and symptoms you experience to become signs as to what your authentic self is asking you to envision and act upon. Your pain can become a doorway to personal growth, self-knowledge, healing and inner peace.
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." ~ Leonard Cohan
