My Approach
“The only constant in life is change.”
I believe that much of the pain in life is due to the challenges in finding peace and acceptance with change. When we fight change, we become blocked, ill, and stuck. Life circumstances change, relationships change, we change, and this can hit suddenly like a lightning strike, or be a slow burn over time.
Sometimes we reach a breaking point, where the old ways of responding don’t work anymore. We get stuck in repeating patterns of behaviour, we may feel out of control, dissatisfied with life, like we’re not really present for it, or anxious about what happens next.
Perhaps we have a desire to make changes for ourself and others, yet don’t know how or where to begin. I think this is where psychotherapy, or care of the soul, comes in. To me, good psychotherapy is about presence, safety, containment, and knowing when and how to act. I blend different modalities and ways of working - both modern and ancient - to help people heal, integrate, and transform themselves.
The Process
Whether we have one session or a series of sessions, the process remains the same. There’s always a beginning, a middle, and an end. Here’s how I see these three phases unfolding in therapy:
Beginning: Intention
From first contact we'll talk together about what kind of changes you desire, and we'll try to get as specific as possible. This important part sets the stage on many levels (body, mind, spirit) for any change that’s ready to occur. While we’re speaking I’ll typically receive information coming through about where you’re at and what way of working might be most helpful. I get a lot of help with ‘diagnosis’ from spirit. We’ll also work with the nervous system to stay grounded and prepare for the next part.
Middle: Healing
This is where the right conditions align, at the right time, an opportunity opens up, and the magic happens. In reality, you’re the one healing yourself; my job is to bring about catalytic movement for you, to hold the door open for this to occur. This can be done through many different modalities: dialogue, breathing exercises, spoken statements, visualisations, systemic constellations, dream interpretation, shamanic healing, ceremonies. When undertaking something more active, we’ll work safely and with containment so that the integration process goes more smoothly.
Ending: Integration
We have a look at how the healing has unfolded, how you're thinking and feeling differently, and what you can do to ride this momentum further. The integration process has a weaving movement to it, tying up threads, making connections, and finding space in yourself for the changes to fully land and become part of you. If you’re open to it I’ll suggest a ritual for you to do after the session to mark the changes and welcome more.
Family Systemic Constellations
I once went to a lecture on Sufism, and the speaker gave an insight that has stayed with me since. She said that the work of a Seeker is to untie the knots in our consciousness that keep us constricted and trapped in our small ways of being. We are often bound up so tightly through family conditioning, culture, and personal experiences that we can feel voiceless and without choice. But when we loosen these knots, we begin to feel true freedom. Family systemic constellations work is a way of increasing and freeing up spirit and life force for all, of unbinding and rebalancing relationships.
Systemic constellations work transforms relationship patterns and dynamics by giving us a broader, wider lens in which to see a given situation. It’s a respectful, meaningful, and very deep way of working with our ancestors, intergenerational trauma, physical illness, loss, empowerment, and other life events and themes in life.
Shamanism
A teacher of mine once said, you can hide from others, you can hide from yourself, but you cannot hide from spirit.
The practice of contacting, communicating with, and facilitating spirit - what the Western world refers to as shamanism - is possibly the oldest form of religion on the planet. The ancient ones knew that everything is energy, and with the right intent and relationships in place, energy can be moved.
In shamanic practice the role of the shaman is to become a clear channel and a conduit for the supportive forces, beings, and powers that choose to come through and produce healing and guidance for those who seek it. This might be related to the body, mind, soul, family, ancestors, land. Working with spirit in this way is direct, must be done respectfully and appropriately, and can feel mysterious, miraculous, and confusing depending on the day. Spirit knows better than we do what needs healing and rebalancing at any particular time. Once we say yes and open ourselves up to this process, it takes on a life of its own.
