What is Psychotherapy and why choose it?

Psychotherapy is a compassionate process of deep inquiry into the psyche where we explore our feelings and thoughts with compassion and curiosity.

I often get asked the question what is somatic psychotherapy? 

Soma is a greek word meaning" living body”. Somatic psychotherapy is a modality where we use the soma/body to bring awareness to what we experience in the body through sensations, images, memories, thoughts, emotions, the breath and our nervous system. It moves beyond the limitation of words and talk therapy to invite the innate wisdom of the body to speak to us, to pause, slow down and listen deeply. 

It is a gentle and subtle yet powerful way to re-connect with what we have disconnected from (or unaware of) through our past traumas. It is a way to learn how to recognise these experiences bringing a new awareness that allows us to metabolise, integrate and understand the past. It gives the body permission to move the experience out of the body and complete the movement that never had its full gestalt/cycle, without suffering or re-experiencing the trauma of the past. This new awareness helps the brain (pre-fromtal cortex and amygdala) to differentiate the past from the present in both our mind and body and thus form a new narrative. Looking through the lens of neuroscience  the new narrative would be referred to as "re-wiring”.  Through the somatic lens it is a new way to “feel” myself, experience myself in an embodied way and allow the innate wisdom of my body to heal and transform old patterns, behaviours and core beliefs.  

The emphasis is on learning how the body expresses itself, recognising the silent and often unexpressed language of the body and guiding it towards the intrinsic ability for healing, including learning how to regulate our nervous system (self regulate and co-regulate). As we familiarise ourselves with our somatic intelligence, we have more capacity for life and all that it offers.

It is our birthright to know the experience of being loved, being held, being safe. 

Kintsugi (golden joinery/repair) is the Japanese art form that restores beauty and elegance to a broken piece of ceramic by repairing the shattered pieces with gold lacquer. It emphasises the fracture/break with gold as opposed to disguising the damaged part. This is a poignant metaphor for psychotherapy as it brings awareness to our jagged edges, inviting compassion and understanding for our human fragility. It helps us find the beauty within our perceived flaws, wholeness within our apparent imperfections. We all have stories, histories and different challenges and traumas that mould us into the unique beings that we are. Sometimes we need help to see ourselves, accept and love ourselves. To allow a new perspective that ultimately results in change and transformation. This is the beauty and challenge of therapy.

John O’Donohue (Irish philosopher and poet), introduced me to the phrase Anam Cara, which means friend to the soul or soul friend. I deeply resonate with this. It awakens the enquiry of how do I befriend myself in a way that allows me to lovingly accept who I am? How do I hold my vulnerability, as I travel the vast landscapes of my inner and outer worlds. And how do i stay in relationship with myself as i enter into relationship with the other?

Lets traverse the terrain of our vulnerability together

I will listen with loving attention to your sharing

hearing the melodious ache of your wounds

no story too tragic, no burden too heavy

allowing your suffering

honouring the fragility of our humanity.

(Deb)