Working together, one-to-one
My one-to-one work draws heavily on the different trainings, teachers and personal experiences that I have learnt from. In doing so, I offer a unique therapeutic space with a predominantly somatic orientation.
As much as I enjoy creating psycho-educational material for Breathe With James and my course, Nervous Systen Healing, there is something unique about one-on-one work that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
I specialise in working with people who are experiencing complex physical and/or emotional health issues often linked to nervous system dysregulation and difficulty managing emotions.
My one-to-one work is built
on three key principles
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The first step to emotional (and nervous system) health is not diving into your emotions or trying to ‘release’ them—it’s creating stability and restoring a felt sense of safety—meaning you feel secure, protected and well-resourced.
It can be strange even to discuss safety. You might think, ‘But I have a home, running water, and food to eat; of course, I’m safe.’
But, a feeling of safety is not equivalent to an objective measurement of safety, which may pragmatically be described as the removal of threat.
Feeling safe is more akin to a felt sense of safety—you need to feel it in your body.
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There is a difference between ‘having an emotion’ vs ‘an emotion having you.’
Psychologically, to ‘contain’ an emotion or experience fundamentally differs from catharsis or repression.
Whereas catharsis involves actively trying to get rid of emotions, repression involves pushing unwanted feelings out of conscious awareness.
Containment, however, is a fully conscious process in which you are not only cognitively aware of the emotion but also present with the physical sensations that come with it.
Through emotional containment, your body becomes an alchemical container for transformation.
You will also learn how to hold big and emotions and feelings so to increase your capacity for intensity and complexity.
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Western culture’s tendency to seek immediate alleviation and removal of symptoms sometimes denigrates the wisdom that they can offer.
The teleology of symptoms refers to their meaning and purpose—it’s a Jungian lens.Rather than always trying to get rid of symptoms or looking for the next quick fix, we may explore the question, ‘What is your psyche (soul) asking of you?’
But, there is no map, only you.
All conventional paths lead halfway up the mountain, but you must forge your own to rise to the top. I will walk with you, but not for you—next to you, but not ahead of you. My role is not to show you the path (I don’t know what yours is). Instead, it is to support you in creating your own.
We’ll work top-down & bottom-up
Most therapeutic and personal growth traditions focus on either top-down or bottom-up aspects of the circular flow of information, working either from the brain to the body or from the body to the brain. I incorporate a top-down and bottom-up approach with a predominantly somatic orientation.
Top-Down
Top-down approaches focus on how thoughts influence emotions and behaviours. We will target distorted beliefs and maladaptive behaviours by creating more adaptive self-beliefs. This intervention relies on insight.
Bottom-Up
In bottom-up approaches, your body is the doorway to your inner world—sensation and emotion are the entry points. This is our nervous system lens—we will work with your body rather than against it.
Book a free, no obligations, 20-minute discovery call
Email me to book discovery call