Wanna know (much) more about how I work?
Explore the therapeutical approaches from where I work below (or click here for a general overview)
For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length
Carlos Castaneda
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Gestalt psychotherapy is a revolutionary therapeutic modality known as the therapy of contact: contact with your needs, challenges, feelings, supports, resources, and your reality. And of course, we are interested in your blockages to reaching out to what you desire, need, but often fear. In therapy, we invite you to feel, identify, and understand how you interrupt the experience and process of connecting with your challenges, possibilities and the world around you. The idea is to develop awareness of the various aspects of your experience to clarify what you truly want and the process of how you come to feel, think, act or freeze in the way that you do.
The belief of Gestalt is that we all have innate mechanisms of psychological self-regulation and creative integration with the world. Faced with life's challenges, we make adjustments that are initially creative but often become less suitable for new challenges. In the therapeutic session, we often experiment with new adjustments. We work with various aspects such as your parts and polarities, your dreams, resistances, symptoms, the language you use, the statements you make, your metaphors and interpretations; and, of course, with everything your body can offer us, such as your posture, your breath, your tension, your movement, and your emotions.
In the therapeutic process, clients often experience an updating of their needs, modes of relating, and meanings which allows them to dissolve rigidity and fixations, and move towards what the situation demands and what they truly want. This newfound awareness will help you choose between clinging to your habitual solutions or seeking new ones, instead of functioning on autopilot. We will focus on reclaiming your creativity and your sovereignty so that you can spontaneously generate new adjustments, assimilate the novelty of the situation, meet your needs and grow.
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In a world where many of us find ourselves chained to oppressive and even suffocating ways of life that hinder our authenticity and limit our potential, Existential Therapy offers a vital pause: a moment in time for ourselves, where we can breathe and reflect: Who am I today? Who do I want to be?
At its core, Existential Therapy cultivates a unique kind of courage: existential courage. Its aim is to empower you to stand up for what you truly believe and embrace your own values, rather than conforming to external pressures and societal expectations. Through this therapeutic approach, you will receive support from me in your personal quest for truth, authenticity, and learn to reclaim your inner authority.
Every season of our lives holds significance, even the "winters of our discontent." By exploring existential concerns that often arise in therapy, such as freedom, sex, death, aging, change, suffering, love, loneliness, and meaning, we "distill" the grand themes related to the human condition of existing in an uncertain and ever-changing reality. By becoming aware of these "structures" that permeate our lives, you will gain clarity on how you navigate the tides of life, recognize the unique way you have responded to them, and articulate how you want to continue living with them. New perspectives on the challenges of existence will be revealed, illuminating them as opportunities for learning and transcendence. Transforming anxiety into a stimulus for growth is a crucial aspect of Existential Therapy. Together, we will discover the creative and constructive energies that emerge when you feel lost.
Existential Therapy not only focuses on the present but also on the exploration of the infinite possibilities available, with full awareness of circumstances and their limitations, which will allow you to make decisions with clarity and courage, let go of what is unnecessary, take risks, and learn to deal with uncertainty.
Furthermore, Existential Therapy instills a deep passion for life. It reminds us of the finite nature of our existence and, with a sense of urgency, encourages us to make the most of the time we have in this world, to take ownership of our existences, and to live fully and meaningfully. We encourage clients to create a life myth - a heroic and learning myth - that serves as a source of inspiration and growth, and turn this journey into an exciting adventure.
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Somatic Experiencing is a form of therapy that focuses on helping individuals process and release traumatic experiences and stored stress in their bodies. It is based on the understanding that trauma can cause physical sensations and reactions that become trapped in the body, and by working with these sensations, individuals can heal from the effects of trauma. Trauma relates to the third survival response to life-threatening situations, which is freezing. When fighting and fleeing are not options, we freeze and become immobilized. If the immobility phase is not completed, then that charge remains trapped and, from the body's perspective, still under threat. The Somatic Experiencing approach provides a framework for assessing where a person is "stuck" in fight, flight, or freeze responses, and facilitates the completion of motor self-protective responses and the release of stored survival energy in the body.
Trauma can result from a wide range of stressful factors, such as accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, emotional abuse, neglect, natural disasters, loss, birth trauma, or the corrosive stressors of ongoing fear and conflict. It can begin as acute stress from a perceived life threat or as the end product of cumulative stress. Somatic Experiencing focuses on turning off this dysfunctional threat alarm, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms. It is often used to treat a variety of trauma-related conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
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Mindfulness is the practice of bringing attention to the present moment experience, moment by moment. It is a simple process of becoming aware of any and every element of experience that arises in the present: sensations, thoughts, images, feelings, memories, discomfort, and so on. Increasing research shows the benefits of mindfulness in alleviating stress, depression, and anxiety, and in helping us live a more joyful and purposeful life. By applying curiosity and acceptance to what arises within us, we train the "muscle" of resilience and the ability to sustain ourselves with whatever life brings us. We learn to recognize and allow the experience from a safe "inner" place, which provides us with the balance to respond to the situation. By paying attention to the thoughts that arise, we become capable of differentiating between what is true, what is false, and what is simply an interpretation. It allows us to become increasingly aware of our stories, identifications, likes and dislikes, and how we construct them. We also become skillful at recognizing the costs of our beliefs and their relationship to difficult sensations, emotions, and even illnesses. Over time, the use of mindfulness becomes a part of how we deal with reality, supporting the fluidity of all emotions, thoughts, and sensations, and working against fixation and rigidity.