As a therapist whose training was in integrative counselling and transpersonal psychotherapy, I work with awareness of the whole of you. This means any issue you bring to therapy will be acknowledged and worked with, and its roots explored – as this is where the changes happen. However, every therapist develops their ‘specialisms’. Mine include:

Spirituality & self-awareness / mindfulness

(EG: longing to be deeply at ease with your self, to ‘come home’ to your self or soul or deepest being; to find your sense of meaning or path in life; to explore existential or spiritual experiences and ideas – and to recognise essential truth…) Mindfulness, with its roots in ancient Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist teachings, can be described as the attempt and intention to stay ‘awake’ in the ‘here and now’, without judgment or expectation. In common context, the practice of mindfulness is psychospiritual non-pharmacological means of dealing with a range of problems such as anxiety, depression, stress, chronic pain, anger, eating disorders and addictions, and certain stress induced physical conditions.
Creative expression (EG: creative & intuitive blocks to self-expression; self-regard as a creative person – with the opportunity to use drawing, painting and modelling materials… movement… voice… to explore and work through your issues, your sense of self…) Visit Cahlil Art

Relationship

(EG: with your self, with others, and with your inner and outer worlds.) Your relationship with your own being is at the core of therapy. As your sense of self and self-acceptance deepens, your way of relating to others, and to all aspects of your life, naturally improves. Our closest relationship – typically with an intimate partner, usually echoes in some way our earliest close relationships (our first adult carers) and also subsequently reflects our relationship with our closest life-long companion: our Self.

Psychosexual Health

(Certificate in Psychosexual Health, 2011): psychospiritual intimacy and soulful well-being… in sensual and/or sexual relationship with self/other. This may include: sexuality and sexual orientation: exploration of sexuality and its expression: as in… meaningful soulful sexuality, genuine intimacy, uncertainty/confusion regarding sexual orientation.

Gender identity

Gender dysphoria, gender reassignment, transgender / transsexual transition and relational issues, including how to express true self / authenticity… I believe each one of us is somewhere on the gender continuum. For some, the vehicle of the body is unable to express their own gender. Here, therapeutic work is required to support and guide a profoundly sensitive process.

Emotional issues

(EG: stress, anxiety, low mood, sadness, grief, anger, fear, low self-esteem…) Emotions convey vital information – with the potential to alert us to our (often underlying) beliefs and needs, often telling us when something is healthy or unhealthy for us. Some emotional feelings and states of being feel overwhelming. Therapy offers ways to work with uncomfortable, sometimes disabling, feelings or sensations – and accompanying anxieties or ideas.

Psychiatric or mental health conditions

Those conditions include depression, anxiety, panic attacks, dissociative disorders (such as derealisation – as in a sense of unreality), and borderline personality disorder (BPD) – now also referred to as Emotional Instability Personality Disorder (EIPD). Note: my focus is the person, not the diagnostic label. When experiencing a low emotional state or confused state of mind, for some this may open up entrance to a potentially transformative process. Such a process is often referred to as a ‘dark night of the soul’ (see ‘Dark Nights of the Soul’ by Thomas Moore) – which may come to profoundly enrich your life by opening you to your true potential, your personal / spiritual journey. In therapy, this is psychospiritual work.

My trainings were initially in Integrative Counselling in Oxford, and then in Transpersonal Psychotherapy (with Integrative foundation) in London, at CCPE. These combined traditional and contemporary theories and practices – including strategies and processes designed to deepen, develop and enrich our relationship with self, with others, and with life itself.

Transpersonal Psychotherapy

The Transpersonal approach, building on its Integrative core, possesses the potential to engage you in a profound and grounded interconnected psychospiritual process. This engages your cognitive function (brain-mind), your imagination and intuition, your emotional-sensate (body-mind), and your deepest sense of self (or soul) and beyond.

Initially I trained at Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford (1972-75). In my middle years, I began practicing meditation and mindful-playfulness and trained for 4 years in integrative counselling, fthen a further 4 years in transpersonal psychotherapy, which links in with meditation and mindfulness, felt-sense and intuition, and creative expression.

How I came to ‘transpersonal art’

Meditation and mindfulness practice shapes both my art and my therapy work. My paintings contain elemental qualities, cycles and layers; and archetypal imagery – including the mandala. I came to recognise the mandala (ancient visual aid to meditation) as the core archetype – or ‘essential pattern’. The mandala is composed of a dot within a circle, nucleus within cell, stone within fruit, sun within solar system. For me, the mandala symbolises creative potential and manifestation, or essence and expression. This also applies to we human beings, with our innermost core – and our self-expression.

When I discovered a book called ‘Transpersonal Art: The paintings of Monika von Moltke’. (1960s), I made the intention to help revive and develop this genre.

I work with present issues and with whatever you are carrying with you from the past into present time. As and when useful, we will explore any blocks and restrictions holding you back, while focusing on whatever you are experiencing in the present; in your thoughts and emotions, beliefs and attitudes, and in your sense of self in this moment in your personal journey.

This approach is made more effective through learning pragmatic strategies and attitudes – including mindfulness, sensory and intuitive awareness, active dream-work, creative expression, etc. As integrative and transpersonal counsellor and psychotherapist, I draw on not only my counselling and psychotherapy trainings, but also on my experiential down-to-earth spiritual journey. This includes many years of mindfulness and meditation practice.

As counsellor and psychotherapist I welcome, acknowledge and accept you as the being you are – however you yourself may regard yourself. I shall accompany you as your guide through your process.

When you begin therapy, you may wish to simply sit and talk things through – as in ‘talking therapy’. If this feels right for you, and it does for many, then this is how we will proceed. However, if you are a person who welcomes a less wordy approach, I would introduce a more intuitive approach, or creative non-verbal ways of working – for example, ‘mindful awareness’ or ‘creative expression’ (see Specialisms). However it may be we ‘do therapy’, and to whatever depth, I shall work with you in a way most likely to prove effective for you.

Psychotherapy is designed to nurture greater self-awareness and ease with your self, and to strengthen your inner self by standing your ground and speaking your truth. As you become increasingly present and relaxed within your self, your mindfulness will deepen and understanding gain greater clarity. As you learn from your self in therapy, I will encourage you to develop the ability to be your own therapist, in a sense.