A little about me…

Whatever therapeutic modality you choose to work with, it will be the relationship and the container that you create with your therapist that will contribute the most to your healing journey. You can head over to my about me page if you want more detail but I thought it would be helpful to share here as well.

I will start with my labels… I am a queer, non-binary, disabled human who also lives with C-PTSD. I have been on my own huge journey of unravelling and truly meeting myself through various therapeutic practices and including my body in my process was the radical shift I needed. While I don’t think this great work of meeting myself is ever done, through somatic therapy I have found more ease, more joy and more connection. Most importantly a deeper capacity to feel all my emotions and navigate the inevitable challenges of life.

I have no interest pathologizing myself or the people I work with and this is why I chose to not be a clinician. And this is why I chose to train as a trauma-informed somatic therapist. Understanding my body, the sensations it communicates with and also a deeper understanding of our beautiful nervous system has changed my life, so this is what I offer out to the world. This way of working has a wilder tone to it. It’s a descent that can be messy, scary and beautiful.

I want to offer people a space where all of them is welcome, where we move through the spiral of healing with curiosity and compassion.

I am also committed to decolonising my practice. Constantly learning and unlearning. I do not exclude the collective from my work with clients or the violence of the various harmful systems we live under. Western therapy is typically geared towards making the individual functional in a sick society; I am committed to sharing tools and practices with my clients that help them find capacity and more ease in these systems but not through bypassing the systemic issues at play or our deep interconnectedness with each other and our planet.

WHAT IS SOMATIC THERAPY?

Soma - Latin for the body.

It has long been proven that we store trauma in our bodies. Our body which modern society has us believe is less important than our mind. Our body which so many of us try to escape and many of us punish.

Somatic therapy is the opportunity to include the body in our healing from trauma. For me, as a human with complex trauma establishing a relationship & communication with my body was the missing piece in my journey.

And that is why I have trained in trauma informed somatic therapy and embodied movement.

Life is always going to be filled with challenges, suffering and grief if we want to live full lives. Somatic therapy not only helps with integrating and healing our pasts, it can also give us the skills and capacity to move through our lives with more ease and relaxation, even when things are hard.

This is a holistic approach which is led by you. I am a guide and a space holder not here to fix you but to help you find more capacity, ease and hopefully some joy in life

THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF SOMATIC THERAPY.

Somatic therapy is a whole body approach to therapy (the head/mind is also a part of our body) and some of the potential benefits are...

• The opportunity to build a fuller relationship & communication between mind, body & psyche.

• Find more ease and relaxation even when life is feeling hard.

• Learn about our nervous systems and how they impact our lives.

• Learn skills for tending to your body and resourcing.

• Build more capacity for all of our emotions & expressions.

• The possibility to integrate & process past trauma (only once our relationship & resourcing has been established)

• Experiencing more joy & connection. 

• Establish more connected & fulfilling relationships with others, remembering our entanglement.

Please note that I am not a clinician. I can’t diagnose anything or offer prescriptions or advice on medication.

I am also trained in preparation and integration with psychedelics if you are looking for support in this area. Please note, I do not offer to hold space for psychedelic journeys as this is currently illegal in the UK. Neither do I recommend this to clients, however, there is a growing number of people exploring this and I felt this was an important area to gain knowledge in so I can support people further.

the how we work together…

Sessions for Somatic Therapy can feel similar to normal talk therapy, especially in the early stages as we get to know one another and are building trust. 

The key differences are that right away we will be including the body in the conversation, somatic practices will be offered & explored early on and there is also a coaching element as I share knowledge & resources with you. 

The outcome will very much depend on your own participation and willingness to engage with what is suggested. Anything I offer is always just an offering, you can always say that doesn't work for you or adapt the offering to better suit your needs. 

Sessions will be 50mins long, take place on zoom (outdoors in nature in Folkestone is available May-Oct) and are very much led by you with guidance and reflection from me as well as the offering of somatic practices.

Costs…

• If you want to book a session as and when then it’s £75 per session paid at the time of booking.

• Or if you can commit to a 4 week block with the same time and day each week the cost is £250 (saving £50) for 4 sessions and are paid for at the time of booking.

• I also have 3 sessions a week at a more accessible cost of £25 each (online only), these are for those of you who might not have access to a lot of financial resources.
  No questions asked just let me know when you reach out that you need one of these. (I am currently at capacity for accessible spaces at the moment, I will update when I have space)

I have made myself as affordable as I can for people while navigating a cost of living crisis and living with a disability, I limit my workload so those I am working with get my full loving presence and awareness. However, if you are in crisis and need support but don’t have any financial resources please still reach out and we can see what can be done.

KIND WORDS FROM CURRENT & PAST CLIENTS…

‘Ami supported me over almost a year cycle of my life as I was moving through instability and grappling with the uncertainty of these times, as well settling into queer identities in myself. Working with Ami has been a really grounding and supportive experience - in each session, I felt seen and honoured in my messiness. It felt easy to show up with whatever I was moving through, and there was a shared practise in our work together of also honouring what was happening for the collective. Ami gives a really honest and settled presence, which helps bring out what's really true in that moment. I feel grateful for our work together and I recommend Ami to a lot of people I meet who are grappling with their sense of self and the wider world.’

‘I had done a lot of somatic work, could explain all my patterns and yet I needed to be seen and held. That's what I found working with Ami 1:1. A compassionate presence, truthful anchor, that allowed me to go into the messy without getting lost or dilute myself into the group or rest of the world. I could retrace very important connections within, which have started to move the way I relate to certain challenges and how they impact my life. I am glad I can soon resume therapy and keep on integrating and feeling simply more and more at ease with myself.’

‘I'd never tried therapy before, but was feeling stuck and couldn't work out what was going on. I found Ami through Instagram and there was something about them that made me feel safe to reach out. 10 months in, I feel like I understand myself better, I feel like Ami has given me the tools and insight into life and has helped me through some really big and scary moments of my life. Having sessions with Ami has been the best investment in myself and their non judgemental and gentle approach to our sessions has made it so much easier to do something that is ultimately very vulnerable and quite scary! Thanks so much Ami!’