Art by Lucy Campbell – Leap of Faith

I am a fully accredited Psychotherapist in Ireland and trained in the Humanistic and Integrative Perspective. I work in a process orientated way, creating a space to explore how our past belief patterns and experiences can interrupt us in the here and now moments of our lives. Creating awareness in the body, noticing and exploring thoughts, feelings, sensations, beliefs, images and memories, can help support us to understand the roots of complex issues, and how these situations and trauma can interrupt us and our life potential. I am particularly interested in intergenerational trauma and the effect this also has in our lives, our history and in our present-day society. 

My aim is to provide a compassionate space where difficult and sometimes painful experiences and emotions can be heard, felt and healed. A space for you to feel welcomed and understood. To build a therapeutic space free from limiting beliefs, and perceptions, opening up new ways of relating to yourself, others and the world around you. 

Gestalt is a German word which means ‘whole’. Wholeness refers to the whole person or the individual’s mind and body as a unit rather than as separate parts. In Gestalt work, we speak about integration which refers to how these parts – the body, feelings, intellect, and senses all fit together in balance in the self and environment. This is a process Jung referred to as individuation. Recent developments in neuroscience has also highlighted the interconnectedness of the body, mind and soul. That they are one and the same.

Often people do not have these parts fitting together in balance. People may drift through life with some of those parts missing, for example, being disconnected from their feelings or senses, which can cause them difficulty in their relationship with themselves and others. Sometimes due to trauma, the energy in the body becomes stuck in old patterns.

In this work we engage in a dialogue with our bodies, bringing awareness to sensations, tracking energy moving in our bodies. We focus on the ‘here and now’, on how the individual can block expression and spontaneity from moment to moment and in this work we bring awareness to where those blocks are and to that energy threshold.  In this approach we learn how to attune more deeply to the sense of aliveness in the body, in the muscles, our organs, our bones, attuning deeply to the felt sense in the body and learning to listen to the wisdom that is held within.

In this more embodied approach, we can experience new pathways of energy opening up in the neural pathways, releasing us from the old patterns that held us back.

In my Deepening the Senses workshops we deepen connection to the inner world. I explore images as they emerge from the body and psyche. We become curious about these images and using the medium of mythology and poetry, embodiment practices, art and dream imagery, we explore ways of mobilizing that energy and the integration of those images, allowing a deepening of awareness and contact with the authentic self.  These workshops share with you the ancient wisdom of the gaelic world – its ancestors, folklore, myth, stories and ancient practices.  I am interested in the power of landscape to invoke deeper connection to the soul self. This comes from my childhood growing up in the Gaeltacht (native Gaelic Irish speaking region) of Connemara on the west coast of Ireland, famous for its ancient folklore, song, story, myths and music. It is a wild and rugged landscape that inspired me my whole life. It holds memory and I am curious about how that can heal us too. 

Meister Eckhart writes that “when the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image”. These workshops introduce us to connecting to the sensory world. These workshops support us to become more aware and embody those images and in turn open up new possibility and creativity within ourselves. Through that process we learn to become more compassionate to ourselves and our place in the world, allowing us to continue to journey towards a more embodied fuller authentic life.

 

“Eileen is insightful, she has remarkable aptitude for dealing with the abstract. It was fantastic. Highly recommend” – Participant 2021

 

“Eileen has a unique style. She is true to herself, gentle yet challenging and supportive. She practices what she preaches. This workshop was for the soul. Refreshing which evokes a real sense of purpose, a divine guidance”  – Participant 2022