Holistic Counseling
Body, Mind, Soul
This is a space for healing our way to self-love
A beautiful phrase in Irish Gaelic is Anam Cara which is Soul Friend, someone who is a companion, spiritual guide and teacher, one who accepts and sees all of you, darkness and light. This connection can ignite a spark to receive the reflection of one’s true self, worthy of self love.
My view is that our challenges are all about our soul growth of becoming. A journey that winds its way within and without, like a labyrinth, where we shed our skin and then begin again on a new quest. Healing is not fixing ourselves but integrating our disconnection into greater wholeness. Where the unconscious or shadow aspects come into the light with unconditional acceptance.
We can empower ourselves by transforming our wounds into wisdom
My approach combines an academic training with proficient skills as a healer and shamanic practitioner. I offer trauma informed knowledge and a depth of insight into the human soul and your personal story. I also combine mindful listening, witnessing, compassionate emotional release as well as opportunities for Aha! moments and new perspectives for personal growth. Sessions are not just passive or active, but a combination of both, a response to the natural intelligence of the psyche and unfolding thresholds of healing. Best outcomes rely on personal responsibility to practice mindful awareness and a desire to heal.
Sessions are available to work through (1) A temporary presenting challenge with weekly or bi weekly sessions to achieve resolve and transformation or (2) Ongoing bi-weekly sessions for soul growth (anam cara) support on your journey.
I have a background education in holistic counseling and psychotherapy grounded in humanist person-centered psychology and unconditional positive regard. This is a non-judgemental space of whole-hearted acceptance of each person.
Healing is possible through the process of embodied felt sense awareness; feeling and releasing the energy of emotions. I use my gift as an intuitive empath to see deeply into disconnections and blind spots providing insight for you to receive greater capacity for integration and wholeness.
In my experience shame is a common underpinning emotion that keeps us from healing or even entering or feeling worthy of the healing space. Finding our way through the maze of shame as a repressive life force energy and trauma response, we can excavate its origin and find relief from this burden.
“Our particular places of pain, trauma, shame and suffering were actually the forge within which the shape of our medicine was being given. Our wounds sensitize us to the very medicine we are asked to offer to the community.” Francis Weller”
My Approach:
Trauma informed Compassionate Inquiry is a powerfully effective approach created by Dr Gabor Mate to help people identify the root of their childhood disconnection which causes false core beliefs and coping mechanisms as a way of living with trauma. I offer a safe environment to support the release and relief of emotional pain, grief, shame and other emotions where you can find your way home to greater peace and self acceptance.
“Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside of you as a result. Disconnection from self is the primary cause of many mental health issues.” ~Gabor Mate”
Shamanic Healing can support with myriad techniques such as soul and power retrieval, energy clearing, cord cutting, shamanic journeys and ancestral healing. These techniques can be utilized at different points in our sessions to work with the energies that are arising. Our process often works like uncovering the layers and stories revealing what is needed in a sequence unique to your journey.
Nature as a Healing Force - Mindful presence and interaction with nature for restoration and wellness is a proven method for connection recovery on many levels. Mindful walking in nature quiets the mind and heals the soul. Specific shamanic practices connecting with the elements and wheel of the seasons is my specialty.
Grief and Loss as Initiation - Death of a loved one can be a personal portal of initiation. Unresolved grief can affect the entirety of our lives condensing our heart expression to a flat line and sapping our ability to love boldly. In my personal experience holding space for a person in grief is holy terrain. Baring witness is a powerful healing force but also combined with ceremony and ritual to catalyze the unconscious energies into nourishing tears for the soul. As an Anam Cara and Grief Ritualist I hold space for the depth of your healing journey, to not just die to your loss, but to come through it alive.
My shamanic and energy healing practice is designed to work in tandem with counseling for a true holistic experience where we heal the body, mind, soul and emotions. Energy healing therapies can bypass the thinking mind and penetrate the unconscious, emotional and spiritual bodies where the origin of issues arise. It is found that clients can spend many years in counseling therapy alone when shamanic spiritual healing can get to the root of an issue more effectively. This is holistic bridge uniting the conscious and unconscious, the material and spiritual.
Presenting Issues, Growth and Healing Opportunities:
The Hero/Heroine’s Journey
Trials, Thresholds, Initiations, Transformation, Integration, Spiral of Return
ROOTED WOMAN ORACLE BY SHARON BLACKIE
-Life Changes: navigating grief and loss, entering the wasteland or unknown through death of a loved one, change in health, divorce, relationship challenges, spiritual emergency, menopause.
-Dark Night of the Soul: In the Underworld, Initiation into the Shadow Self. Feeling Lost or Uninspired, Depression, Confusion, Apathy, Loss of Orientation and Purpose.
-Discovering your Souls Calling: Recovering your Souls Voice of Inspiration, Listening to the voice of Spirit and Nature, Re-imagining your life and future.
-Turning your Wounds into Wisdom and Pain into Power: Discovering the essence of your life story, your journey of becoming informed by all your experiences. Living with purpose as the Hero/Heroine of your story. All life is a Quest of Becoming with no end goal. Finding Joy and Peace in the everyday, Curiosity and Kindness towards your life’s challenges.
-Developing Peace with the Mystery of Living and Dying: Support for death passage of self or loved one, ritualizing death as sacred portal of rebirth, ceremonial support for your transition.
Common presenting symptoms of the Trauma of Disconnection: depression, anxiety, low self esteem, confusion, grief, cultural issues, shame, inner child wounding, soul loss, ancestrally inherited issues, compromised immunity, addiction.
Counseling Sessions $150 per hr
Distance Sessions available on zoom
EDUCATION
Cultural Anthropology BA, UC BERKELEY 1989
Counseling & Psychotherapy, First Class Honors Degree, Irish College of Humanities & Applied Sciences, Limerick 2014
Compassionate Inquiry Training Completion, Dr Gabor Mate, 2020-21
Grief Ritual Practitioner Training, Francis Weller, 2023-24
*much more Education and Training Info on my About page
“Cara held sacred space for me where I could work through my own dark night of the soul, facing truths that I have kept silent about for years. I found her blending of therapeutic healing and shamanic techniques to be exactly what I needed. We are both followers of the goddess Brigid and I felt her presence in our sessions together. I now live more authentically because of my work with Cara”
“Cara is a compassionate listener and helped me get through some really tough times. I had very low self esteem but working with her helped me realize I had forgotten about self love which was the root of my problems. I learned self acceptance and continue to practice the tools she shared with me to help me get out of depression and be happier. I’m forever grateful.” ”