Liza Waller

Integrative Body Psychotherapy 

As a body psychotherapist I understand that whatever difficulties you are facing will be affecting the whole of you, emotionally as well as physically. Issues may be complex and need longer and more in depth work than can be addressed in shorter term counselling . This is especially the case if events, experiences and relationships from the past are impinging, confusing and impacting your quality of life and relationships in the present.

I am interested in how issues affect body heart mind spirit and will want to invite curiosity into how emotional states e.g. anxiety, irritation, anger, sadness have echoes in the body. Sometimes these are at odds with how we behave e.g. we may put on a brave 'smiling' face but inside we are weeping, our hearts are heavy, or our stomach clenched.  

At times, as well as asking how you may feel emotionally, I may invite you to pay attention to your body sensations, breath, posture, contraction, tension, pain, and encourage an increase of mindful embodied awareness and consciousness.

Our bodies can speak our hearts and minds. Recurrent headaches, body pain, digestive problems, chronic fatigue, or indeed a sense of numbness or detachment from the body  can all be significant ways the body is communicating to us in ways which we cannot necessarily articulate in words. As well as troubling physical symptoms, you may have disturbing emotional states e.g. eruptions of anger or feelings of emptiness, despair and hopelessness.  Everything is felt and experienced in the body and this will be affecting you as a whole person, physically as well as emotionally.  We are complex multi-faceted and multi-dimensional beings. The relationship between body heart mind spirit  is no less complex and the work may well therefore be a slow unfolding over time.

How would it work in a session?  
Normally we would work by sitting and talking in chairs, as you might expect. This is most likely how we would begin for the first few weeks as we come to know each other. Sometimes people find it more comfortable to remain this way. 

As we talk I will at times encourage body awareness (e.g. noticing tight stomach, or lump in throat), or sensations of breathing ( e.g. shallow or deep), awareness of body posture (e.g. foot tapping, or arms folded), at times encouraging e.g. feet on the ground or standing, walking and moving around if it helps when things feel stuck. 

After some time of working together, and if it feels comfortable for you to work with visualisation or body awareness, I may invite you to try lying down as this can invite a deeper opening to the unconscious. All this would be explained, discussed and decided between us and entirely your choice. Any work between us involving physical contact would be discussed and negotiated and require your consent. This might be an invitation from me to e.g. support your back, or hold your feet.  

 
What issues may I work with ?

I work with a broad range of issues affecting body heart mind spirit 

e.g.

anxiety fear, panic, sadness, anger

digestive disorders, sleep or eating difficulties

living with change and transition

mid and later life issues, ageing, menopause

troubling childhood experiences 

trauma - past and present, disturbing dreams

abuse - emotional, physical, sexual

bereavement, grief and loss

living with pain and illness

meaninglessness , emptiness, depression

sexual difficulties

relationships, conflicts 

body image

questions of identity

self-critical thoughts, chronic sense of shame

An integrative and relational approach 

An integrative approach means I am able to incorporate different ways of working according to your particular needs as an individual. From my trainings I am able to integrate the humanistic approaches of e.g. person centred, gestalt, and body psychotherapy with object relations, attachment theory and a psychodynamic approach. I may also incorporate mindfulness, visualisation, creative expression . I aim to attune to you and your needs and to explore with you what feels most helpful. My approach is to be adaptable, versatile and flexible. 

I am able to incorporate biodynamic massage work if and when appropriate and when discussed together. Further details can be found on my website.

We work at a pace and in a way that is attuned to you as an individual. Exactly how we work together will develop out of discussions between us and will take account of your expressed needs as well as being guided by my professional judgement. Central to my approach is the desire to establish a meaningful connection and relationship with whoever I work with, believing this to be the core of any truly therapeutic process.

Working with me and What next?

I am an experienced counsellor and psychotherapist and have been practising in a variety of contexts for over 20 years. I have been registered with UKCP since 2004 and abide by UKCP code of ethics. I offer a compassionate, professional safely held space, and am very willing to listen to whatever is troubling you and to see if we can find a way forward together assuming I have availability. 

I work at the Wellington Centre on Mondays and Tuesday mornings. £65.00 per session (though I do consider concessions).

Please contact me directly through my website where you can find further information about me and about my work . www.lizawaller.co.uk

Liza Waller  UKCP 04156411
Member of European Association of Body Psychotherapists