Introduction

The very concept of healing is vague, broadly indicating the work of spending time with ourselves and coming to accept who we are and how our lives have been, facing the hard stuff we’ve had to endure, but often light on the details of what this actually looks like. One reason for this is that it is a very individual and personal experience, not directly replicable from person to person, but it is also tied to specific physical processes within our bodies and nervous systems that are not widely discussed. This program aims to cover the foundational topics of what it takes and what it means to heal our psychological wounds, starting from the basics of getting to know ourselves and listen to our bodies, to the consistent types of things we encounter as we progress, as well as general approaches to working through these things that will result in lasting and grounded transformation of ourselves.

It is possible not just to manage the symptoms of mental health conditions, but heal them, and since the body, mind, and spirit are one whole, mental health is something that directly affects physical health and vice versa. Though more recent developments are finally starting to address healing trauma in the body rather than just working with the thoughts in our minds, the prevailing expectation is that we are stuck with the symptoms of our trauma forever. While we can never return to being who we were before we experienced the trauma, we can heal to the point of being free from the negative effects and grow from the experience. Traditionally there is also an avoidance of diving deep into ourselves and addressing root causes, preferring to stay within a shallow arena, meaning only surface level things are addressed. Meanwhile approaching healing from spiritual traditions there can be a tendency to bypass and shame negative emotions, dismissing them or attempting to purposefully dissociate from them rather than experience them fully. The approach we will take will not shy away from the difficult things, and can gradually bring us to a place where our bodies are capable of carrying the fullness of the human experience, and able to feel an unconditional love for ourselves and everyone else, if we choose to go there.

You are welcome to join no matter where you are on your own journey, from those just curious about the ideas to those seasoned in personal work looking to deepen or explore in one area of focus, and whether you approach the work from a psychological or spiritual/religious perspective.

All people are welcome to the discussions and meditations, the closed group and individual sessions are open to adults only. Some topics may not be appropriate for young children. People of all faiths (or lack thereof) are welcome, participation does not require an interest in spirituality or adherence to any belief system, though the space will be equally open to such discussions. The aim is also to be inclusive of all people no matter their personal characteristics, background, and expression.

Please be advised, this program is not a substitute for psychological care, nor suitable for those in crisis. Please seek appropriate support as needed.

Guided meditations and discussions sessions

These sessions will begin with a contemplative exploration of the day’s theme, followed by a guided meditation, then some time for open discussion, approximately an hour total. Some of the topics we will cover will include working with our inner child, shadow work, moving through grief, releasing trauma, how to reach deep wounds, letting go, and finding our true selves. The first and last sessions will be an opening and closing, the middle twelve sessions will roughly follow the arc of the transformative process, keeping in mind this is a spiral experience, and each time we go around it is new yet familiar in some ways. This begins with getting to know oneself, through facing the difficult things and letting go, and into integration and establishing in our new self.

Everyone has different pain and experiences, a different path to healing, and a unique internal world, no one other than ourselves will know what is truly best for us, nor have all the answers we seek. Yet there are commonalities and consistencies across all paths that can be discussed, and much of it comes down to working with our own nervous systems, expanding our capacity to hold life’s difficulties as well as joys. In the discussions and meditations we will cover general knowledge about what is possible and available to everyone, and approaches to the work of self-healing that can be of use to anyone.

It is not necessary to have any belief system to do the work of healing oneself, but there is a need for connecting to love and self-compassion, which people often find through some form of faith or spirituality. Access to this love is an inherently human experience, and all are welcome no matter how they approach this, all the way from an entirely neutral or scientific worldview, to one that is deeply religious. Your path is yours and this program is here to support you on it, not define or judge how you experience it. There will be some discussion about how the the scientific and spiritual approaches cross over, and how there tend to be road blocks that keep us from our most transformative work no matter how we approach it, each system having its own limiting tendencies.

Meditation can often be intimidating for those who are unfamiliar with it, or find that sitting still is difficult, these sessions are meant to be freeing, and while we do our best not to disturb others, there will be no requirement to hold yourself still, sometimes movement is what brings our minds into calm. No prior experience with meditation is necessary, in this program it is viewed as a tool, not an art to be mastered.

One-on-one sessions

These sessions are 60-90 minutes, and they take various forms, depending on what you’re wanting to focus on. For those setting up a practice for the first time, we can spend time on exploring and tailoring practices to best suit you, what you’re dealing with and that appeal to you. There is no best way to do this work, only what feels right to you, we can’t push ourselves or force ourselves into a painful discipline and expect to soften into it, it is better to find practices that suit our ways of being that we will want to return to and that will really help us.

One of the core needs to be able to heal is safety, and safe relationship. This, above all, is what I aim to provide you, a space where you will find no judgement, only unconditional love and acceptance of all of you, as you are now, as you have been throughout your life, and the person you are still becoming. The time you spend with me is yours, if you wish to discuss what you’re working on, or dive into different approaches to the work, that is fine, and if you’d just like someone to be there as you work through and release difficult or even scary emotions and experiences, I can be there for that too. I can also prepare individualized meditations or lead you through breath work to find, listen to, and release stored pain. What you work through and to what degree is always entirely up to you, I will not push you, your wellbeing is the whole point. Healing work is uncomfortable as we often have to sit with the discomfort, and move through the pain, but it is meant to be released, not exacerbated by the process and it is important to take it step by step and only work on what you are ready to face (luckily our bodies don’t tend to show us more than we can handle, if it’s surfacing, it’s ready to be processed, but with care).

I have specific experience around PTSD, complex trauma, narcissistic abuse, anxiety, gender and sexuality, neurodivergence, systemic oppression, as well as finding and transforming the roots of perfectionism, negative self-talk, low self-esteem, fear of rejection, and more. I am here to support you not as teacher or therapist, but as steady companion who has journeyed myself. I have familiarity with psychological and evidence-based methodologies like Internal Family Systems, mindfulness and self-compassion, somatics and embodiment, visual art, writing, as well as yoga (postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and philosophy), Christianity, energy work, dream journaling, and tarot. These are to give you a sense of what we can use, but there are a lot more methodologies available and I am willing to work with you with whatever tools you use or want to explore, and whatever things you’re having to process, even if they are unfamiliar to me.

Closed group sessions

For anyone doing individual work with me, you are welcome to join closed group sessions following the meditation and discussion sessions on Sunday. The intention of these is to create a space for peer support and sharing, each person has their own insight to offer and may find it helpful to hear different perspectives. Healing work can be very lonely, and we need witness for our experiences. While everyone does have to do their own work and walk their own unique path, having a community along with you can be very reassuring.

We’ll approach our time together with an initial phase for exploration, followed by time for consistent practice, then moving into focusing on a specific theme or area, then finally integrating that and looking ahead. This is just a rough framework to guide us though, for we will be flexible with what arises both in the group and allowing each individual to move at a pace that is comfortable, and responding to things as they come. The group will not necessarily focus on one particular thing unless everyone happens to want to explore the same topic in more depth, rather we’ll have time together as each person focuses in on an area.

You are free to decide what you’d like to work on. We’ll begin with the basics of getting to know yourself and intuition, and a discussion about the deeper internal guidance that is available to you. If you’re already quite familiar with yourself and your internal world, then you’re free to go deeper right away or try out new practices to explore new dimensions.

Contact

For any questions, or to ask about or schedule one-on-one sessions and the closed group work, please get in contact here

About Avi

Meet Avi, your meditation guide and healing and transformation companion

When I was barely fourteen I suffered the sudden loss of my mother and home in a mudslide, which was followed by two decades of psychological and emotional abuse. After these decades my body was in constant physical pain, the remnants of all the violent interactions stored in the tissues of my body, waiting to be acknowledged, the emotions felt, and released. I had started my journey of healing right after the mudslide, periodically getting therapy and working through the layers. Though things improved, nothing seemed to get to the root of some of the issues and they would surface in new ways, such as generalized anxiety in my university years. Some pieces were mostly released, like the loss of my mother and home, as they were not constantly being reinforced. Eventually though I reached the end of the road, no longer being able to function in day to day life.

It was then that I realized the full depth of the abuse I had endured, and some of it went all the way back through my childhood. I had never been able to even acknowledge what was going on because I was still in it, and until I got myself far away and safe my body would not show me how trapped I had been both in the situation and in my own mind. I then worked steadily day by day with what I could manage, using tools I already had and learning a variety of new ones, and was increasingly surprised at what I discovered. I searched deep within myself to find the roots of what still held me from my own freedom. I found I was able to heal and release things I had no idea were even possible to understand or reach, including beliefs that solidified in my concept of self in the womb, and trauma inherited from my ancestors.

I was fortunate in having learned yoga practices very early in life, and having practised intermittently since I was a child. The lifetime of experience meditating and familiarity with numerous techniques allowed me to easily set up a daily practice that consisted of physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, to which I added new things as I explored further. Practising on my own I was amazed to find that guidance showed up from within to indicate which techniques to practice and how to do them safely. I found too that I ended up approaching the techniques differently than before as my relationship with my body developed, for instance, stretching became for leaning into the tension to release what what stored there.

Healing from deep wounds takes lots of time and diligent effort, and my own journey continues, I have more to heal and understand, and (gladly) lots more to learn. I am now at the point where my physical pain has lessened significantly, I can regulate my nervous system, and have been able to return to living life! I am excited to pass along the things I have learned and support you as you also become your own healer.

I had the honour of being in a short documentary about my healing journey, filmed here on Bute!