Psychodynamic

My core training is psychodynamic, rooted in Freud's psychoanalytic tradition. I still find real value in some of Freud's foundational ideas: That we have an unconscious, and that it shapes us in ways we are not always aware of. That early relationships leave a lasting imprint on how we relate to others. And that we all develop defences — ways of protecting ourselves from pain — that can inform our lives.

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Part of my role is to gently notice patterns as they emerge — in the way you talk, think, behave, and how you relate to yourself and others. And most usefully, where something seems to get stuck.

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I have also been exploring neuropsychoanalysis — an emerging field that asks what happens when neuroscience and psychoanalysis talk to each other. It offers a way of understanding how our earliest experiences are written not just into memory, but into the body and the nervous system. I find this increasingly relevant to working with trauma and neurodivergence.

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I have moved away from classical psychoanalysis as it is practised in the UK towards a more holistic approach. In my experience, traditional approaches have real limitations, especially around how we understand trauma, sexuality, and neurodivergence. While some of the analytic tradition informs how I work, it is not the whole picture.