“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.” Herman Hesse
Looking within has always been my natural inclination. As a teenager, I was not thrown when a friend laughingly questioned what I was doing, when she saw me talking to myself. “You know that’s the first sign of madness” she jeered. I was keenly aware that I was fostering an open dialogue between the confused and insightful parts of myself; cultivating an inner capacity, that would guide me across rugged, interior terrain and through a momentous emotional crisis, that catapulted me into a profound rebirthing. As I learnt to re-member myself, I experienced a tremendous unburdening, that redirected me from a career in architecture, to a path of guiding others through their personal and often precarious inner landscape.
My own journey, ripe with experiential learning from over the past 30 years, is the foundation I draw from. This includes a 4 year program in Practical Philosophy that reawakened a depth of inner knowing; enabling me to clearly see the conflict between my inner truth and my worldly conditioning. “Ann-Marie! What are you doing in this rat race? … You are not a rat!!!” Was the proclamation I heard from my inner guidance. Though I knew that I did not belong in this rat race, I acknowledged in that moment “Even though I don’t know what to do nor where to go, I vow to follow my inner guidance”. One step at a time, from that moment onward, this has been my endeavour.
I was directed to a 20 year self-study of the Pathwork Guide Teachings which offered the language of the higher self, lower self and mask; drawing parallels to wise mind, ego mind and the adaptive self with its many parts that aim to navigate our lives. I have also gained a Diploma in Contemplative Psychotherapy, training in Relational Somatic Psychotherapy, extensive trainings in Hatha and Yin/Insight Yoga, Mindfulness & Compassion Meditation and a synthesis of Light touch modalities applied as Energy Balancing. These provide the templates through which I work. My tenure includes facilitating Emotional Wellness Groups, teaching Mindful Yoga & Meditation classes and workshops and leading Retreats in Mexico, the Caribbean, and North America for 20+ years. In 2019 I offered my first Retreat at AmaTierra, Costa Rica. And, in April 2020 I will lead my first Retreat to Bali.
Through a multi-modal, body-oriented approach I offer a process that seeks to unearth the afflictive emotions, compulsive reactivity and toxic habit patterns that lie at the root of anxiety, depression, relationship issues, traumatic experiences, addictive behaviours and feelings of spiritual disconnect.