About this Workshop Series

Many of us carry deep-seated wounds. Early in life, we developed strategies to adapt to the failures of the social environment. These survival strategies shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. We may find ourselves repeating the same patterns over and over again, cutting ourselves off from our aliveness, vitality, authenticity and fulfilling relationships. In order to live our heart's desires, we need to recognise, understand and move beyond the patterns that prevent us from living and embodying these deep desires.

The workshop series was mainly inspired by the NeuroAffective Relational Model, a depth-oriented, somatic, relational and non-pathologising model that builds on the tradition of somatic psychotherapies as well as psychodynamic and cognitive approaches. We invite you on a journey together to explore ourselves behind the adaptive strategies that have enabled us to survive in the compromised situation. However, they now prevent or limit us from living a fuller life, and responding creatively to the challenges of adult life.

We will examine how we have disconnected from painful internal and external experiences at different stages of our development. Adaptive survival strategies are the result of the child's adaptation to the chronic lack of fulfillment of one or more psychobiological needs. These strategies are reflected in our bodies, emotions, behaviour, reactions to situations, personalities, relationships and symptoms we develop.

When the inner noise of survival styles quiets we can feel the possibility of growing inner freedom and self-acceptance. We will focus on the here-and-now expression of survival styles rather than the past. We will strengthen our abilities to connect, express our needs clearly, trust more deeply, develop healthy interdependence and experience vital sexuality connected to our hearts.

The methods used are: teaching, carefully selected exercises for self-reflection and sharing in the group, guided self-awareness exercises, etc.

The workshops are for anyone who wants to understand and experientially explore and work through the survival strategies we have developed in the past to cope with pain, in order to cultivate the capacities and skills to change our lives for the better.