ABOUT

I am trained in multiple therapy modalities and I integrate perspectives and practices from attachment theory, neurobiology, sex therapy, somatic therapy, eco-therapy, and trauma-informed care.  I have studied with numerous teachers in trauma and attachment, somatics, and body-focused psychotherapy.  I am also a student of ancient teachings and meditation.

I am a relational therapist which means my focus is on helping you relate in more healthy ways to yourself and others in order to live a more empowered, wise, and abundant life.

In our time together we will focus on healing your whole person physically, spiritually, and emotionally in order to unearth the unique and brilliant embodied wisdom that lives within you.

In my practice I incorporate such things as guided imagery, mindfulness, and embodiment and spiritual practices to help you find more depth, love, purpose, and connection in your life.  During a session we might engage in talking & sharing, grounding & embodiment practices, or silence and breathing.  We may use visualizations, dreams, stories, and wisdom texts.  I honour each person’s relationship with their imagination, creativity, and spirit as unique, wise, and insightful.

The aim is to help you develop a deeper sense of what you feel and intuit at a bodily level, so that you have a greater sense of agency and more intimate contact with yourself and others.

I ground my practice in a thorough understanding of the neurobiological, psychological, intergenerational, and social effects of trauma.  I am dedicated to empowering people to understand trauma and its impact on the nervous system more deeply, and to providing, studying, and teaching trauma-sensitive care.

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Areas of Focus:

In addition to “everyday” therapeutic issues that I work with, the following are my areas of specialty:

–  Relationship issues

–  Sexual desire & intimacy

–  Women’s issues

–  Low self-esteem

–  Disconnection from intuition & inner guidance

–  Body image

–  Disordered eating

–  Grief & loss

–  Codependency

–  Avoidance issues

–  Addictions (including sex & love, drug & alcohol, shopping, food, etc.)

–  Trauma including relational trauma (abandonment, neglect, enmeshment, abuse)

–  Depression

–  Attachment injuries

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Education & Licensing:

– Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a member of the Canadian Association for Psychodynamic Therapy.

– Advanced Gestalt Psychotherapy 5-Year Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Toronto

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Training & Certifications:

2019 – present:  completed basic and advanced training in the Comprehensive Resource Model, which is the model that primarily informs my work.  CRM is a trauma treatment model that helps clients build a more positive and valued sense of self.

2019:  completed The Wheel of Consent training with Dr. Betty Martin, a body-oriented approach to the nature of giving and receiving, creating relational agreements, setting limits and boundaries, and figuring out what we want and don’t want.

2017 – 2019:  completed studies in Somatic Sex Education, a body-oriented approach to sexual healing that transforms sexual wounds and shame into pleasure and joy.

2018:  completed advanced training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a program that teaches a broach repertoire of somatic interventions that work with the nervous system, the body, and emotions to promote healing.

2017:  completed studies in Advanced Sexuality, Couples Therapy, and Family Therapy at the University of Guelph’s Department of Family Relations.

 

Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling with the mistaken belief that you can not bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all you are beyond that pain.

― Kahlil Gibran

lori@lorilouisejohnston.com

Copyright 2024 Lori Louise Johnston.  All rights reserved.