About John

Life experience

I see life as an adventure. My adventure includes being a stand-up poet, acting, being a gardener, Buddhism, traveling, living in a rusty old caravan in a wood, shamanism, astrology, yoga, rites of passage work with teenage boys, and most recently, being a novelist. Right now, which is always the most important time in life, my greatest adventure is being a hands-on, available dad to my teenage son.

Many years ago, I became involved with a primal therapy community in both Ireland and Colombia. Here I experienced the power of authenticity, speaking one's truth and allowing all feelings (not just the pleasant ones), discovering that not only does core-centred expression lead to a richer, liberated sense of self but it also prevents who we are inside from coming out in a distorted way (somatic issues, low self-esteem, anxiety, relational difficulties, etc.) This simple insight felt profound, leading me to train in various therapies. I began training at the purely physical end of the body therapy spectrum, starting with massage courses, but the deeper work kept calling me. I then studied transcultural counselling, psychodrama, and eventually Deep-body work with The Entelia Institute (Adv Dip) and Embodied Relational Therapy (Adv Dip) with Nick Totton, both neo-reichian forms of body-psychotherapy. Most recently, I trained in Wild Therapy, also with Nick Totton, an approach to working therapeutically outdoors in nature, and am about to begin training in Couples Therapy with David Slatterly.

I have always been drawn to ways of working that allow expression, not only through words but also sound, touch, creativity, and movement. Certain stages of development cannot be reached through words alone such as early infant or preverbal states. Words can also take us away from our feelings, placing us more in the head, which is not always where we need to be, though equally, I do not underestimate the power of words and they are an essential part of how I work. I love this way of exploring because it’s creative and encourages the whole person into the space.

Training

Deep Bodywork (Neo Reichian body psychotherapy) Diploma- four-year training with Entelia Institute (Silke Zeihl)

Embodied Relational Therapy advanced diploma - Two-year training with Nick Totton

Wild Therapy - One year training with Nick Totton

Postural Integration Certificate - Silke Zeihl

Introduction to Counselling Certificate - Brudenell Centre, Leeds

ITEC Diploma in Anatomy, Physiology, and Body Massage - One-year training with the International Therapy Examination Council

Facilitating Therapeutic Groups Certificate - City Lit, London

Psychodrama Certificate- Morely College, London

Transcultural Counselling Certificate - Thomas Danby College, Leeds

Continued Professional Development

Some CPD certificates include:

Does Psychoanalysis Work (Academic) - Birkbeck College, London

Freud (Academic) - Birkbeck College, London

Narcissism (Academic) - Birkbeck College, London

Working with Art Therapeutically - City Lit, London

Working With Couples - Jill Gabriel

Ecotherapy - CPD cert

Accreditation

John is a full member of EABP (European Association of Body Psychotherapy)

Supervision

John is supervised and is a member of IPN (Independent Practitioners Network) which is peer-led supervision network.