It’s an honor to bear witness to courage and growth.
Compassionate Inquiry® is a trauma-informed approach to therapy. As a certified practitioner who studied under the direct guidance of Dr. Gabor Maté, I guide clients in exploring unconscious drivers beneath behavior and relationship challenges.
With compassion and curiosity, I hold the relational container in which we’ll safely excavate deeply embedded beliefs and emotions stored in the body, so you can grieve, heal, and find relief. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves…and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them.”
“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them.”
— Dr. Gabor Maté
Here are some common FAQs about Compassionate Inquiry®
Compassionate Inquiry® is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Dr. Gabor Maté over several decades while working with both patients and retreat participants. It was further developed into a training program by Sat Dharam Kaur ND. This approach gently uncovers and releases the layers of childhood trauma, constriction, and suppressed emotion embedded in the body, that are at the root of mental and physical illness and addiction. Check out my practitioner page on the Compassionate Inquiry website, where you can also learn more about the approach.
When clients perceive the therapeutic relationship as a safe container, compassion and curiosity allow them to acknowledge and examine the traumatic events that happened to them as children, recognize the beliefs they internalized, and feel the emotions they suppressed. This contributes to the healing process.
Using Compassionate Inquiry®, both the individual and therapist unveil the level of consciousness, mental climate, hidden assumptions, implicit memories. and body states that form the real message that words both express and conceal.
When we can release ourselves from the hold of these stories, a new way of being emerges, leading to spontaneity, choice, expansion, and freedom.
First, feel reassured that this type of inner work isn’t about judging behavior. Rather, it’s about investigating how habitual conditioning has served a purpose that is no longer needed. One question my clients like to reflect on is: “Does this familiar way of being help or hinder growth?”
What I bring to the table is an empathic presence, my judgment-free curiosity, and most of all a fantastic sense of humor. Clients can find comfort in unburdening themselves of “scary” emotions and in freeing locked-away aspects of themselves. It’s an invitation to reach inwards to reclaim oneself as the ultimate reparenting practice. The result tends to be improved relationships with spouses/partners, family, friends, and colleagues. I invite you to book a free exploratory call with me to see if this work resonates with you.
While I primarily work with individuals, I do accept client work with couples if they’re genuinely committed to healing together. I’ll often incorporate Compassionate Inquiry® in group trainings/workshops, if I see that the process could illuminate where people may be getting stuck in their process. Want to bring me in as a guest for your yoga or Nonviolent Communication training/workshop? Get in touch.
