Compassionate Inquiry® is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Dr. Gabor Maté over several decades while working with both patients and retreat participants. 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.

Peter Levine, a pioneer in the field of trauma, defines trauma as “a disconnection from the Self.” Trauma is not an event that happens but what happens in the individual due to that external event. More broadly, it can be understood as an experience that constricts your authenticity and limits your response flexibility to related situations in the future. Which means also, that trauma locks you into the past.

Relational trauma happens when we are wounded in our early caregiving relationships, through rejection, abandonment, or not being seen or heard, for example. It’s easy to acknowledge terrible events, like the death of a loved one, an accident or an addiction in the family. But what didn’t happen — the ways your needs were not met — is often harder to see and often just as painful and traumatic with far-reaching consequences.

We often talk about "big T" and "little t" traumas to distinguish between big, terrible events, and the smaller unseen ones that can produce the same effects: c-PTSD, gut dysbiosis, nervous system dysregulation and so on.

One thing remains the same when approaching big and little t traumas: the need for safety. That's why the approach I use is gentle, non-intrusive and always seeking the client's permission. It involves authentic connection, compassion and above all, respect.

• you can’t remember your childhood, or sections of it

• you have a hard time saying no, speaking up for yourself or setting boundaries

• a constant state of unsettledness

• fear of commitment

• losing yourself in relationships

• co-dependency or ultra-independence

• stuck in survival mode, either operating in hyperarousal or in a shut-down state

• riding an emotional roller coaster

• need to prove your worth or justifying your existence in the world

• a constant state of anger or defensiveness

• honour the possibility in you

• stop over-compromising

• be comfortable in your own skin

• confidently make decisions

• self-confident

• focus and follow through on your goals

• nurture the parts of you that need attention

• stop cycles of generational trauma

• feel in control of your life

• self-trust, a knowing you’ll be ok no matter what happens

• let love in and experience more joy in relationships

• emotional freedom

• greater personal accountability and sense of integrity

• feel more secure in yourself

• contentment, relaxed nervous system

• clear sense of direction and purpose

• clear within self

• let go of the need for masks

• confidently set boundaries

Somatic work recognises that past experiences and emotions can become trapped in the body. Somatic therapy uses the mind-body connection by addressing the manifestations of beliefs and emotions on a body level. Reconnecting with our bodies, creating safety in experiencing emotions and gently co-regulating are key in rewiring our nervous system’s default state.