“My wires had become, all in all, very crossed; the loss of my mother, the birth of my baby daughter, a pandemic, failed business ventures and eventually a dear friend’s suicide… I realized that I needed professional help.
A good friend of mine suggested Gestalt Therapy so I looked it up and it appealed to me as it was well-tuned to me as a creative, and as someone with personal struggles. I was interested to see what would be revealed when peeling back the layers of my so-called onion(s)…
Having searched around the web for Gestalt therapists in Barcelona and read some testimonials of therapists, I soon realized Emma was the person I would choose to go with.
Perhaps I should not have been surprised, for all the gleaming testimonials of her work and albeit online and over zoom or Skype, Emma soon became a very welcome voice in my somewhat chaotic mind. Having informed her of all my misdoings, misfortunes, loves and losses we got cracking. Needless to say, it wasn’t easy, but it felt really good just to admit I needed help and see where the sessions could lead.
In the first sessions, we dealt with my grief and the loss of my mother. A deep wound that I thought would never really heal, but Emma guided me back to a place where I could revisit past memories, where I could talk to the child I was, and where I could hug my mother’s legs as she hung the washing out to dry in our old house. As I was guided, I wept, but they were tears I was longing to shed, and needless to say when I returned from the guided meditation I not only felt more connected to my mother but to myself as a child, a part of me I thought I had lost forever yet found more easily than I had ever expected.
From here we worked on aspects of my personality and especially the internal language I use while going about my days. In this work, Emma asked me to bring forward many aspects of my past and challenge myself to change the language I was surrounding those memories with. The truth vs self-limiting beliefs was a vital exercise for me and I found in doing so that I could learn to like myself again and feel like I was worthy of love, and the more we worked, the more I became open to it.
With the past, future, and language worked on, we began to work on my grounding in the present and I soon learned to enjoy myself in it. To breathe, to let go and to feel loved and accepted for how I am. If negative thoughts arose I now had the tools to combat them, to realize when I was somehow allowing them in, and to question them upon arrival instead of letting them run amok in my mind.
Emma has become more than a therapist, perhaps because I view her as someone with all the qualities of a good friend; a pearl of wisdom that I feel fortunate to have crossed paths with, and a caring soul who picked me back up when I was down. I couldn’t recommend her expertise highly enough.”
“I can’t recommend Emma highly enough. I came to therapy to work on some serious trauma I was facing. I had had bad experiences with mental health professionals before, so I was skeptical. Emma far surpassed my expectations. We had treatment for almost exactly a year and within that time I was not only able to resolve the issues I came for, but many other areas of my life improved as well. For the first time, I’m able to take responsibility for my actions, identity, and choices. The world feels more vivid. As I feel more acceptance and compassion for myself, I’m naturally able to feel that for others and my relationships have improved. I even feel at peace with my mortality. Emma facilitated this through bearing witness without judgment. She allowed me to lead my own process, while offering gentle guidance and strong support. I feel not only accepted by her, but liked and loved. She’s also been very receptive to constructive criticism, which is essential. She provided therapeutic activities and meditations that were interesting, fun, and beneficial. I think she’s an especially good fit for creative types, as she intuitively understands metaphor– in terms of thoughts, dreams, fantasies, and stories I shared– and anyone with an interest in spirituality. Emma has changed my life for the better, and I will always be grateful for her.”
“The therapy sessions with Emma helped me to think more positively and feel more deeply. The work we did left me feeling a buzz right after the sessions and inspired me to make changes. I gained confidence in communicating with myself and with others through discussion and practice. Emma was great at building trust, listening and supporting me with insightful questions. I would recommend her without hesitation.”
“Just wanted to express my sincerest thanks to you for all the hard work you did for me over the past few months. My outlook on life has been completely transformed as a result and I’m so grateful to you for that. Thanks for everything.”
“Como una flecha
Estaba leyendo un libro cuyo tema central es la felicidad y la gente feliz, en él se habla sobre las 3 dimensiones de la felicidad:
-emocional, cuando experimentas los jugos de la felicidad en el cuerpo.
-cognitiva, cuando más allá de la emocionalidad reconoces que on the whole, eres feliz
-eudaimonia, que es la sensación de satisfacción por tener un propósito en la vida
Y fue allí cuando me cayó el quinto de entender cuán efectiva había sido la terapia con Emma: quizás debí empezar diciendo que tuvimos 8 sesiones en un lapso de poco más de 2 meses, en los que fui sincera con mi jefe y dejamos por mutuo acuerdo de trabajar juntos, alquilé un espacio en un taller de cerámica que es mi pasión, retomé mi posición de hija en vez de Wonder Woman sin dejar de ayudarlos con amor, cerré consciente y limpiamente el ciclo con mi expareja dándome la oportunidad de venir a vivir con la persona que amo y me ama de vuelta, reconocí mi herida central: la muerte no trabajada de mi abuelo cuando mi mamá era solo una niña, dolor que ha trascendido generacionalmente hasta llegar a mí y que es la raíz de todo el miedo que me daba dar cada uno de estos pasos.
Ciertamente yo estaba decidida a aprovechar la oportunidad de trabajar con Emma, deseaba escucharla, dejarme llevar por su imaginación y pericia que ya intuía antes de empezar, y así fue: Emma me llevó con dulzura, buen humor y frontalidad a través de mi propia narración del mundo, juntas observamos, reconocimos, sentimos y dotamos de nuevos significados a elementos, personas y sucesos de mi historia y presente, para proveerme a mí de mí misma, devolviéndome el natural poder creativo y con él, mi vida y narración.
En este momento ciertamente me siento feliz a nivel emocional, me siento bien, alegre, esperanzada y satisfecha, claro, entiendo que las emociones van y vienen y por eso me tomo el tiempo de apreciar ese dibujo que hicimos juntas como con una flecha, (un dibujo claro, definido, nítido) y así reconozco que soy feliz más allá del carrusel sensitivo (nivel cognitivo), y que desde aquí, ese propósito es posible porque estoy alineada y en mi lugar (eudaimonia).
¡Parece que en 2 meses hicimos el trabajo de dos años!
Gracias Emma, ha sido intenso y fantástico (literalmente fantástico: traído directamente de las fantasías más utópicas a tierra, a la vida tridimensional).
Recomiendo el trabajo con Emma al 100%, especialmente si hay un deseo sincero de escuchar y sobre todo de escucharse.
Con mucho amor,
Lucía”
“As a Spanish/English speaking couple, we must admit we had concerns that approaching a therapist would make the communication more complicated. In reality, Emma seamlessly guided us to a stronger communication between each other. With empathy and understanding of our situation, Emma managed to truly hear us for what we really needed. I know that some of the exercises we did together will follow us beyond our sessions. And all of this was done via simple video calls! Yes, we missed the human touch of a heart-full hug after the session, but in reality, the distance never held us back from genuinely moving forward. Thank you, Emma.”
“Emma helped me to become more conscious about myself, to listen to my body and find a balance that I felt I lacked when I started the sessions. I also feel I gained a better awareness of how to deal with certain moments and be caring for the present, focusing on the positive rather than the negative.
Changes must come first from yourself to be able to change things around you.
I recommend the good energy that Emma transmits.”
“Emma has really helped and encouraged me to get out of my head. When I first came to her I could barely speak two sentences without stopping to think about what I was saying. With her, I have learned again to slow down and breathe; to start with the first thought and feeling that comes up, and to remember that life continues flowing on.”
“Sessions with Emma really helped me make some important changes in my life across the last 12 months. She really helped me to understand more about the behaviours/thoughts that were holding me back and her questions helped me realise the areas where I wanted to change. Emma is fantastic at this; a great listener, asks all the right questions, she makes you feel comfortable and is someone you can trust immediately. The online sessions are very convenient. I would highly recommend working with Emma.”
“I started seeing Emma at a point in my life when I was exhausted and had very little positive outlook.
During therapy, I started to understand that I needed to become the pilot of my life. I worked on understanding who I am, what is important to me and to take actions accordingly. I learned how to free myself from old beliefs and let go. I got the strength to truly transform my life.
When picking a therapist I was hesitant about the online sessions, now I see the benefit since it gave me a lot of flexibility to see her from wherever I was. I felt close to Emma from day 1.
Therapy was completely new to me, it seemed expensive and I started with a small package but quickly noticed that I had more work to do and realized that working on myself and having therapy is a process that takes time and more than one package. It was worth it!!”
“Trabajar con Emma ha sido una experiencia fantástica. Debido a nuestra situación personal y luego al Covid19, continuamos las sesiones on-line y los resultados han sido exactamente igual de positivos. Es una gran profesional con una gran calidad humana y eso se nota en el trabajo realizado. Ha sido la primera vez que hacía terapia con mi pareja y Emma nos ha ayudado mucho con nuestra manera de comunicar, de escuchar, de conocernos. Añadir que poder hacer las sesiones en Inglés/Español ha sido perfecto para nosotros. ¡Yo seguiría haciendo terapia con ella continuamente! ¡Personalmente la recomiendo 100%!”
“I went to Emma originally because my husband and I were having a crisis in our relationship. I thought it was all about him but it became clear very quickly that it wasn’t about him but about me. I am learning to value myself, give time to myself and nurture myself. Emma has provided a safe and comfortable environment for me to think about myself. The most important thing I have learned is that everything starts from within. We could all benefit from therapy – from taking a little time to understand ourselves better.”
“Emma supo comprenderme y acompañarme en mi búsqueda de ponerle cara a algunos miedos que me atenazan en mi búsqueda del autoconocimiento. Es un ser con una sensibilidad especial, que transmite sencillez y amor. Me sentí cómodo para poder expresarme y bien guiado, cuando mi mente se dispersaba. Fue una experiencia enriquecedora, que me aportó luz en algunos rincones oscuros de mi interior. ¡Gracias Emma!”
I began my journey with a lot of stress and anxiety and a drink and drug addiction. Even though I was in denial, Emma helped me relentlessly to realize that the actions I was choosing to do had consequences on my physical and mental health. 11 months ago I was not able to talk to a worker in a shop, in a bank or in most places because I would be over-thinking and doubting myself. I thought everyone was looking at me and judging me. As time went on and week by week we spoke about what was going on in my day to day life. Emma helped me realize that it was not the strangers that worked in the shops the ones who had the problem, but rather, me. I had to accept that blaming others instead of looking at myself was where the problem lied. I’ve become aware that I was telling myself I was supposed to talk and look a certain way and that I was worried about what others thought about me. Now I know I am responsible for what I think and I am learning to identify the thoughts that no longer serve me. I have become aware of the stories I was telling myself.
Using alcohol and drugs as an escape was not the answer, it was only adding to my problems. Now I can say I have taken the decision to quit them and focus on my state of mind, to be in the present and breathe. These are the kind words of Emma who is a great person and therapist. I thank her dearly for her help and support. I still have anxious moments, but as time goes on and with a great healer, I’m determined to take back the control of my mind and emotions and live a happy, less stressed and anxious life and be the best person I can for me and my family. I want to thank Emma so much for helping me get to where I am today.”
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