About Lara

I am a Training Jungian Analyst and Supervisor of the Society of Analytical Psychology, and a Clinical psychologist with a specialist training in working with trauma and a particular interest in working with early, developmental and attachment trauma, and relational dynamics and difficulties. I am also trained as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner.

I have been working with people in both individual and group settings for over 30 years, drawing on a range of approaches, such as the Analytical Psychology of C.G. Jung, object relations and relational schools of psychoanalysis and Somatic Experiencing.

In my doctoral dissertation, I looked at the contribution of Jungian Sandplay to working with people with a wide range of somatic problems. I have always been interested in a holistic approach to working with people, which takes into account both the psyche and the body, and the complex interconnections between the two. As a result, I found myself drawn to areas such as trauma and somatic disturbances. In doing this work, I strongly felt the importance of training in a range of therapeutic approaches in order to broaden my perspective and to be able to select and blend various instruments depending on individual needs.

My work with people made me aware of the importance of understanding the impact of early (and later) life experiences on body and brain physiology. I wanted to know how overwhelming and traumatic life experiences impact these layers, often leading to people getting stuck in painful patterns despite their best intentions and even despite a significant amount of insight they may have about the origins and meaning of these. I studied developmental and attachment research, trauma and neuroscience literature, and also trained in therapies specialising in early development and trauma. On this path, I discovered Somatic Experiencing (SE - an approach to working with trauma and overwhelming experiences in the body, founded in the US by Dr Peter Levine). Dr Raja Selvam has my teacher in this area. I also completed training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and a psychoanalytical course on understanding trauma at the Tavistock Clinic (London).

Over the years, I have come to realize that even though understanding the complexity of the emotional dynamics, body physiology, meaning and symbolism is very important, perhaps the most important therapeutic factor has to do with human relationships and our ability to connect with the other person at a deep level. It is through this connection that their healing potential can be activated and thus guide the therapeutic work. My understanding today is that the main area of personal and professional growth for a therapist lies in developing this ability.