Who We Are

Stephan
StephanFounder
Stephan, founder of “Essential Embodiment Trainings“ offers courses, groups and individual sessions in London face-to-face and on Skype.

Stephan’s background lies in the field of body-mind focused psychotherapy. He specialises in work with early developmental/relational trauma, stress related illness, syndromes like CFS and Fibromyalgia, as well as embodiment focused practices and therapies. Originally trained in film-making and physical theatre and subsequently working in the design and communications field, his career path changed to therapeutic work in 2004.

A wide range of professional trainings, his own recovery from early relational trauma, a deeply affecting personal relationship history as well as his love for art, writing and filmmaking have all been embodied in the work, guidance and relational availability he offers.

Some of the modalities he trained in and which are core to his approach are:

Neuro-Affective Relational Model (NARM)
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
EMDR Therapy
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Thought Pattern Management (TPM)
Therapeutic Massage / Holistic Bodyworker – Dip itec, MTI
Other important influences include Essence Work (Faisal Muqqadam), Betty Martin (Wheel of consent).

Brigid
BrigidTherapist
Brigid, colleague, and friend who is co-leading some of the courses in London, with her main practice based in Manchester.

Brigid also comes from an art psychotherapy background, doing fine art in her Creative-Expressive Therapies degree and an MA in Drama Therapy. She has been involved in this field for over 15 years, having trained in the Netherlands and USA.

Her training includes:

Ego-State Therapy
EMDR Therapist
NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model)
MA Drama-therapy
BA (Hons) Arts Therapy
Sensory Attachment Integration

Brigid has been offering workshops on connection, intimacy and embodiment over the past 5 years. She chose Drama Therapy because it utilises the natural, human drive towards humour, playfulness, health and vitality.

With whom we work most successfully

You might benefit most from our offering if you have already gained some experience of inner work or are simply a passionate seeker of truth. We love sharing the path with fellow bodyworkers and therapists and also love working with anyone who has a deep passion in any field including the creative arts.

Embodiment- and intimacy-related struggles and/or early developmental and emotional trauma are in many ways our very specific area of expertise. So if this is an area you sense you can benefit from our offering, we very much welcome you to contact us and discuss how we might be able to work together.

We equally welcome those who – like us – search for their place in this world and are determined not to shy away from meeting others in all our own uniqueness. We look for people who do not seek anyone to put on the “teacher/therapist/guru pedestal”. We prefer to be seen simply as other friendly human beings offering specific, time-limited support and guidance where requested and mutually agreed. We acknowledge that we are as enriched by your presence as you might be by ours.

We love working with clients who endeavour to live their lives in a rich, heart-full, intimate, sensual, reflective and also active way. We want to celebrate in honest exchanges our aliveness, love, embodiment and the richness of life as we heal and grow together.

Our Approach

Psychological, emotional, energetic and essential embodiment is central to this work. Our intention is to increase our availability and capacity for healthy contact, rich aliveness and effective expression of our true nature in this world. 

Knowledge is important and we love sharing what we know, see and understand; yet any meaningful change needs to involve our physical bodies, aided by a conscious embodied focus. Our work tends to have a strong focus in the relational field – we are humans with our needs and potential, in social interactions. With our clients and in our own personal development we have learned how much of healing happens simply through healthy relating and corrective experiences in the relational realm. 

We recognise the need for strong, informed and up-to-date therapeutic approaches. Many of our methods lean toward brief therapy models and highly effective ways of working. The work predominantly focuses around our experience in the “here and now” as opposed to analysis of personal history. 

Our ultimate aim in this work is not transcendence of this world but enlightened living through deep embodiment and effective expression of our authentic nature.