Dr Stelle Shakti

A conversation with Stelle Shakti

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  In 2015 I experienced a very significant Plot Twist to Life and the only way to recover was to embark on a personal healing journey and a path of Soul discovery. It is during this time that I felt a deep desire and purpose to become a counsellor. Although I acknowledge that traditional academia has its merits (I was a cancer research scientist for over 25yrs), I was yearning for a different form of counselling training that considers the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of individuals. And perhaps most importantly, an education model that views presenting issues not as pathologies that need to be eliminated but as opportunities to become aware of the less conscious parts of ourselves and discover what our inner desires are trying to communicate. During my search, I came across the Metavision Institute and their deeply beautiful holistic approach to the human being. My time at Metavision was a journey of self discovery and personal growth that was more rewarding and enriching than I could have ever anticipated and I couldn't help but share everything I had experienced with others.
  

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  As a geneticist, I love the nature vs nurture debate. My personal view is that our genes influence our psyche. However, both my personal & professional experiences have shown me the crucial role that our environment & childhood experiences play in our early childhood development, our wounding, our protective strategies, our attachments etc, and all of these experiences shape the person we are today.
  
  As a developmental biologist, I understand and appreciate the profound physiological effects that stress, anxiety, depression & trauma etc have on our emotional body & physical nervous system. Hence, conditions that most people label as mental health care issues, I see as physical, mental & emotional. What happened to you affects the WHOLE of you. And while your brain may have forgotten/pushed the hurt aside - your body remembers. So its not all about talk therapy, we need to spend time together understanding at a deeper level, what your physical & emotional bodies need to feel safe once more.
  
  I am also deeply indebted to a wide variety of spiritual philosophies which have been KEY to me on my personal healing journey. These include: Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy, Taoism, Mindfulness and Arnold Mindell's Process Orientated Psychology.
  
  A support journey with me involves a rich eclectic mix of healing practices from intellect, spirit & Mother Earth.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  My holistic approach is also heavily founded on the belief that you yourself hold all the answers to the information you seek. I am therefore deeply passionate about helping you learn how to calm your nervous system, quieten the noise in your mind, and reconnect to your inner wisdom - also referred to as your gut instinct or intuition.
  
  Reconnecting to this part of your inner self can make you feel empowered! From this place you can make heartfelt, informed & conscious choices that feel deeply right for you. Not because your head thinks you ‘should’ - but because you know deep in your heart that this is what YOU NEED TO DO on your unique journey

• What methods do you use?

  My form of therapy is very person-centered. This means that you alone define the content and pace at which we work, I simply listen to your thoughts, feelings or dreams and we unfold your unique process on any given day. There is no predetermined structure or plan.
  
  My training was based on Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy & Arnold Mindell's Processwork. As such, we were trained in a variety of theories, methods and skills including: somatic, existential, experiential & psychodynamic therapy. We were specifically trained how to work with trauma & abuse, childhood attachment, dream work, grief and more.
  
  I also offer additional support processes ranging from Reiki energy healing, Human Design, Gene Keys, Numerology, mindfullness practices and nature therapy.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  I have walked alongside some amazing individuals who reached a massive breakthrough on their first and second visit and have not needed to return. Many start to feel some sense of relief immediately after the first & second visit, though they return for up to 6-10 to unfold deeper layers of their pain and plant the seeds for lasting change.
  
  I also have had numerous clients embark on a year long journey with me whereby we worked together to help them shed the multiple layers of deep conditioning and limiting beliefs they were carrying, in order to reconnect with the true version of themselves - the authentic person that they came here to be.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  In 2015 I experienced a very significant “Plot Twist” to Life and the only way to recover was to embark on a personal healing journey and a path of Soul discovery. It is during this time that I felt a deep desire and purpose to become a counsellor. My time in training at Metavision started my therapeutic journey -and it has been a journey rich in self discovery, reconnection to land & nature, a blossoming in my self-worth, and a deep understanding of how crucial self-care practices really are. The journey in working through my wounds and traumas, and discovering the gifts in each of those experiences has led to a path of personal growth that has been more rewarding and enriching than I could have ever anticipated.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  Creating a safe & nurturing space for individuals to learn to trust again. The world has been cruel to all of us. We have ALL experienced trauma. Maybe not BIG capital "T" trauma, but we have definitely all experienced little “t” traumas - defined as highly distressing events that affected us on a personal level. For example: frightful events, non-life-threatening injuries, absent parents, emotional abuse, death of a pet, bullying, narcissism, feelings of abandonment etc. All of these events helped shape us into the adults that we are today. Often, in response to these events, we created what Bill Plotkin refers to as our "Loyal Soldiers" - protective strategies that were came about to help keep us safe. Because these adaptive strategies/emotional patterns were were born of a traumatic experience, every time that strategy/pattern is activated again in our adult lives, our bodies re-experience the pain of the initial trauma. Imagine how energetically exhausting that can be!!
  
  So I am deeply passionate about helping people to be gentle & kind with themselves and to develop a toolkit of self-care strategies so that they can learn how to self-soothe and calm their nervous system.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Haha, yes. All the time :) We are all human & perfectly imperfect!!

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  That despite all our advances in technology, our lives are as busy and chaotic as ever! We are expected to take on too many roles and give too much of ourselves... there are just so many people who are burning out due to the pace at which society expects us all to live. We all deserve to pause and rest at times. Balance is crucial.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  Gene Keys, Soulcraft and Women who run with wolves.