“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them …

That’s what Compassionate Inquiry is.”

~ Dr. Gabor Maté

Of all the therapies I have worked with and encountered, Compassionate Inquiry (CI) has been the most comprehensive and revealing of them all. I have infinite respect and appreciation for the work of Gabor Maté, it has with all sincerity changed my life, and so it is a privilege for me now to offer his approach and to work with people in this way. My intention with this approach is to help you to begin to inquire into your situation and your story to help you to see them, and yourself, a little clearer. I don’t believe that we need to ‘force’ ourselves through personal development work, and I know that therapy can be a daunting process for many people. What I love about CI is its ability to gently inquire into the ways we present to and perceive the world around us, in order to reveal the underlying beliefs that often guide and govern our lives and thereby help us to become more curious and responsive, rather than reactive.

Note that Compassionate Inquiry is an integrative, somatic based approach to therapy, meaning that there is a great deal of attention turned towards the body during the process. I believe that the body holds our deepest secrets, and so this is a key element of the inquiry that often surprises people by its accuracy and simplicity.

‘Yoga therapy may be defined as the application of Yogic principles to an individual with the objective of achieving a particular spiritual, psychological, or physiological goal.’

- International Association of Yoga Therapists

For me, yoga has always been therapy. I came to the practice at a time of great personal loss, and it became my refuge during some very dark and difficult times. I believe that the modern day division of mind from body entirely fails to do justice to the true potential of this practice, and neglects the holistic needs of the individual. My interest in the therapeutic application of yoga has developed and deepened over the last fifteen years of studying and teaching around the world, and I have found without exception that people are seeking the very union that is at the core of this tradition. The word yoga itself means union – to yoke, to unite, to bring together. By that definition, there is nothing that falls outside of it. Everything is yoga; every moment is an opportunity for practice.

Depending on your particular requirements and situation, we will work together to consider the application of teachings and practices that best suit your condition. These may include asana (posture), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, mantra, or simple human connection. My intention through this work is to empower your own progression towards improved health and wellbeing, and to establish a more unified sense of self, without which dis-ease of mind and body can arise.

‘It’s not necessarily about the substance.. it’s about the therapy that the substance helps to make more effective.’

- Rick Doblin, MAPS CEO

Having worked with hundreds of people during the process of psychedelic retreats (primarily Ayahuasca, in both the Peruvian Amazon and Costa Rica) I am convinced that the psychedelic journey itself is the tip of the iceberg. While profound work and realisations can certainly occur, the need for support both pre and post experience is critically important for the efficacy of the process, and neglecting to provide or seek that support can entirely undermine the potential for healing that psychedelics can offer.

I returned to London many times after deep personal journeys, and struggled tremendously to reconcile the new insights I carried with the old ways of being I encountered. I believe it is vitally important for therapists to offer integration who have known both sides of that line – the indigenous wisdom and the Western glare. The etymology of the word integration is to ‘make whole’, and in the same way that the purpose of yoga is to restore union, psychedelic integration promotes a re-unification with the parts of ourselves we may recover, or glimpse, during the psychedelic journey. These parts have often been buried or untouched for years, as a consequence of our environment in early childhood, socialisation and life experiences. The purpose of integration, therefore, is to continue the work of the psychedelic journey and enable you to bring and apply new insights and understanding to your life as a living, breathing, ongoing experience, rather than the isolated intensity of one night or retreat.