Long Biography

A longer cruise into my Life and the work I do

 I am a registered Psychologist and licensed Radix®Therapist. As well as training in these and other more traditional Psychological therapies, I have many years of Spiritual training and follow a spiritual path open to ways that practice Love, awareness, integration and wholeness. I have a special interest in the coming together of the whole self- body, feelings, mind and Spirit. I endeavour to practise this in my own life and in the work I do, whether that is Psychology or gardening.

For a number of years I thought of my Psychological Practice as a transpersonal /Spiritual one. Now I think of it more as a wholistic practice. This reflects my growing awareness of my own wholeness and my interest in developing the connection between the spiritual and individual personal aspects of the self.

In my work with others, I start by working with them in order understand how they see themselves and their situation and look at what they are wanting to achieve in life and in sessions with me. I endeavour to work with them so they are able to achieve more of what they are wanting in their lives.

As they develop insights and skills they become able to move towards a richer and fuller sense of themselves and their aliveness and wholeness. These insights and skills and understandings help them not only to achieve their goals but also to be happier and to function better in the world. In order to help achieve this, I use a range of different therapies. These may involve talking, bodywork, relaxation or meditation or meditative activities. I choose the therapies I use according to my intuition and also in light of discussions with clients.  Click on ‘How I work’ to find out more

My own life journey started in a small town in the North Island of New Zealand. Both my Grandfathers were Lutherans from the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide South Australia. One grandfather started a New Zealand clan by leaving South Australia and buying a farm in New Zealand. My Mother was born there. She met and married my father when he came to New Zealand during the Depression. I was their third daughter.

I have followed the many and varied various paths in my life because of a keen urge to know and understand and because of a deep curiosity. I was one of those children who asked endless questions!! I still ask questions as an adult though perhaps not endless!!

I trained as a teacher in New Zealand and taught there for several years. Then in the late 60’s I came to Adelaide, following a sense that this was where I needed to go. I also remembered my Mother saying of my Father that he wanted to take her to Adelaide and what a beautiful place it was. This was an evocative memory for me, as I was very connected to my father who died when I was five. I also fulfilled his wishes by showing my Mother several times around Adelaide.

In the 70’s my life was strongly influenced by my University studies where I studied Psychology Anthropology and Philosophy. I was at that time also deeply affected by the excitement, activism and ideas of the Women’s movement. In integration terms this was a period of the awakening and training of my mind and also the importance of expressing my feelings and being creatively involved in the everyday world. As well it was the beginning of my understanding about the purpose and value of my life.

During these years, I had also I trained as an Educational Psychologist and it was in this way that I became registered to practice as a Psychologist. I finished teaching and worked in schools for a number of years as an Educational Psychologist.

At a time of deep difficulty and soul searching, I started regular sessions with a Psychologist who was also a Radix Therapist. I began to have regular sessions which continued for a number of years. This was a wonderful time for me, as I discovered and began to integrate more into my physical and emotional being. As well as emotions, I deepened into body feelings, sensations and energies.

Because I learned so much and appreciated the techniques used in Radix Body centred Psychotherapy, I began training in Radix®. Briefly, Radix is a form of body centred Psychotherapy which uses breath, sound, movement grounding and centring to release deeply held blocks so we become more alive to feelings and emotions and the flow of energy in our body. This aliveness enables us to lead a fuller life in the everyday world. Radix also has the concept of Life Force or life flow. All of these concepts and practices fitted well with me at this stage of my development (click here for more information about Radix®)

Towards the end of my Radix® training, I embarked on a long period of Esoteric studies. (click here for more information on Esotericism)  This interest and study continues to the present day. I trained in Esoteric Psychology and developed a deep appreciation of the journey of the soul and the process of soul unfoldment and integration into the personal self of body, feelings, mind and spirit.

I began to deepen into myself and open spiritually and intuitively.  I also began to experience more coming together of the disparate parts of myself. I started to realise and see from my experience and thinking, that integration is a journey into increasing wholeness; that we circulate through the different parts of ourselves integrating, healing and transforming into a deep, continuing wholeness.(click here to read more about Integration and wholeness)

 During these years, I had also started work in Community Health and eventually worked as a Psychologist in that field for 17 years, while at the same time maintaining a small private Psychological practice. This gave me much experience in the issues for a large cross section of our community.

I also learned about leading and designing programs for groups. For the past 5 years I have been building up my private practice and extending my involvement into groups and workshops on Meditation and Spiritual issues. I also run monthly Full Moon Events and Meditation retreats. (click here for more information on Full Moon and Full Moon events I run in Adelaide)   click here for more information on Meditation Retreats and other courses.

The work on the emotional and physical that started with the Radix© work demanded connection with the spiritual work that was unfolding.  I began to teach courses on Spirituality that emphasized the connection between spiritual being and the personal emotional mental physical parts of the self. This reflected my own process. I look for spiritual practices that are open to connecting to mind, feelings and body. I search out therapies that are open to include spiritual realities into their body of knowledge and practices.

 On a deep level I believe everything is wholeness or perhaps a Oneness. At this level of integration, we are all connected and interrelated – we are all whole and connected. We are all One, all Love, and there are no divisions. Bringing this expansive level of being into our every moment of being through our minds, soul bodies and feelings, is I believe a most exciting and important life adventure- for me probably the most important. It is the journey into the “big” self which then informs the ‘little self.”

Gradually, as we move “up “and “down” through these levels, the undeveloped areas are developed and activated and our systems begin to function more and more as a whole on expanding levels of wholeness. We begin to actualise our embodiment. How each person does this is unique to each one and depends on their life experience and situation and their level of awareness.

My life is a reflection of this process of growth. The spiral I have as my logo reflects this spiralling growth and development (click here for more on the symbol of the spiral) The process through each field of energy moves us into a more unified field of being. It is an inspiring creative alchemical process (click on alchemy to read more)