About me
My name is Leila. I am a BACP-registered integrative therapist offering therapy, EMDR, and psychedelic integration in London and worldwide.
Using psychodynamic, Jungian, transpersonal, and somatic lenses, I support individuals in moving through psychological challenges into a deeper sense of coherence with themselves, others, and existence.
My own honest engagement with trauma, loss, CPTSD, chronic illness, immigration, as well as longing, stuckness, chaos, and disconnection has given me insight into the dark and the light, allowing me to develop a capacity to be with others in challenging states. My long-term engagement in personal therapy, as well as mind-body, artistic, relational, and spiritual practices and psychedelic ceremonies, has been truly saving and transformative, instilling in me a deep reverence and trust in the power of the body and the soul. My academic engagement with psychotherapy, Depth Psychology, and research has been a rewarding and organising experience, providing a way out of dichotomies into a dialectical, integral, and symbolic way of thinking.
I identify as a polyamorous, bisexual, kink-affirming, spiritual, gifted, creative, ADHD&HSP, third-culture woman from Ukraine, and I am happy to support clients with complex backgrounds and identities.
Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian.
Qualifications & Experience
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BSc (Hons) in Counselling (First Class) from the University of East London.
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Certificate in 'Psychedelics and Depth Psychology Series: Treatment and Transformation in an Animated Cosmos’ from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
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Certificate in 'EMDR and Psychological Trauma' from the London School of Clinical Communications and Hypnosis (LSCCH UK).
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The School of Psyche-Soma (in progress) by Mackenzie Amara.
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Dissertation: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Visionary Relational Encounters in Psychedelic Experiences and Their Discussions in Therapy.
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Foundational training in ethical psychedelic care from The Synthesis Institute and in holding space for individuals navigating challenging psychedelic experiences from Safe Shore.
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Cert(HE) in Theology and Counselling from Middlesex University.
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Cert(HE) in Performance: Design and Practice from Central Saint Martins.
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Worked with clients from diverse backgrounds within the NHS and private settings, helping people with a range of psychological difficulties.
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I engage in continuous professional development, personal therapy, and regular supervision.
Memberships
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Registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
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Professional member of the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy.
Bringing Together the Psychic and the Physical
In addition to my therapeutic role, I create spaces where the psychic and the physical can meet in cohesion and channel the life force into a different state of being. Weaving together image, sensation, affect, and meaning, I hold participatory experiences involving somatic-imagery work, tea ceremony, meditation, ritual, authentic movement, and relational practices.
Follow on Substack
The split soul & Self-integration. Somatically-infused Depth Psychology on Eros & grief, chaos & coherence, masculine & feminine, personal & cosmological. Mythopoetics, profane academic pieces, & therapist's musings on psychedelics.
