Recover, Revive, Thrive.
Brain and nervous system approaches for improving mental, emotional and physical performance.
Somatic Movement, Neurofeedback, IHHT.
Brain and Nervous System Approaches for a fuller recovery.
Welcome to my website. My name is Nicola and I am a psychotherapist who specialises in somatic approaches and technologies to help your brain, nervous system and body perform at their best. Whether you are looking for help recovering from the negative effects of stress, anxiety and burnout, to improve your peak performance or to recover from muscular pain and move more effectively, then I can help.
Many years working as a psychotherapist showed me that most people are looking to feel strong and steady in their lives and more in charge of those automatic stress reactions such as fight/ flight/ freeze responses including shallow breathing and muscular tension. As a practitioner, this is where I have placed my focus.
The most powerful solutions I have found to these problems are body and brain based approaches and technologies such as Somatic Movement, Neurofeedback and IHHT (oxygen therapy). So much of who we are are and how we perform is shaped by our brain and nervous system and how they have adapted to life stressors and lifestyle demands. It makes perfect sense to target these areas in order to find balance and resilience. Body and mind are intricately connected.
The people I work with struggle with symptoms like anxiety, fight/flight/freeze reaction, sleep issues, muscular tension, postural and movement imbalances, pain, fatigue, burnout, digestive issues, brain fog, hormonal imbalances, shallow breathing and many more. All of these issues tend to point at the fact that the body/mind/ brain system has become stuck and is no longer performing and recovering under stress as it should.
If this sounds like you then please get in touch, I’d be happy to discuss how this approach could work for you.
With the right approaches, the body and mind can self repair and rebalance to surprising degrees.
What I offer
NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback is non-invasive brain training technology. It trains your brain to respond to and recover from stress in an optimised way. If the stress in your life is ongoing then it can help you manage more effectively and, if the your fight/flight patterns are based on past circumstances, then it can help your nervous system come back to safety and let go of the past.
Optimal brain performance is also integral to improving cognitive and emotional performance at work, in sports, learning and any endeavour where you need high functioning performance. Looking to thrive in these areas? NeurOptimal can help.
Choose from individual sessions from the office in Hove or rental systems for use at home.
Helps with: stress / anxiety, resilience, inner calm, mental clarity, focus & concentration, energy levels, mindset, emotional steadiness, decision making and sleep quality amongst many others.
Somatic Movement
Somatic Movement is a brain and nervous system based approach using gentle, and cleverly designed, movement exercises to help release muscular tension that causes restricted movement or pain. Whether recovering from stress or injury, learning a way to permanently release muscular tension, will help reclaim your right to move freely and efficiently for the long term.
Somatics rewires your brain’s motor cortex, releasing the old muscle memory habits that hold unnecessary tension that are the root cause of pain and discomfort. This approach teaches you to take back control of your movement and release tension and tightness.
Release your body, free your mind.
It is effective in as little as 20 minutes per day.
Altitude Training/ IHHT
Ever wondered why it feels so good to spend time in the mountains? It’s because the ‘thinner’, mountain air improves and renews how your body functions. Altitude Training, also know by its scientific name, Intermittent Hypoxic/Hyperoxic Training (IHHT), is a safe, non-invasive approach to oxygen therapy which has received many years of rigorous scientific research. It helps your body and cells adapt to simulated high altitude conditions, so that your brain and body boost their performance and oxygenation. Every aspect of our health and functioning requires oxygen and energy. The result for you is greater mental and physical health and stamina to boost your resilience.
Benefits: mitochondrial renewal, increased ATP production (energy) , improved respiratory and cardiovascular performance (increases fitness and stress resilience), improves HRV (heart rate variability), increases blood flow and oxygenation of the body and brain, increased neuroplasticity and adaptability of body and mind, improved parasympathetic functioning, improves sleep, better immune function, greater concentration, hormonal balance and support for anti ageing, amongst many others.
Breathwork and functional breathing are one of the most accessible methods we have at our disposal to influence the body-mind system. How we breathe affects our health and wellbeing. It is a powerful tool for stress and anxiety management, influences our ability to sleep well, have energy while improving focus and performance. The Vagus Nerve, the seat of our Parasympathetic Nervous System, runs throughout the airways and lungs and and is directly influenced by how we breathe.
There is a very clear relationship between breathing, mood, movement and biological efficiency. Breathing is something we all have at our disposal to help us find balance and resilience. Once learnt, it will support you 24/7.
What I work with