Meriel Camara

I offer Somatic Trauma Therapy - which incorporates Havening - or standalone Havening sessions. If you want a taste of the peace that is your birthright, feel free to contact me, and be prepared for work that is not your standard talking therapy.

Have you experienced a toxic relationship with a parent or partner? These relationships can be painful, destructive, abusive or addictive, and they can leave your body and mind feeling wildly out of control.

You might:

• Wonder why relationships are so hard.
• Struggle to leave your partner even though they can’t or won’t love you.
• Believe that, deep down, you’re a bad person and they’re probably right when they say it’s all your fault.
• Question your own reality and worry that you might be going crazy.
• Experience outbursts of rage, profound anxiety, deep grief or incapacitating depression.
• Suffer a wide range of inexplicable physical symptoms.
• Have difficulty saying ‘no’ even when you’re exhausted and burnt out.

If so, you’re in the right place. I specialise in helping survivors of relational trauma find peace within and peace with others, using Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy that can be profoundly powerful. My method blends Havening with tools from Focusing, Somatic Experiencing®, Hakomi, and Internal Family Systems.

Welcome to a transformative way of working that is slow, because the fastest way is slow; inward, because the only way forward is inward; and gentle, because the most powerful way is gentle.

Working with me can help you to:

let go of old pain,

find an inner sense of safety,

fall in love with yourself, and

form safe and soulful relationships with others.

My areas of specialism include:

• Domestic violence, emotional abuse, coercive control and gaslighting.
• Physical and sexual abuse.
• Childhood emotional and physical neglect.
• Narcissism, psychopathy and borderline personality disorder.
• Insecure attachment, love addiction and codependence.
• PTSD and complex PTSD.
• Difficulties setting healthy boundaries.

Other areas I can help you with include traumatic grief, workaholism, ancestral and past life traumas, and the traumatic underpinnings of complex chronic health conditions.

An anonymous Somatic Trauma Therapy client had this to say about our work:

Working through very challenging times this year & I would have been completely at sea without Meriel, who immediately recognised & thoroughly understood the problems. Her knowledge, experience & insights have been invaluable in finding a way through the maze of practical difficulties whilst at the same time helping me to manage often overwhelming emotions. In spite of the complex issues, which have sometimes seemed insurmountable, the process has also been uplifting, inspiring & liberating. It feels as if I have been guided by a Guardian Angel! I am truly indebted & so very grateful for every minute of our sessions - thank you Meriel for being there... ??

Somatic Trauma Therapy costs £55 for a 60 minute session or £70 for a 90 minute session. This commitment to regular, ongoing therapy supports deep healing. Contact me to arrange a FREE 30 minute discovery conversation to find out if this is the right choice for you.

I also offer standalone sessions of pure Havening, Focusing or Hakomi (I am currently working towards certification in Hakomi). These sessions are open to anyone and can be booked ad hoc whenever you want one. The price ranges from £15 to £45 for a 30 to 45 minute session.

Here's what one of my clients had to say after just one Havening session: 

"Meriel's personal care was tangible. Her attitude and joy went a long way so that I could relax and really open up to the get the most out of the process. What we worked on had been a life long challenge and burden. To be free from it with a completely new and empowering perspective was like gearing up to clean up a nasty mess only to discover a chest full of treasure just beneath the clutter. I can now move forward professionally without the fear that has plagued me my whole life." E. Williams 

I work online with clients from all over the world, or face to face in Bournemouth, UK. I currently have limited spaces for ongoing one-to-one sessions but if you want to be the first to know about any available slots, or my upcoming group programmes, please do drop me a line and I’ll get you on the waiting list.

I've sought out the most effective, cutting edge techniques for treating trauma after spending over 25 years studying, training and working in the fields of domestic and child abuse, human rights, conflict resolution, mental health and addiction. Along the way, I've gathered the following qualifications: 

• Registered Social Worker (reg no SW120415), MA in Social Work
• Certified Focusing Practitioner (British Focusing Association)
• Internal Family Systems-Informed Practitioner (Internal Family Systems Institute)
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional - Level II (PESI)
• Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician (PESI)
• Certified Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (SafeLives)
• Certified Havening Techniques® Practitioner
• Certified Trauma-Informed HeartMath® Practitioner
• Certificate in Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment Level I (Academy of Therapy Wisdom)
• Certificate in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy (Embody Lab)
• Certificate in Somatic Attachment Therapy (Embody Lab)
• Certificate in Somatic Trauma Healing (PESI)
• Certificate in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (PESI)

Please note that, although I integrate several psychotherapeutic techniques into my work, I am not a registered psychotherapist. I’m registered with, and regulated by, Social Work England and am a member of Havening Techniques, the International Focusing Institute, the British Focusing Association and the Hakomi Education Network. I abide by the ethical guidelines and supervision requirements of these organisations.