The Embodied Mind
Psychotherapy
with Ania Halls
Hello and Welcome!
My name is Ania Halls and I am an accredited / certified Psychotherapist with a degree and a Masters in Health Psychology. I live in the UK and since 2007 I have been offering confidential therapy for adults experiencing common mental health problems, based on the latest research in the field. My approach is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and the belief that healing happens in the safety of a trusting relationship.
I have a range of qualifications and training that create a unique mix of skills to draw upon. This includes formal training in:
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Health Psychology (BSc, MSc)
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Eye movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
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Brainspotting (BSP)
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT)
My practice is also shaped and enriched by numerous advanced trainings in body-oriented psychotherapy including work by Richard Schwartz, Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Beself van der Kolk, Dan Siegel, Janina Fisher, David Grand, Gabor Mate, Gordon Neufeld and many more.
These approaches allow me to integrate a wide range of frameworks, including:
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Multiplicity of the mind
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Dissociation and trauma recovery
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Attachment theory and relational healing
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Polyvagal theory and nervous system modulation
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Neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation and adaptive information processing
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Legacy burdens and transgenerational trauma
However, change cannot occur without the safety of a strong therapeutic relationship, therefore at the core of my work, is making sure that my clients feel comfortable and accepted just as they are. It's incredible what can happen when you’re around someone who is genuine and empathetic, curious and deeply present and attuned - someone who validates your thoughts and emotional experiences and can see the best version of yourself before you can see your own potential.
“TRAUMA IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO US, BUT WHAT WE HOLD INSIDE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EMPATHIC WITNESS"
- Peter A. Levine,
founder of Somatic Experiencing
EMDR
Brainspotting
IFS
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
CBT
Consultation
Therapies offered:
“IFS CAN BE SEEN AS ATTACHMENT THEORY TAKEN INSIDE, IN THE SENSE THAT THE CLIENT’S SELF BECOMES THE GOOD ATTACHMENT FIGURE TO THEIR INSECURE OR AVOIDANT PARTS. "
- Richard Schwartz,
founder of IFS
My Therapeutic Approach
A Thoughtful Blend: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Psychotherapy
Many people are surprised to learn that psychotherapy can be broadly
divided into top-down and bottom-up approaches. The key difference lies in how these therapies engage the brain—and whether they focus more on conscious thought (or explicit learning) or the body’s deeper, unconscious processes (or implicit learning).
Top-down therapies—such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and counselling—engage the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for logical reasoning, verbal expression, and conscious processing. They primarily rely on insight, reflection, and the use of language to help us understand the connections between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, often fostering greater clarity, self-awareness, and practical strategies for managing distress.
Many people find top-down therapies validating, as they offer the opportunity to feel “seen and heard” while making sense of personal experiences. However, these approaches have limitations when it comes to accessing deeper, non-verbal aspects of the brain—particularly patterns stored in the right hemisphere, which governs unconscious emotional memory, bodily sensations, and instinctive responses. As such, top-down therapies may not always reach the root of difficulties that are held in the nervous system, particularly when working with trauma and attachment injuries.
Bottom-up therapies—such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and to some extent Internal Family Systems (IFS)—work directly with the body and the nervous system to access emotional experiences that lie outside of conscious awareness. Unlike talk-based therapies, bottom-up methods do not rely primarily on language or storytelling and instead, they focus on the body’s implicit memory systems—how past experiences are stored as sensations, images, impulses, and reflexes. This is particularly relevant for trauma, which is often encoded in the nervous system not as a coherent narrative, but as fragmented sensory impressions: sights, sounds, smells, movements, or internal states.
Bottom-up therapies are designed to help the body “metabolise” or complete these unfinished survival responses, allowing the nervous system to release patterns that no longer serve us. Through this process, the brain begins to rewire itself—forming new, healthier neural pathways and restoring a greater sense of regulation, safety, and emotional freedom.
This kind of experiential work often leads to deep and lasting change, especially for those navigating trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, dissociation, or persistent emotional patterns.
Integrating Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches
Through years of clinical experience, I’ve found that integrating these two approaches offers the most compassionate and effective path to healing. Together, they support both the body’s innate wisdom and the mind’s need for meaning making—allowing clients to gently explore past experiences and build inner resilience.
If you're looking for a supportive space to begin—or deepen—your healing journey, I warmly invite you to get in touch. I especially welcome clients who are curious about exploring their emotional world through the lens of the nervous system, and who are open to noticing how their internal patterns— including 'parts' and 'ego states'—shape the way they experience themselves and relate to others.
"NEURO - PHYSIOTHERAPY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES"
- David Grand,
founder of Brainspotting
What to expect in Therapy: Tailored to you Needs
Therapy is a collaborative and deeply personal process that unfolds in its own unique way for each individual. There is no single or “right” way to begin—people come to therapy with diverse histories, needs, and varying levels of comfort with self-exploration. My approach is always tailored to meet you where you are, and we move at a pace that feels safe, manageable, and respectful.
However, while every therapeutic journey is different, in my experience, the process often flows through three broad and overlapping stages: resourcing, processing and integration.
1. Resourcing
For clients who are already familiar with bottom-up approaches, we may begin more directly with modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Brainspotting, especially if you already have some ability to stay present with your internal experience.
Other approaches—such as EMDR or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)—typically begin with a resourcing phase. This involves building a foundation of internal safety, emotional regulation, and somatic awareness. Here you will develop your ability to notice and track your internal experience without becoming overwhelmed. This stage is particularly important for trauma survivors or those experiencing emotional dysregulation.
For some clients—especially those new to therapy or who find turning inward overwhelming—we may start with a more cognitive approach. This might include psychoeducation and drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to build insight into the mind-body connection and develop practical strategies for managing distress. Over time, as safety and confidence grow, we can begin moving into "processing" and more experiential methods.
2. Processing
Once a sense of stability is in place, we begin to explore the issues that are causing you distress—whether that’s a past trauma, persistent anxiety, negative beliefs, neuro-somatic symptoms, or strong emotional reactions. You don’t need to remember exactly how the problem began; the body often knows what the mind has forgotten.
Using specilised methods like EMDR, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), we gently access, and process stuck survival responses held in the nervous system. In this processing stage we may work with a specific modality or draw from an integrated blend of approaches. I often find that combining EMDR or Brainspotting with parts work (IFS) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy creates a powerful and intuitive flow. While this may sound complex, these modalities complement one another beautifully and tend to blend organically in practice. That said, some clients prefer to stay within a single approach—and that’s absolutely respected. The work is always guided by your needs, pace, and preferences.
3. Integration
The final stage is about weaving those changes into everyday life. We focus on reinforcing new patterns of regulation, cultivating deeper self-awareness, building healthier relationships, and expanding your sense of possibility. The aim is to support lasting transformation—so that your sense of self is no longer organized around old patterns of survival, but around wholeness, choice, and connection.
THE BODY ALWAYS LEADS US HOME . . . IF WE CAN SIMPLY LEARN TO TRUST SENSATION AND STAY WITH IT LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO REVEAL APPROPRIATE ACTION, MOVEMENT, INSIGHT, OR FEELING.”
- Pat Ogden
founder of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
First Step: Would you like to talk?
Reaching out for therapy can feel daunting—but it can also be the beginning of a life-changing journey and one of the most valuable investments you can make in yourself.
I believe that finding the right therapist is one of the most important (and sometimes trickiest) parts of the process. To support this, I offer a free 25-minute introductory phone call, giving us both the chance to explore whether we’re a good fit and how we might work together.
If we decide to move forward, we’ll take a collaborative approach tailored to your needs. We may focus on a specific therapeutic modality, or we might draw from a blend of approaches to find what best supports you.
If you're considering starting therapy and would like to talk further, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You’ll find details about my fees and availability on the [Contact] page