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are you ready to move beyond pain?

For chronic back pain, migraine, fibromyalgia, fatigue and IBS, we turn symptom management into true recovery.

experience mindbody therapy

the new paradigm in pain recovery

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Suffering from chronic pain?

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Are you living with medically unexplained symptoms? Perhaps you have been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition or functional illness. You may have been given a diagnosis – chronic back pain, migraine, neck pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety disorder, IBS – but no clear hope for recovery. Perhaps you've had it all, and then some – with health anxiety thrown in for good measure. 

You have spent lots of time and money on both traditional medical approaches and alternative therapies without lasting success. You've tried the medications, dietary changes and treatment protocols. You've been told you'll just have to live with your condition or that you'll need endless treatments to simply manage your symptoms.

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This trauma-informed, evidence-based approach may be for you

There's a revolution happening in the world of pain science. New research has brought fresh understanding of how and why our nervous systems hold onto pain and other symptoms long past their original usefulness, turning normally acute body responses into chronic ones. The good news? Patterns that have been learned by the brain can be unlearned. Mindbody therapy integrates top down (cognition-based) and bottom up (sensation-based) processes for a whole-person approach to recovery, addressing the root cause of your distressing symptoms.

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Even if you've tried it all, there's hope

Sufferers of persistent pain and medically unexplained symptoms are often made to feel like it's all their fault. That they're defective. 

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​If this is true for you, you're not alone.


Your pain is real.

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So is the pathway out.

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what clients are saying

Chronic Pain and Health Anxiety

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I first worked with Gina for preparation for a reluctant major surgery. She was deeply committed to my process and after two months working together, I went into my surgery feeling confident, relaxed and empowered. I enjoyed working with Gina so much I decided to continue sessions after my recovery, and we have been unpacking and exploring all aspects of my life.


I am a chronic pain recoverer, and Gina has really helped me move out of the hold that still had over me as well as look at the deeper reasons this was holding me back in my life. Sometimes I have no idea where we are going at the beginning of the session! But her quiet, steady confidence always leads me to the gold and the aha moment that is so helpful in my continued personal growth. I am deeply grateful for every minute Gina has spent with me and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone wishing to gain a fuller understanding of who they are and where they are going in life.

Michelle, NSW Australia

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what is mindbody therapy?

My approach brings together contemporary pain science and a holistic, relational approach to psychotherapy. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, we explore how your physical experiences are connected with your emotions, relationships, life experiences and the ways you've learned to navigate the world.

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Together, we work to understand the patterns that may be keeping pain and other symptoms going, including the ways fear, stress and protective responses can shape your experience. Through curiosity, awareness and experimentation, we create opportunities for your mind and body to discover new ways of responding.

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Far more than reducing symptoms, this work is about developing a greater sense of safety and trust in yourself, finding more freedom in how you respond to life's challenges, and reclaiming your capacity to live a full life.

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About Gina

gestalt therapist and mindbody practitioner

My mission is to help people move beyond pain and towards a fuller, freer life.

 

I'm a Gestalt psychotherapist with a special interest in chronic pain, persistent physical symptoms, anxiety and the ways we can become stuck in patterns that limit our lives. My work is grounded in curiosity, compassion and a belief in our capacity for change. I take a holistic approach, exploring how our bodies, emotions, relationships and life experiences shape our wellbeing, and how greater awareness can open up new possibilities and choices.

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This work is deeply personal to me. Having experienced persistent pain, anxiety and depression myself, I know how profoundly suffering can narrow our world. I've also experienced the freedom that comes from learning to befriend my own experience and engage more fully with life. It's a privilege to support others in discovering what's possible for them.

 

My approach and training

Gestalt therapy is the foundation of my practice. This holistic relational approach supports greater awareness of ourselves and our patterns, opening up new possibilities for flexibility, freedom and choice through dialogue and experimentation. In this work, our symptoms often become a portal to fresh awareness of our deeper needs and core themes that are searching for expression.

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I've complemented my Gestalt training with specialist approaches to persistent pain, emotional healing, shock and trauma, including:

  • Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

  • Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Level 2

  • Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) — Level 3, a body-based approach to working with the deep physiological responses associated with shock and trauma

  • Embodied Processing

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~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

“The beginning is always today.”

current services

sessions & rates

FREE CHAT

15 minute exploration session

Outcomes research shows that the therapeutic relationship is one of the key ingredients for lasting change. To find out if we're a good fit, let's have a no-obligation chat so you can get a feel for whether my approach and style are right for you.

ONLINE

Anywhere in the world

Session length can be either 60 or 75 minutes. A longer time window allows for proper integration, especially early on in the work.

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IN PERSON

Melbourne clients

I offer in-person sessions for Melbourne-based clients. My rooms are in Brunswick West on Mon/Wed/Thur and Parkville on Tuesdays. If you're interested in face-to-face sessions, get in touch via the link below.

get in touch

Want to hear more about how mindbody therapy could support you? Contact me today:

  • In-persons sessions available in Brunswick West for Melbourne clients

  • Sessions via Zoom for interstate and international clients

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