The journey You left me here so I could lose you then you set me free so I could find you, not in one thing but in all things, not in the joy of joining but in the freedom of love.
David Davidson
Awakening to Soul
It’s not unusual for soul to take advantage of crises like sickness, ageing or loss to make its presence felt because events like these have a way of breaking the bonds of our identity.
Soul, in both its collective and individual forms, wants us to move beyond our personal and cultural identifications to understand one thing above all others and that thing is love. Love for ourselves, love for each other, love for our planet and for creation itself, in that order.
This natural process is revealed in soul-based therapies where a soul to soul dialogue is placed at the centre of the healing process, a dialogue which is based on open mindedness and a ground acceptance of our uncertainty.
This opens windows that may have been closed for years, centuries even, and at the same time enables both parties to feel empowered. It overcomes the problem of therapists feeling they have to have answers and clients feeling they have to have problems, because in the Light of Soul, our joys and pains are there for a reason, they aren’t there to be removed or eradicated but to be lived through and learned from.
Why now?
All around us we are seeing the results of our reluctance to step out of our beliefs and stories about who and what we are. This can prevent us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, as people who have the capacity to both create and destroy, as well as the ability to choose between them. Meanwhile history repeats itself over and over again.
Now, more urgently than ever before, we need to open the uncertainty, pain and fear within us to the love of soul. Not to make our difficulties go away, but to make them both meaningful and bearable, so we can see one another as cells in one body, and know that if we hurt somebody else, we are hurting ourselves.
Enquiring after soul, not as an idea, but as a living reality, is something that can be done alongside therapy, training, groups or your work, not instead of it. It will add perspective and depth to who you are and what you do.
David Findlay
Biography
Before I trained as a Psychotherapist I worked as a Community and Youth Worker in East London for eight years. Since that time, I have worked as a psychotherapist and group facilitator, served on the faculties of two Psychotherapy training agencies, run programmes for men and latterly been a co-facilitator of The River of Soul programme in which we explore Soul through myth, poetry and group interaction.
Throughout all of this I have maintained a daily meditation practice, it sounds impressive doesn’t it? Now I am in my seventy fifth year you’d think I would have found a few answers to some of life’s imponderable questions, but I haven’t. What I have discovered instead is that although questions seem to bear more fruit than answers, the answers that I have found have never quite satisfied me.
Latterly I have discovered something more important, behind the dichotomy of questions and answers, beneath the orthodoxy of many modern approaches to psychology there is a deep sense of knowing in every one of us which I call Soul and which, given the opportunity, will grace our lives with values, qualities and meaning rather than concrete answers.
This website is an AI free zone: I wrote this all on my own, with a pencil, on a sheet of paper.
I am accredited member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and all my work follows the ethics of good practice.
FAQ
How long will it take?
As a guideline short term therapy can last for anything from 6 weeks to a year. If it goes on for longer that six weeks we undertake it in stages with reviews between. Appointments last for 50 minutes. If you are coming for Soul Counselling sessions they are for a full 1.5 hours and can be arranged as the need arises. That said, nothing is set in stone, the important thing is that we negotiate an arrangement that we can both commit to.
How much will it cost?
Fees for short term therapy are £80.00 per session and a session lasts 50 minutes. Work with couples is £100.00 per session and supervision is £90.00 per session. If you are coming for a 1.5 hour Soul Counselling session the fee is £130.00 for a full 1.5 hours.
How do I start?
Come for a one-off, no obligation session. This is the best way to decide if you like me, feel you can trust me and want to continue, and you only have to commit to one fee. We can discuss your needs, frequency of sessions and terms then.
Is it confidential?
Absolutely. Counsellors know the value of confidentiality because, unlike some professions, they have all had to go through the process that they are offering themselves before, and as part of, their training.
When can I come?
Appointments are available in the daytime or evening, but evening sessions are at a premium. IF you are coming for short term therapy then ideally you will commit to the same time, on the same day, on a weekly basis.
Contact & Travel
Contact: Email your telephone number and I will get back to you promptly to let you know my availability and arrange an appointment.
Travel: Approximate walking times from each destination is shown in brackets.
Bus: New Cross bus garage is 10 minutes walk away.
Tube: New Cross Gate, (12 minutes walk) is on the Windrush Line from Highbury and Islington.
Rail: New Cross Gate, out of London Bridge, (12 minutes walk) Queens Road Peckham, is on the Overground from Clapham Junction and on the mainline from London Bridge. (18 minutes walk) or Nunhead, out of Blackfriars and Victoria, (6 minutes walk).
Car: From the A2, access via Erlanger Road and Arbuthnot Road.
From Brockley or Lewisham, access is via Kitto Road.