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Talking sex, sexual repression, ways to invite in more pleasure to your life.
About Dr. Rachel Allyn: PhD, licensed holistic psychologist, pleasure expert and yoga teacher.
I divide my time between working face-to-face with clients and engaging in public speaking and seminars to educate people on a larger scale about mind-body health and intimacy/relationship skills -- two of the most essential aspects of being human. And yet most of us never received any education on these topics. My business is based on decades of research and direct service with clients and students, helping them emerge from what keeps their mind, body and spirit from shining bright and feeling resilient. Based on the belief that talk therapy alone is not enough because it leaves out the profound resource of the body, I blend Eastern practices (including Buddhist Psychology, mindfulness, and Ayurvedic medicine) with neuroscience and body-centered therapies to help individuals and couples thrive.
Sessions involve my method of Bodyfulness (the topic of my 2019 Tedx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Ez76686ZI&t=5s), a mind-body therapy style for clients to "get out of the head" and learn from their body, breath, and subtle energy. This style promotes health, vitality and the release of stuck body memory. I also lead yoga retreats internationally (Tulum, Nicaragua, Belize, Baja) and am writing a book with Shambhala Publications.
After getting a PhD from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) in San Francisco in 2005, I spent years in the rocky mountain West focusing on psychotherapy, diagnostic testing, teaching as a professor, and becoming certified as a yoga instructor at the 500-hour level. Like many people I was drawn to yoga as a way to stretch tight muscles but continued because of the introspection and serenity it provided my busy mind.
My specialty areas include relationship & intimacy issues (including sex therapy), anxiety, depression, stress management, sleep difficulties, and trauma & loss. I blend Western and Eastern philosophy and integrate the mind and body, tailored to your specific needs. I have created a unique style of psychotherapy in which I blend-in something I call bodyfulness (like mindfulness, but more deliberately incorporating the body's movements in dynamic ways). This is based on research that the body stores emotions and other experiences, which get stuck within unless we have a safe way to discharge them from the body. I help facilitate connection and release of these stuck emotions and behavioral patterns through yoga, breathing, meditation, chakras, the aerial silk and outdoor therapy - all methods that help develop "interoception" (nuanced body intelligence), to help you feel more vitality and joy in your body and your life.
What does it mean to be a Pleasure Expert? It means I'm here to help you feel more presence, play and pleasure in all aspects of your life. This is actually your birthright, yet many people have conflicted feelings around giving and receiving pleasure in their life. They feel guilty or fear they will become too attached to pleasure if they allow it in their lives. If they do seek pleasure they might not know how to have the necessary boundaries to create balance between work and play. I find many people simply don't know what they want. Perhaps they were never asked or never taught that pleasure is part of life balance and something they deserve. My role is to help you connect to your heart's longing and deepest desires.Through the facilitation of mind-body practices, I guide you on your path toward inner ease and vitality. This can manifest in many ways, whether it be helping you find more meaning and gratification from your work, feeling more sensual in your relationship with food, or reigniting the erotic spark with your partner.
Check out my specialized online course in pleasure here!
For years I had a monthly wellness/relationship column in The Southwest Journal and The Journal called Ask. Dr. Rachel but have recently put that on hold to work on a book with Shambhala Publications, based on the topic of my recentTEDxtalk. I greet my clients at the human level, free of judgment, with the goal of helping you connect to your wisdom, inner fire and magnetism. My ultimate message is for you to find your own path and purpose in this often challenging world. When not spreading this message, I divide my time between the trails, travels & the yoga mat (plus a little karaoke on occasion)!
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