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Breath Song
Inner Arts Collective
257 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 1N2
416.762.8054
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“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” ~ Hafiz
Now Accepting New Clients
Michele Meehan, MA, RP, CCC, CRC is a Registered Psychotherapist and Shamanic Practitioner who offers support for soul healing using shamanic practices, integrative breath work, relaxation and visualization and rituals. Michele has extensive experience working with people who have experienced trauma, disability or chronic illness. She is also passionate about providing support to helping professionals and helping them maintain their well-being.
Conveniently located at the Inner Arts Collective, 257 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Contact Michele
416.762.8054
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“The heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam.” ~ Bhagawan Nityananda
Psychotherapy is a process of exploration of the self including personal history, beliefs and values, relationships, and social circumstances, with an intent to make changes that support living more fully. Psychotherapy can be helpful when you have a specific experience that you want to heal, such as trauma, abuse, addiction, stress, chronic pain, feelings of anxiety or depression, or relationship difficulties. It can also be helpful if you want to experience personal growth, a greater sense of freedom, creativity and/or connection with spirit. As a psychotherapist, I provide a safe, confidential place for you to explore and share any and all aspects of yourself, mind, body, heart and spirit. We are living through a time that presents with fast paced change, and social and environmental challenges that can feel overwhelming. I am passionate about helping people heal and integrate as individuals so that we can individually and collectively create a healthy and sustainable environment. My approach to psychotherapy includes consideration of your body, mind, heart and spirit and works to bring these aspects into alignment. During a session, we will have a conversation about what is working well for you, and what is difficult for you. We may use breathing exercises, creative visualization and emotional release work to help you move towards a more satisfying and fulfilling experience. Many people feel change after just a few sessions. However, it can take sustained practice to truly integrate changes. Some people come and do some meaningful work, then take a break, or try other complementary approaches. While not required, I suggest that you plan to try a minimum of three sessions to determine if this work is right for you.
When you do things from the soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. ~ Rumi
Breath is a bridge between the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of ourselves. Integrative breathwork uses a breathing pattern that evokes an energy cycle and brings to the surface anything that is in need of attention, including healing the body, releasing or integrating emotions, exploring core beliefs that may be keeping you stuck, or connecting with transpersonal energies that help guide and direct you. Breathwork is a powerful tool for getting to core issues and experiences and for release, integration and transformation. In a typical breathwork session, we will talk at the beginning of a session about what is “up” for you and set an intention. You will then breathe for approximately one hour, often with evocative music to support your journey. During the breath session, I will support your journey, offer helpful prompts, or ask questions that help take you deeper into the experience. Following your breath journey, we will debrief your experience and we may identify follow up activities for you to do at home to help maintain the gains and insights you experience.
Truly, every movement of conscious breath is an inspired co-creation with life itself. ~ Michael Sky
In indigenous cultures, all psychological and physical difficulties are understood to be spiritual at their root. When we are out of harmony with nature, including our own natural essence, we develop symptoms that may range from anxiety or depression to physical illness or injury. Shamanic practices can help restore our spiritual essence to its natural state, so that we may heal. These practices include soul retrieval, energy extraction, and transfiguration. During a shamanic healing session, we begin by talking about how you experience difficulty, or being out of balance in your life. I will do a journey on your behalf, and ask guidance from the helping spirits about what is needed to create healing. Following the journey, we will talk about what information came from the helping spirits. Sometimes, they make requests about follow up work for you to do to help anchor and deepen the healing that has occurred. Following a shamanic healing session, people respond differently. You may experience an emotional reaction which can range from feeling happy and light, to feeling sad, angry or fearful. Or, the change may feel subtle, such that you feel much the same, but you may observe changes over time. In the days and weeks after a shamanic healing session, it may be helpful for you to come for either additional shamanic work, or psychotherapy to help you integrate the changes.
The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with nature. ~ Joseph Campbell
Monthly Shamanic Journey Circle
Join us for a shamanic journeying circle for guidance and connection to spirit. Call 416.762.8054, or email me at [email protected], for details and or to register.
Circles are offered 8 times per year, and alternate between on-line and in-person. All in-person circles will be at the Inner Arts Collective, 257 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON. Dates for 2024 are:
Thursday, February 1, 2024, on-line
Sunday, March 17, 2024, in-person
Thursday, May 2, 2024, on-line
Friday, June 21, 2024, in-person
Thursday, August 1, 2024, on-line
Sunday, September 22, 2024, in-person
Thursday, October 31, 2024, on-line
Sunday December 22, 2024, in-person
I am a Registered Psychotherapist and have a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counselling.
I have completed training as a Shamanic Teacher and Practitioner and am able to teach Soul Retrieval, Energy Attachment, Medicine for the Earth and Healing with Spiritual Light. In addition, I have studied Integrative and Holotropic Breathwork, Hypnotherapy and Flowyoga.
I have over 25 years experience providing counselling, and psychotherapy to people with traumatic injury, disability, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, stress, people recovering from abuse and addiction or experiencing major life transitions.
Early in my life, I knew I wanted to work in a job where I could help people. I saw that some people suffered and that there were conditions in the world that put some people at a disadvantage and I wanted to do something to make a difference. The path hasn’t been direct. I studied psychology and then went on to graduate school in Rehabilitation Counselling. My first jobs were working with people who had traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. I learned important lessons working with those early clients. First, I learned that some people created healthy, whole lives after their injuries while others seemed to shrink into a limited view of themselves, centered around their experience of injury, disability and pain. I learned that it was not the degree of injury that made a difference, but rather, a combination of their self-concept, early life experiences and social support that influenced how people recovered after injury. At times, I became frustrated with my role as a counsellor because I saw systemic problems that kept people in victim role – discrimination, poverty, lack of formal and informal support. Sometimes, I felt that the needs of clients were overwhelming and my ability to help was all too limited. I noticed that many of my clients had difficulty making changes – they could articulate their goals, and explain the steps to get there, but something prevented them from moving into action. Then, I looked at my own life and noticed the same pattern – I too, did not consistently take action toward goals that I had for myself, and here I was, intelligent, well-educated, and still, there was a gap between desire and action. Around this time, a friend of mine had begun to study hypnotherapy, and in listening to her experiences, I found the bridge and the reason for these gaps. I studied hypnotherapy as well, and began to understand the unconscious mind and various states of consciousness. I had new experiences of myself and I was able to be with my clients in a deeper way.
As I learned more about the inner life and the transpersonal realms, I explored a variety of approaches and modalities. I was drawn to study shamanism because of its overt spirituality and reverence for the natural world. I learned that all true healing derives from spirit; anything that doesn’t include spirit is incomplete. I was drawn to study yoga because of its emphasis on being fully present in the body. This was important to me as I had spent most of my life living in my head and did not appreciate my body. I studied breathwork because the breath bridges the physical and spiritual as well as the mental and emotional aspects of being.
In more recent years, my attention has been drawn to the conditions in which we live in the world; the problems we have in our relationships with the earth, the water, the air, the animals and our human brothers and sisters. As I did in my early life, I see conditions that disadvantage some beings, while others thrive. I was lead to study Sacred Activism to help me learn the importance of balancing personal and spiritual well-being with activism in the world. I learned that my drive to be part of change in the world can only be constructive if it comes from love; if it comes from anger, it adds to the destructive forces in the world. That said, I feel a fierce commitment to protecting life on this planet.
My seeking and studying have brought me to this time in my life and my work. I continue to want to help others, and I am now prepared to help people heal their hearts and spirits and to reclaim their presence in their bodies. I feel a particular commitment to work with other people who are helping professionals; people who want to make a difference in the world; people who understand that spirit needs to be part of their healing journey and people whose lives have been affected by trauma, illness or disability.
I would love to support you in your journey toward healing and wellness. Please contact me at 416.762.8054 to book an appointment or form more information.
Psychotherapy may be covered by some extended health plans but is not covered by OHIP. Please contact me for specific details.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, reach out by phone 416.762.8054, or contact me.
“It’s essential that we understand that taking care of the planet will be done as we take care of ourselves. You know that you can’t really make much of a difference in things until you change yourself.” ~ Alice Walker
SEND ME A MESSAGE
Breath Song
Inner Arts Collective
257 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 1N2
416.762.8054