Rinx Well-being

I am a British born, South Asian woman whose family migrated from India to Africa, residing in London. I have had experience of working with people from diverse communities helping them attend to their narratives of illness, cultural diversity, families working through their differences, identity and transgenerational traumas.

I strongly believe that everyone’s experiences are unique to themselves, which enables me to support people with empathy and holding. I do this by integrating different techniques like clay, storytelling, role play, nature and sand play.   

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wonderous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with his own sacred tears.”

⁓Khalil Gibran⁓

Art as therapy is not about creating the perfect piece of work ready to present in an exhibition. Art in therapy gives us so much more. This creative medium opens up many channels of exploration. It is a technique that allows us to tap into our unconscious and subconscious minds, bringing unresolved issues into conscious awareness.

Colours, textures, symbols, materials used and the process of creating are all parts of exploration. This process can take place within a few minutes or can take weeks. Art therapy is a kind, gentle and non-judgemental way of regaining awareness and insight of ones struggles and raise awareness to develop undeveloped aspects of ourselves. 

Play is an important part of put development. Without play, our social, emotional and cognitive development may be compromised. Play can put us in a positive emotional state where we feel safe enough to imagine, explore, learn and problem solve. Play is also a useful technique in relationship building. It is not uncommon for counselling to start with games allowing time and space for the therapeutic relationship to form. 

The use of sand in therapy is a tactile experience. The feeling of dry and wet sand in itself can be therapeutic by soothing or evoking emotions, feelings and sensations. The sand box is a unique contained safe space within the therapy room where exploration of past, present and future events can take place. Characters and objectes can be added to the sand to create a scene of your internal or external world. As you gain perspective, you can move, add or take away characters and objects. This helps to create new perspectives, awareness and insight in a nonverbal and verbal way. Sand box exercises can happen within one session or over a few sessions. 

Clay is a tactile medium which can be manipulated. It is also a material from the earth which can evoke memories and transgenerational processes held within the body. Clay can hold and neutralise those feelings that may feel too unsafe or dangerous to process in more conscious ways. Clay sculptures may reveal historical family archetypes that can be further explored. Clay has many forms, and each different form can help with self-worth, communication, problem solving, releasing negative energies, emotional outlet, insight and awareness, transgenerational exploration and exploration of your internal and external world. 

Talk therapy is a safe, non-judgemental, honest and confidential space where you can share anything you would like. As a therapist I am there to hold you in this space and keep it safe for you to explore. I will listen, I may ask questions or answer questions depending on your wants and needs, and what is useful to you in that moment. 

Puppets are great at being able to take on characters. They can help to play out situations without it feeling too personal. You can gain different perspectives for one situation through puppetry. Puppets can also help with emotional exploration as the character acts the emotions through you. As the therapist, I too can join in with the puppets if given permission to by you. My puppet can attend to your puppets needs in that moment or be guided by you on how to act. This can sometimes be enough to sooth past and/or present emotional turmoil deep within and allow you to understand your needs, as well as have them met. 

Music is a nonverbal way of communicating. The sound and vibrations can be felt between both client and therapist. A musical creation tells a story and as the therapist, I listen to your story and hold you as you musically express yourself in that moment. With permission or if asked to, I can join you, being guided by you and we can play together. Music can help release emotional anxiety, relationship build, stress release, increase creativity and self-worth. Music can also tap into intergenerational processes or feelings held deep within the body, culture, and historical family archetypes.

Song writing and poetry helps express emotion along with vocabulary. This art form is a merging of unconscious processing and deep feelings held in the body. Song, poetry and rap can reach out to the feelings and experiences of others creating connection, contributing to relational bonding.

In group work this can help to understand the self, self in relation to others and help in understanding one another. It is a way to communicate deeply through your soul and connect with others. In one-to-one therapy, this form of communication can help to express thoughts and feelings from your unconscious or subconscious mind and from deep within your soul. Sometimes, this alone can be a cathartic release from suppression and oppression.

However, we can explore further by looking into the meaning behind words, phrases and sentences. We can combine pictures, sculptures and music along with song, poetry and rap to gain a deeper understanding, insight and awareness of past and present situations; or gain a deeper release of past and present situations.

Storytelling and narrative help you to gain perspective on your internal and external worlds without it feeling so personal. It can help to drop defences against situations and struggles and gain a bird’s eye view of what is happening or has happened. With this clarity you can work through the parts of the self and situations you would like to change through these stories and narratives. This enables change to occur inside the therapeutic space and then flow into your world outside the therapy room.  

We can store experiences in the mind as well as in areas of the body. Sometimes the breath can change from its natural flow when we experience overwhelming situations. I can help you to become aware of your breathing and focus inward on your body’s natural flow. Movement in various ways, combined with breath work can help regulate and connect the mind and body. It can also help to release stress, tension and even transgenerational processes held within the mind and body. 

Dreams can bring images and symbols forward into our consciousness. You may see numbers, images and symbols in your daily life, that play on your mind, or you feel you are drawn to. You may create an image during a session. These can all be explored within the session to find what they could mean or represent for you. There are some commonly known symbols linked to archetypes, religion, cultures, and unconscious desires. Together we can explore these to help you gain clarity, insight and awareness of yourself. 

Reiki is a pure and healing energy from the universe. It is a healthy life force energy that I as the therapist can use to flow through your body, relaxing your mind and body, relieving stress. Reiki is a hands off and hands on treatment and can be performed according to your comfortability. In practice I sometimes combine Reiki with crystal energy, art and music to help with emotional healing.