About

Donald Marmara, Somatic Psychotherapist Sydney

Is it time for a change?

You may have already tried other methods of counselling or psychotherapy, or you may be at the beginning of your search for healing. Either way, you are looking for ways of making changes that will enable you to have the quality of life that you long for.

How can you know what works best for you?

I cannot answer this question for you, but what I can do, because I have done this for myself and helped hundreds of people do this successfully over the last 45 years, is to help you find answers for yourself. This is what Core Development is about.

How I found out

I spent 12 years feeling anxious and depressed, and at times suicidal, and dependent on high dosages of prescribed medication. This medication enabled me to keep functioning, but it did nothing to help me discover where my feelings of anxiety and depression came from and how to change this.

I decided to emigrate to London in search of ways to heal myself. I did not want to go on living in this state of constant unhappiness. I knew there must be a way through but I couldn’t find it.

Eventually I stumbled upon a form of psychotherapy that started to work for me. It wasn’t an instant fix, it took time and commitment on my part, however the changes I made in my life were totally worth it.

After a few months I came off the medication, and after a year I was feeling so much better that I decided that I wanted to explore this approach more deeply and eventually to train in this method so that I could help others transform their lives.

So I trained in Somatic Psychotherapy and Counselling

My initial training was largely experiential, with “theory arising out of the experience”. This means that my main source of learning was my experience of my own healing journey, and my participation through group therapy and training in the healing journey of others.

As part of my initial training I was required to have a minimum of 150 individual somatic psychotherapy sessions myself over a 4-year period, to work with the same two clients on an ongoing weekly basis under supervision for two years, and to have 2000 hours of face-to-face training which was 80% experiential and 20% theoretical.

One size doesn’t fit all

I went on to train in other modalities, so I could be in a position to adapt my style of working and the methods I use to the needs of each individual I work with, as everyone is different and one size doesn’t fit all.

Who is it for?

If you are experiencing one or more of the following:

  • Anxiety, Depression, Frustration, Stress, Addictions, Difficulties in Relationships
  • Physical symptoms resulting from emotional stress eg backache, insomnia, headaches
  • Feelings such as “I’m not OK”, “I’m not good enough”, “It’s no use”, “Something’s wrong with me”
  • Lack of direction and life purpose

What results can I expect?

Former clients report :

  • feeling happier with themselves
  • less stress and more energy
  • more relaxed and self-confident
  • in touch with their passion and excitement
  • knowing who they are and what they want
  • improved relationships
  • feelings of inner strength and self-worth

What’s different?

One of the main characteristics of my approach, which I call Core Development, is that I use a learning rather than a pathological model. Click here : .

This means that, instead of looking for what’s wrong with you so we can fix it, I look for what needs to happen for you to create the life you want, and how we can work together to facilitate this process.

Rather than giving you answers I help you find answers for yourself.

Whilst this may take longer and require more effort on your part, it is both more empowering and more effective, as you will have found answers from your own experiencing rather than taking somebody else’s word for it.

In the language of counselling and psychotherapy, you will become “the authority in your own life”.

How many sessions do I need?

This varies from a few sessions to regular weekly sessions over an extended period. Each person is different and sessions are tailored to suit your individual needs.

For somatic psychotherapy click here

For Counselling Parents and Teenagers click here

For Relationship Counselling, click here

For anxiety and depression click here

Core Development is a learning not a medical or clinical process.

If you want to learn how to make the changes you want in your life, call  Donald Marmara on 0412 178 234