Welcome to Xanadu
Our vision is to awaken our client’s dormant spontaneity and authenticity, and stimulate feelings of connection to others by activating innate healing potential using various integrated psychotherapy practices.
At Xanadu we create an imaginative healing space to liberate the greatest authenticity, spontaneity, as well as integrity and power; where an individual is their own authority, and uniqueness awakens the highest wisdom; integrating mind and body in a vulnerable and adventurous space to nurture a connection back to the heart’s path. Just like we believe in your growth, we take our own seriously. We are an ever-developing practice and as we grow new methods and practices will be added to our offerings and current practices will be extended.
This website provides some information on the practices we offer. Often we find it is better that many of these processes be approached with an open-mind unburdened by too many preconceptions. However, please feel free to do further research or contact us if you have any questions. Although Xanadu is focused on healing the individual, there is a recognition of the need to move beyond this to incorporating the social world around the individual where trauma originates from. We work with an awareness that intergenerational trauma is impacting the health of society.
About Xanadu
Xanadu (definition): an idealized place of great or idyllic magnificence and beauty.
Xanadu is body, mind, heart ♥ and soul integration space.
“What the trees around you are exhaling, you are inhaling right now; what you are exhaling, the trees are inhaling at the very moment. The transaction is ongoing. Whether you are aware of it or not, one half of your pulmonary system is hanging up there right now on a tree! You have never experienced this interdependence; you have probably, at most only thought about it intellectually. But if you had experienced this connection, would anyone have to tell you, ‘Plant trees, protect the forests, save the world’? Would it even be necessary?” Sadhguru, 2016
We aim to aid the evolution of psychotherapy and healing where body, mind, heart ♥ (emotion) and soul are integrated. At Xanadu we merge the body and mind and believe that for real healing to happen work needs to occur on both levels, as well as including deep emotional and spiritual aspects. The integration of these areas results in lasting holistic healing. Perhaps right now your body, mind, heart and soul are all pulling in different directions; maybe it is now time to plunge into the adventure of self-alignment. Xanadu is about raising consciousness and we believe engaging in your own healing connects you with others on a deeper level through an enhanced state of awareness to one’s surroundings. We ascribe to ideas such as Jung’s collective unconscious – a resource for humankind to tap into beyond our individual selves that holds much potential guidance. Xanadu recognizes the need for including spirituality in healing and thus we work from a transpersonal psychology framework. This involves integrating spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience within modern psychology. Xanadu is the creation of a psychotherapeutic space where an individual can not only gain therapeutic insights into their own emotional dynamics and behavior patterns, but may come to question and transcend fundamental self-concepts and views of the nature of reality to allow for exploration of better ways to live that support the interconnectedness of all life.
Xanadu recognizes a worldwide seeking for a renewal of the spiritual relationship with the natural world. Xanadu is based on a foundation of ecopsychology, which is focused on developing and understanding ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the natural world, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and remedying alienation from nature. An individual’s connection to nature can improve their interpersonal relationships and emotional well-being. Steps taken to accept and notice nature can sharpen the senses and help people cultivate new skills. As we strongly believe in a mind-body connection, we believe that the emotional and thought symptoms may manifest physically and vice versa. Often we manifest physical symptoms to avoid overwhelming emotions. Processing negative emotions from our past can lead to much symptom relief. The origin of many symptoms is believed to be trauma – whether shock or developmental trauma. Our therapeutic focus is thus completing unfulfilled patterns from the past, and thus relieving their need to repeat in the present. By using external processes we aim to restructure the neuropsychology of the brain and physicality of body back into pre-trauma equilibriums, and back to wholeness.
Practitioners
Malvina Bartmanski
Integrative Clinical Psychologist
I am a clinical psychologist in private practice.
I have a passion for experiential body and
energy orientated healing modalities.
Holotropic Breathing
Holotropic Breathwork is a therapeutic breathing practice that is intended to assist with emotional healing and personal growth.
An altered state of consciousness is produced that activates your natural capacity for mental, physical and spiritual healing. The practice allows you to move beyond your body and get in touch with your true self and spirit. It can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions, including but not limited to: depression, stress, addiction, trauma, chronic pain, asthma, PMS, etc. Holotropic Breathwork can bring about intense emotions and painful memories that could activate underlying symptoms, and thus it is recommended that Holotropic Breathwork occur in conjunction with ongoing therapy to ensure assistance is provided with working through arising issues. Holotropic Breathwork can be used as an activator to move past stuckness in the psychotherapeutic process as there is often an opening to new perspectives that is attained.
Energy Psychotherapy
Two energy psychotherapy methods are used at Xanadu: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and the NADA protocol.
These methods use the Chinese meridian system to relieve psychological stress and physiological aches. According to ancient eastern philosophy, emotions are stored in the various organs. Lungs store grief, liver stores anger and kidneys fear. There are subtle energy currents in the body that get blocked; energy psychotherapy works at unblocking these points. In EFT, tapping on different points on the body, energy points that relate to an organ will unblock emotions. Similarly, the NADA protocol involves the stimulation of acupuncture points on the external ear surface to unblock emotions by releasing them from the organs of the body. The map of the ear holds a microsystem of the body. The NADA protocol can be used for detox and assists recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and smoking cessation. At Xanadu we recommend using energy psychotherapy to support the body when processing difficult emotions in psychotherapy, as well as a stand-alone treatment.
Psychotherapy
Xanadu offers individual psychotherapy. These therapies are focused on new-age, integrative empirically-tested methods to assist the psychotherapy process.
Psychotherapy is aimed at activating your inner guide and your connection to the collective unconscious, that can provide the inspiration, energy, and wisdom necessary to understand more deeply, work more creatively, live more authentically, love more vulnerably, and successfully meet the challenges of each stage of life.
Somatic Psychotherapy
Somatic psychotherapy is an umbrella term for holistic therapy processes that integrate cognitive, behavioural, emotional and bodily experiences. One’s body holds onto past traumas which are reflected in our body language, posture and expressions; and perhaps also manifesting as physical symptoms like pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, sexual dysfunction and immune system dysfunction, medical issues, depression, anxiety and addiction. Somatic psychotherapy aims to return the body to harmonious balance through re-regulating the nervous system out of its state of arousal and back into homestasis. Sessions involve the introduction of small amounts of traumatic material and observations of a client’s physical response to that material. It is a practical form of psychotherapy that does not focus on pathology, but rather healing and growth.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is used as a means of strengthening one’s ego function or will to action. It lifts the binding, blind responses of certain defenses or behaviours and gives them permission to stop. It involves the use of the power of suggestion to align you with your chosen path. A gentle form of suggestion is used in the form of metaphor and storytelling, as we believe in action through tender guidance at Xanadu.
Art Therapy
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy involving the encouragement of free self-expression through various artistic methods. Art therapy is incorporated into various parts of psychotherapy practice at Xanadu to assist self-exploration and integration. Traumatic memories are often stored in a non-verbal format in the brain. Abstract and aesthetic experiences activate the right brain allowing the expression of trauma in the language of trauma. Elements of various kinds of art may be incorporated according to client’s needs: drama, drawing, singing, and dancing. Clients, according to their wishes and most importantly their level of comfort will be supported in expressing themselves artistically in the therapy space.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment originally used to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and other adverse life experience to bring these to an adaptive resolution. EMDR assists in resolving affective distress, reformulation of negative beliefs, and reduction of physiological arousal. During EMDR therapy, the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief, sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. EMDR facilitates the access of traumatic memory networks and allows these to be restructured in a way that fosters resilience.
Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®)
Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®) is a series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma.
The exercises activate a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system and returning the body to a state of balance. The muscle tremors evoked by the TRE exercise process are natural, internal, neuro-physiological responses of the body to reduce its own stress and restore a sense of well-being. TRE allows tensions and traumas to be discharged from the body, without ‘re-visiting the story.’ At Xanadu we teach TRE as a self-help tool that can be used after sessions to continue healing and be used as a preventative measure (trauma-proofing yourself).
Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®)
Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®) is a series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma.
The exercises activate a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system and returning the body to a state of balance. The muscle tremors evoked by the TRE exercise process are natural, internal, neuro-physiological responses of the body to reduce its own stress and restore a sense of well-being. TRE allows tensions and traumas to be discharged from the body, without ‘re-visiting the story.’ At Xanadu we teach TRE as a self-help tool that can be used after sessions to continue healing and be used as a preventative measure (trauma-proofing yourself).
Yoga for Trauma
At Xanadu recognize the power of yoga as something beyond an exercise.
Yoga is an ancient scientific discipline that works on body’s autonomic nervous system and mind and brings these into unity. Trauma puts us into certain body patterns that can feel protective during but become stifling and limiting in the long-term. Yoga aims to eliminate constriction and rigidness in the body, in turn eliminating this from the mind. Yoga for trauma is not about pushing your body but rather listening to and coming back to inhabit it again, creating a connection back to the self.
Xanadu Soul Journeys
Xanadu Soul Journeys offers various kinds of structured retreats. These retreats entail a combination of the therapies that Xanadu offers alongside wilderness therapy.
Wilderness therapy is in line with Xanadu’s ecopsychology foundation. It is an adventure-based outdoor treatment to foster a connection back to nature. The purpose of our retreats is to provide for a more intensive short-term process in a group dynamic. Group dynamics both trigger elements that may need working through and provide support and community for clients.
Please check Xanadu Soul Journeys on Facebook for future retreat dates.
Xanadu Soul Journeys
Xanadu Soul Journeys offers various kinds of structured retreats. These retreats entail a combination of the therapies that Xanadu offers alongside wilderness therapy.
Wilderness therapy is in line with Xanadu’s ecopsychology foundation. It is an adventure-based outdoor treatment to foster a connection back to nature. The purpose of our retreats is to provide for a more intensive short-term process in a group dynamic. Group dynamics both trigger elements that may need working through and provide support and community for clients.
Please check Xanadu Soul Journeys on Facebook for future retreat dates.
Contact Details
Xanadu is based in Cape Town.
083 657 8074
xanaduhealing@gmail.com
Individual sessions take place at:
Crescent Clinic, 269 Main Rd, Claremont, Cape Town, 7708
Group event venues vary.
Xanadu Healing
7708 Claremont, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Contact Details
Xanadu is based in Cape Town.
083 657 8074
xanaduhealing@gmail.com
Individual sessions take place at:
Crescent Clinic, 269 Main Rd, Claremont, Cape Town, 7708
Group event venues vary.
Xanadu Healing
7708 Claremont, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Community
Xanadu is in process of accumulating a list of recommended healers of various kinds, from dentists to reiki. This is a resource list by our clients for our clients so that holistic, alternative healers can be sought. Please feel free to contact us with your recommendations. Practitioners are listed alphabetically per category.