About me
I am Pamela Strasser, MSc SEP, a licensed Positive & Somatic Psychologist, a Somatic Experiencing & Somatic Attachment Trauma Therapist, and a certified advanced somatics, yoga and Mindfulness teacher. I am currently doing a PhD in Somatic Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, researching how to embody our full human potential.
Education:
- PhD in Somatic Psychology (CIIS, currently studying)
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (Trauma Therapy, Dr. Peter Levine)
- Somatic Attachment Therapist (Attachment Therapy)
- MSc in Applied Positive Psychology (University of East London)
- Mindfulness Teacher (Thich Nhat Hanh, School of Positive Transformation)
- Somatic Yoga Teacher (Stillflowing School of Yoga & Mindfulness)
- Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher (Centered Yoga School)
- Life & business Coach (International Coaching Federation)
My Story:
Ever since I was a child, I felt that there was something wrong with me. I looked at the world and the people in it and somehow never got either. It felt like I was lacking something that seemed to come naturally to other people. I spent my time observing and copying them to fit in and feel normal. I managed to fit in and do what was asked of me but I never felt like I belonged. Things took a turn for the worst in my early twenties – I started having such intense panic attacks that I couldn’t leave my place for six months – every time I left the house, I would end up at the hospital. This sent me down a spiral of not wanting to live anymore. Doctors prescribed me a whole cocktail of pills and talk therapy. Nothing helped.
Nothing stopped the panic attacks, or my lack of self-worth and self-confidence. Nothing brought me happiness or resilience. After another six months, I decided that I could not continue like this, my life could not be this, I needed to change something. I thought f**k it; if I am going to die I might as well do it travelling the world. So I did. I met new landscapes, new cultures, new healing practices and new people and little by little I started to feel like a human being for the first time in my life. I realized that I was suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, and started to look for ways to heal. I diligently wrote down what healing practices worked and which ones where hooha. I studied the human brain, physiology, psychology, movement, meditation and bodywork until I figured out how to heal myself (with the help of a lot of people to whom I will be eternally grateful).I had suffered for so long, I did not want another human being to go through what I did.
I had also learned so much and wanted to share my knowledge and offer the help I got to other people. I completed a whole range of academic and professional trainings (see above) and became a somatic therapist. And here I am, still learning everyday about how to unlock our human potential for happiness and resilience and helping people to access theirs. I love my job and my life and I am so happy I didn’t give up when things were at their worst. If I can do it, you can do it!
My sessions, courses, classes, workshops and retreats combine my knowledge of the human body and how it deals with stress, trauma and healing, and blend it with my understanding of psychology and the workings of the mind to create a holistic approach to happiness, resilience and human potential.
I teach somatics, yoga and Mindfulness in public, private and corporate settings, regularly hold workshops and professional trainings on different Positive & Somatic Psychology topics and help clients achieve their full potential in private sessions.
My corporate work focuses on resilience training, work-life balance, well-being at work, Mindfulness and creating positive and diverse teams and workplaces.
I am a nature, movement, music and people lover.
I live in Luxembourg and teach nationally and internationally.
For more information or to work with me you can contact me on pamela@makelifegr8.com
I speak Luxembourgish, English, French and German fluently.
