ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Cindy, and I’m thrilled you’re here.  You’ve decided you want to change and become your own best friend by researching the right person to work with.  I can help you in your journey to wellness.

Like many of us, I have experienced dysfunction and intense emotions during childhood. On the outside, I appeared to be ok, but inside, I struggled with depression, anxiety, not liking myself, and destructive ways of coping.  As I became an adult, I realized that all the coping patterns that helped me survive my experiences as a child were working against me.  My mind would continually run fixating on past mistakes and future worries leaving me feeling paralyzed with fear and indecision.

What ended up turning things around for me in a positive direction was spirituality, Buddhist psychology to be exact.  This is not a religion, I simply knew there had to be more than this life that I lived and saw before me.  I started meditation and found a teacher who guided me through Buddhist Psychology and Philosophy.  This is where I awoke and healed my relationship with myself and others.  It wasn’t easy.  I had to sit with a lot of muck.  When I was silent I could see all the ways I was hurt and how I hurt others.  I started to listen to my body and discover where all my buried pain was stored.  I brought tenderness to these parts and I learned about self-compassion.  (You mean I can actually be kind to myself and my suffering????)  Finally, I realized who I was and I was pretty good.  At any given moment there is so much more right with me than wrong.

I started with a psychology degree from McMaster University in Canada and I am now a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario.  My journey led me to 30 years of Buddhist study, training, and practice. Now, I am Certified in Mindfulness-Based (M-B) Cognitive Behaviour, M-B Self-Compassion, and M-B Relapse Prevention for Addictions.  I worked in 2 different mental Health Hospitals running groups and working 1:1 with clients in the community. I also co-designed and co-facilitated an 11-week Women’s Self-Esteem group.  I now run my own Private Practice and take others on a journey of healing from the inside out.

My practical tools and home practice-based approach will help you uncover and heal old wounds, discover who you really are, and change your relationship with yourself and others.  This can only lead to better relationships, reduced stress, and true happiness and joy. It is the only way to live!

Let’s talk more.  It would my honour to help you in your healing journey)

Cindy Owen