Lokadhi Lloyd

Mindfulness-Based and Compassion Focused Therapeutic Counselling with Lokadhī in Holborn, EC4A (Central/City of London) and Highbury/Islington, N1 1LA  (North London) 

Welcome.  I imagine you’re reading this because things feel tough right now.

I know how overwhelming it can be when talking to a friend isn’t an option, or simply not enough; how it is to feel stuck, that life isn’t working for you, or to have a vague underlying of unease, unsure why.

Whether facing a specific crisis or dealing with an ongoing predicament, each person who comes to me brings their own unique experience and concerns. Together we develop a working relationship that recognises your own qualities and particular history, and which responds to your present needs.  

Just arranging an initial appointment – even when that feels daunting – often offers people a sense of relief: the hope that things can be different.

I hope that what I have to say here will help you decide whether we might work together. For more information, please see my personal website: https://www.mindfulnesstherapy.co.uk/therapy-counselling-london/ 

To check my availability, please contact me by email: Lokadhi@mindfulnesstherapy.co.uk. Or we can arrange to speak over the phone: 07864 292599  

I work with ...

I welcome those of diverse ethnic, racial, sexual and gender identities, from wide-ranging social and cultural backgrounds, of many faiths and of none. However you identify, I will bring care, attentiveness, and depth of experience to your need to be truly heard and seen. 

I work with adult individuals, in person (though, where appropriate, we might arrange to work remotely, over Zoom or similar platform).

We can all feel overtaken by stress or by ongoing challenges. And with busy lives it’s often most difficult to stay in touch with ourselves when we most need to.

I’m happy to respond your individual therapeutic needs. Some of the concerns that bring people to me are:

• Anxiety, depression, stress, often manifest as mood swings, mental and physical hyper-activity, poor concentration; in fragile self-esteem or critical inner voice; anger, rage, difficulty expressing emotions panic episodes; insomnia, low emotional and physical energy; debilitating depression, or simply an indistinct sense of dissatisfaction.
• Abuse, trauma, emotional neglect take many forms – including experience of being excluded or marginalised, of coercive behaviour; of emotionally absent parenting. They can surface as PTSD, Complex PTSD, social anxiety, low self-worth, and be somatised as chronic health conditions. 
• Addictions, compulsive, repetitive or habitual behaviours and dependencies may recur in abusive personal relationships and co-dependency; a history of self-harm or neglect; intrusive thoughts; adverse patterns relating to food, drink, substance abuse and include sexual and social behaviours or phobias.
• Long Covid, post-Covid fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), post-viral syndrome. I have lengthy experience of the difficulties encountered by those experiencing post-viral conditions and chronic illness including, specifically, CFS/ME and fibromyalgia. Research increasingly suggests that, whilst as yet there’s no cure, many of the same established methods can also help those struggling with the current lack of understanding of this condition.
• Work/life imbalance. You might habitually prioritise work, family, friends at the expense of your own needs – leading to friction in personal or employment relationships; burnout; feeling unfulfilled, isolated or hopeless; imposter syndrome.
• Identity, gender, sexuality, relationship and sexual concerns – embracing cultural, physical diversity and neuro-diversity, and including matters relating to diversity: race, LGBTQ issues, a history of sexual abuse (childhood and adult), and sexual difficulties.
• Grief or loss – whether through bereavement, end of a relationship or phase of life; perhaps resulting from illness, incapacity or other change of circumstance; pregnancy, childbirth and parenting; supporting ageing parents; adjusting to children leaving home.
• Difficulties with self-expression and creativity, which may also connect with issues relating to spirituality and faith, including spiritual crisis, creative block, loss of sense of self.

We can all feel overtaken by stress or by ongoing challenges. And with busy lives it’s often most difficult to stay in touch with ourselves when we most need to.

Being heard and seen in a non-judgemental space, where you can start to feel less overcome, not so alone with difficulties, can make a vast difference. And meeting together in the same room is a good way of sensing this. 

We can explore together the origins of unhelpful patterns, the emotional and physical effects on you, your relationships and those around you, and how – with mindful self-compassion and understanding – you can begin to change them.  

My ethos and how I work …

My approach is integrative, drawing on awareness of the body. It is fluid, intuitive, gentle, sensitive but rigorous – underpinned by a strong theoretical understanding, sound training; and frequently updated by a commitment to lifelong learning.

I have something distinct to offer as one of few people with specific training in both Mindfulness-Based and Compassion-Focused approaches, bringing warmth and thoughtfulness to one-to-one therapy or counselling, as well as group work. 

Practising Mindfulness and Self-Compassion has informed my life for some thirty years. This, blended with my core training in Psychosynthesis – an integrative therapeutic model which harnesses the imagination – infuses my work as therapeutic counsellor and therapist. 

I offer therapy or psychotherapeutic counselling to those ready to work at psychological depth on an open-ended basis; and counselling to clients wanting to explore a specific issue, looking for short-term, focused sessions.

I understand from my own experience how painful it can be to lose touch with our sense of humour or perspective, and recognise the value of a holistic approach. We work together to create a context for your own understandings and growth.

Depending on what you find helpful at any particular time, we might bring in metaphor and symbolism, poetry, guided imagery or meditation, or work with direct reference to the body or with dreams. 

Equally, I may include psycho-educational tools or specific theoretical frameworks to help you relate to your experience from a more explicitly cognitive angle. 

Essential to whatever approach we take is that the relationship is based on trust – a sense that whatever you want to bring to your appointment will be received with acceptance. It’s important that the therapist you choose has a flexible, individual approach which meets your changing needs within a growing therapeutic relationship: someone with whom you can feel relaxed.

At an initial exploratory meeting …

… we can discuss what brings you to therapy and gauge whether we’d be a good ‘fit’. You may then feel ready to commit to a series of sessions, or might want some time to think things through further.

To establish a regularity and momentum to our work together, we’d arrange regular weekly 50-minute sessions at the same time and on the same day of the week. 

I practice from Holborn and Highbury/Islington. The therapy rooms are readily accessed by pubic transport. 

I charge between £80 and £95 for each 50-minute session - depending on time of day - including online. I have a limited number of low-cost places (sliding scale) at off-peak hours for those from low-income households.

Please email me, saying a little about why you are thinking of therapy and what you would like to get from it. If you'd find a brief exploratory phone call helpful, I'd be happy to arrange that for a time (8.30-6.00 pm Monday-Friday) that works for both of us. 

Sessions last 50 minutes, are normally in person,(Highbury/Islington and Holborn) and cost £80-£95 . Depending on availability, I may have concessionary places - on a sliding scale and outside peak hours - for those from a low-income household.

Supervision costs £65 for a 50-minute session.

I have some concessionary places, on a sliding scale and outside peak hours, for  those from a low-income household.