Compassionate Inquiry
with Anne Felicity
“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to inquire into the core stories people tell themselves, to get them to see what stories are unconsciously guiding them; what beliefs are within these, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them.”
Dr. Gabor Maté
About the Method
Compassionate Inquiry is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.
Compassionate Inquiry is an embodied and safely held approach that can reveal the unconscious dynamics that influence your life, and offers the possibility to liberate yourself from them.
Anne Felicity is an accredited practitioner of Compassionate Inquiry. She completed the professional Compassionate Inquiry training with Gabor Maté, and then a year-long internship followed by the mentorship program, which included more than 200 hours of client sessions.
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She is an Integrative Counsellor, having trained at Heartwood in Devon, and a Mindfulness and Compassion Teacher, having trained with Mindfulness UK, after much experience living and working, holding groups in retreat centres at The Barn Retreat Centre and The Coach House, part of Sharpham House Retreats in Devon, and also living and working at Gaia House, Buddhist retreat Centre in Devon.
She is also a graduate of the Karuna Institute on Dartmoor, having completed training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. She is also a Holistic Massage Therapist trained in Shiatsu Acupressure at the Shiatsu College, Norwich. She spent many years as a teacher and working as an early years educator and lecturer, but for the last ten years, she has worked in meditation retreat centres. She practises meditation, mindfulness, and qigong—these practices underpin, support and influence her work as an embodied therapist.
Anne has previously completed foundation training in Mindfulness-Based Core Process Psychotherapy and Introductory training in Somatic Experiencing and IFS (Internal Family Systems) training, which supports and is integrated into the Compassionate Inquiry approach.
SARAH (BRIGHTON, UK)
“I had several sessions of Compassionate Inquiry with Anne and it was very powerful. I felt seen and listened to, in a different way to how I have been ‘held’ before. After each session I felt a real sense of relief, gratitude, and that something quite major had shifted and cleared. I highly recommend sessions with Anne and this profound work.”
EMILY (SOUTH DEVON, UK)
“I struggle with complex PTSD from developmental trauma along with a variety of neuro differences and I’ve worked with many different therapists over the years, in many different modalities, and the Compassionate Inquiry sessions I had with Anne were some of the safest, deepest and most profound. Anne has a lovely gentle and compassionate energy that made me feel totally safe, held and understood, even when inquiring into some particularly challenging and painful issues around which I carried a lot of shame and fear of being judged.”
Safety and Presence
Creating safety is essential, and my role as a therapist is to hold a safe space for you to follow your inquiry, using mirroring, curiosity, and compassion and inviting you to be aware of the senses in your body.
You are in control of the session and can change direction, slow down or stop, whenever you need to.
After a grounding exercise, I will invite you to share whatever you would like to inquire into/work with, and I will follow your lead without judgment or giving advice.
For the purposes of supervision, I may share anonymous aspects of our work together – this is to support and guide my development as a therapist and will be held confidentially and viewed in a wholly positive light.
Sessions
In-person or online
Each session is between 45-60 mins. Your privacy and confidentiality will be respected. Sessions are offered in-person or via Zoom—a secure, confidential, and reliable video software platform.
ABOUT DR. GABOR MATÉ
Creator of Compassionate Inquiry along with Sat Dharam Kaur
Dr. Gabor Maté is a retired physician after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, he worked for over a decade with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. He is a bestselling author, an internationally renowned speaker and highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness.