Experiential Therapy in Toronto
Play Therapy in Toronto
You can understand exactly why you feel unworthy and still feel unworthy. Insight tells you what's going on. It doesn't always change how it feels. Experiential therapy works with what happens in the moment — emotions, sensations, impulses — because that's where lasting change tends to take hold.
We offer experiential therapy in person on Dundas West and online across Ontario.
What is experiential therapy?
Experiential therapy is a family of approaches that focus on direct, present-moment experience rather than talking about things. Instead of discussing a feeling from a distance, you're invited to notice it, stay with it and let it unfold, with your therapist's support. New emotional experiences in session can reshape old emotional learning.
Where it comes from
focus on awareness and techniques like chair work; Eugene Gendlin's Focusing, which attends to the body's "felt sense"; Emotion-Focused Therapy (Les Greenberg); and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (Diana Fosha). They share a view that emotion is not a problem to be managed, but information and energy for change.
How experiential therapy works
Slowing down to notice what you're feeling right now
Following the felt sense — the body's vague, not-yet-worded knowing
Chair work — speaking to a part of yourself or an important person as if they were present
Deepening — staying with an emotion long enough for it to shift
Integration — making sense of what happened and connecting it to your life
What experiential therapy can help with
Feeling stuck despite understanding your patterns
Emotional numbness or disconnection
Grief and unresolved loss
Shame and self-criticism
Relationship wounds
Trauma
Anxiety and depression
How we use experiential therapy at Noema
Experiential work is at the heart of how we understand change. Research on memory reconsolidation suggests that emotional learning updates when an old feeling is activated and meets a new, contradicting experience at the same time. That's what experiential approaches do. It's why they fit so naturally with our somatic and relational pillars, and why many of our therapists weave them into everything they do.
Experiential therapy at Noema is offered by: Karina Waluk, Marta Mrozek, Varun Sarangapani, Sarah Gray
Is experiential therapy right for me?
It may suit you if you've done a lot of talking and understanding but haven't felt much change, or if you want therapy that engages your whole self. We always work within what feels manageable.
Experiential therapy in Little Portugal and across Ontario
Visit us at 1364 Dundas Street West on the 505 streetcar, near Trinity Bellwoods, Parkdale and Roncesvalles.
FAQs
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No. We go at your pace, and you can always pause.
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It usually does at first, and it often turns out to be surprisingly powerful. It's always optional.
Here’s How to Connect
Fill out the form to schedule your free 20-minute intro call to explore how therapy can support you. We’ll help you get matched with the right therapist for you.
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