About

 Orna Cooke, B Soc Sc., Psychotherapist IAHIP , Mindfulness facilitator and Mindfulness supervisor.

Orna has been working for 30  years in the area of counselling and psychotherapy. She studied Social Science in University College Dublin and qualified with an honours degree in 1982. In the 1980’s she worked in Adult Education and counselling. She was involved in setting up the Tipperary Rape Crisis Centre in the early 80’s.During this time she was studying in The Cork Counselling Center and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

In the early 90’s she trained in Bio-dynamic psychotherapy, which has a strong bodywork emphasis. She is an accredited member of IAHIP since 2005 . She has been working in private practice in Killaloe for the last 18 year.

In recent years she has furthered her interest in body work exploring the impact of trauma on the physiology of the body. Exploring how with awareness we can recover from trauma. How important the physiology of the body is in this recovery . In 2014 she began her training in facilitating Trauma and tension release exercises (TRE) developed by with David Berceli and is a certified provider since 2017 . TRE is a community based trauma recovery space. It honours the resilient nature and intelligence of the body, how it constantly orients towards self regulation.Everyone has this capacity to recover. TRE is one of the resources that Orna brings to her psychotherapy practice. https://innerlandscapes.ie/tre/

To recover from trauma we may also need the holding of another, especially when our trauma has been during our early development as infants and children. Psychotherapy can provide this holding space.In 2019 Orna began training with Aline La Pierre in Neuro-Affective touch. Neuro-Affective Touch is a polyvagal- informed somatic approach that integrates relational and psycho-dynamic psychotherapy with the therapeutic use of touch and bodywork.

At present Orna is participating in a year long training with Bonnie Baddenoch, a heart-based training in relational neuroscience for healing trauma . Bonnie interweaves the work of Stephen Porges polyvagal theory and Iain Mc Gilchrist’s seminal work on the the left and right hemisphere of the brain.

Orna  also trained for 7 years in Art Synthesis, a process developed by Marie Perret (psychotherapist and artist living in France), of uncovering the true self through spontaneous painting. Through her work and her own life journey Orna believes deeply in the importance of creative expression for our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well being. Orna facilitates “Inner Landscape workshops”, working with mindfulness and creativity, in Killaloe.

Over the last 26 years she has been exploring meditation in different traditions. Spending 12 years studying in the Tibetan tradition and more recently receiving teaching in the zen tradition.

For the last 11 years Orna has been teaching the secular mindfulness based stress reduction programme developed by Jon Kabat Zinn

Orna is in continuous training and supervision with The Center for Mindfulness Research and Practice in Bangor University and has completed training in Mindfulness supervision.

Underpinning my work is the belief that we all have everything we need within us. Given breathing space, time and a kind non-judgemental environment we will grow and uncover our true nature. Psychotherapy can at times provide this holding space.  Practicing mindfulness can, when we are ready, help us to find this space inside ourselves.