EXPERIENCE CHANGE
with ANIA HALLS
Internal Family Systems
EMDR & CBT
Brainspotting
Somatic Therapy
Consultation & Supervision
Specialising in the treatment of Anxiety, Stress, Obsessions, Trauma and Attachment Injuries.
IFS
EMDR
Brainspotting
Somatic Therapy
CBT
Consultation
Therapies Offered:
Ania Halls
MSc, BSc Psychology, PgDip
BABCP & EMDRUK Accredited
IFSUK & BSPUK Registered
AVIVA, BUPA & AXA Approved
My name is Ania Halls and I am an accredited / certified Psychotherapist with a degree and a Masters in Health Psychology. I live in the UK and since 2007 I have been offering confidential therapy for adults experiencing common mental health problems, based on the latest research in the field. My approach is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and the belief that healing happens in the safety of a trusting relationship.
I have a range of qualifications and training that create a unique mix of skills to draw upon. This includes formal training in:
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Health Psychology (BSc, MSc)
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Eye movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
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Brainspotting (BSP)
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT)
My practice is also shaped and enriched by numerous advanced trainings in body-oriented psychotherapy including work by Richard Schwartz, Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Beself van der Kolk, Dan Siegel, Janina Fisher, David Grand, Gabor Mate, Gordon Neufeld and many more.
These approaches allow me to integrate a wide range of frameworks, including:
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Multiplicity of the mind
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Dissociation and trauma recovery
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Attachment theory and relational healing
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Polyvagal theory and nervous system modulation
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Neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation and adaptive information processing
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Legacy burdens and transgenerational trauma
However, change cannot occur without the safety of a strong therapeutic relationship, therefore at the core of my work, is making sure that my clients feel comfortable and accepted just as they are. It's incredible what can happen when you’re around someone who is genuine and empathetic, curious and deeply present and attuned - someone who validates your thoughts and emotional experiences and can see the best version of yourself before you can see your own potential.
Hello and Welcome!
"NEURO - PHYSIOTHERAPY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES"
- David Grand,
founder of Brainspotting
My Approach
Many people are surprised to learn that psychotherapy can be broadly divided into top-down and bottom-up approaches. The key difference lies in how these therapies engage the brain—and whether they focus more on conscious thought (or explicit learning) or the body’s deeper, unconscious processes (or implicit learning).
Top-down Therapies
Approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and counselling engage the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for logical reasoning, verbal expression, and conscious processing. These therapies rely on insight, reflection, and the use of language to explore the connections between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. They often promote greater clarity, self-awareness, and practical strategies for managing distress and navigating complex life situations.
Many people find top-down therapies validating, as they offer the opportunity to feel “seen and heard” while making sense of personal experiences and emotional challenges. This reflective process can help build resilience and foster a sense of personal agency. However, these approaches may have limitations when it comes to accessing deeper, non-verbal aspects of the brain—particularly those rooted in the right hemisphere, which governs unconscious emotional memory, bodily sensations, and instinctive responses.
For individuals whose struggles are rooted in early developmental trauma or deeply stored emotional patterns, insight alone may not be enough to shift entrenched responses. In such cases, the language-based nature of top-down therapies might bypass the body’s more primal experiences of distress. As such, while these methods can be highly effective and offer lasting benefits, they may not fully reach the somatic or neurological roots of certain conditions. Combining top-down approaches with more experiential work can create a more holistic healing process—one that integrates mind and body, conscious thought and unconscious feeling, in service of greater emotional balance, healing, and wholeness.
Bottom-up Therapies
Approaches such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and elements of Internal Family Systems (IFS) focus on the body and nervous system to access emotional experiences that lie outside conscious awareness. Unlike talk-based therapies, bottom-up methods do not primarily rely on language or storytelling. Instead, they engage the body’s implicit memory systems—where past experiences are encoded as sensations, images, impulses, and reflexes. This is especially important for trauma, which is often stored not as a coherent narrative but as fragmented sensory impressions—sights, sounds, movements, or internal states that are difficult to verbalise. Bottom-up therapies aim to help the body complete these unfinished survival responses, allowing the nervous system to release patterns that are no longer helpful or adaptive. As this happens, the brain begins to form new, healthier neural pathways, restoring a greater sense of regulation, safety, and emotional freedom.
Unlike insight-driven models, bottom-up therapies work directly with the physiological imprints of distress, which often persist beneath conscious awareness. This makes them particularly powerful for addressing trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, and long-standing emotional patterns. By tracking sensations in the body and staying present with internal experience, individuals can gently shift responses that talk therapy alone may not fully access. While bottom-up approaches may initially feel unfamiliar, they offer a powerful route to healing that honours the body’s wisdom. When integrated with top-down methods, these therapies can support deep, lasting transformation by engaging both mind and body in the therapeutic process.
Integrating Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches
Through years of clinical experience, I’ve found that integrating these two approaches offers the most compassionate and effective path to healing. Together, they support both the body’s innate wisdom and the mind’s need for meaning making—allowing clients to gently explore past experiences and build inner resilience.
If you're looking for a supportive space to begin—or deepen—your healing journey, I warmly invite you to get in touch. I especially welcome clients who are curious about exploring their emotional world through the lens of the nervous system, and who are open to noticing how their internal patterns— including 'parts' and 'ego states'—shape the way they experience themselves and relate to others.
“TRAUMA IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO US, BUT WHAT WE HOLD INSIDE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EMPATHIC WITNESS"
- Peter A. Levine,
founder of Somatic Experiencing
What to expect in Therapy:
Therapy is a collaborative and deeply personal process that unfolds in its own unique way for each individual. There is no single or “right” way to begin—people come to therapy with diverse histories, needs, and varying levels of comfort with self-exploration. My approach is always tailored to meet you where you are, and we move at a pace that feels safe, manageable, and respectful.
However, while every therapeutic journey is different, in my experience, the process often flows through three broad and overlapping stages: resourcing, processing and integration.
1. Resourcing / Nervous System Regulation
For clients who are already familiar with bottom-up approaches, we may begin more directly with modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Brainspotting, especially if you already have some ability to stay present with your internal experience.
Other approaches—such as EMDR or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)—typically begin with a resourcing phase. This involves building a foundation of internal safety, emotional regulation, and somatic awareness. Here you will develop your ability to notice and track your internal experience without becoming overwhelmed. This stage is particularly important for trauma survivors or those experiencing emotional dysregulation.
For some clients—especially those new to therapy or who find turning inward overwhelming—we may start with a more cognitive approach. This might include psychoeducation and drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to build insight into the mind-body connection and develop practical strategies for managing distress. Over time, as safety and confidence grow, we can begin moving into "processing" and more experiential methods.
2. Processing
Once a sense of stability is in place, we begin to explore the issues that are causing you distress—whether that’s a past trauma, persistent anxiety, negative beliefs, neuro-somatic symptoms, or strong emotional reactions. You don’t need to remember exactly how the problem began; the body often knows what the mind has forgotten.
Using specilised methods like EMDR, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), we gently access, and process stuck survival responses held in the nervous system. In this processing stage we may work with a specific modality or draw from an integrated blend of approaches. I often find that combining EMDR or Brainspotting with parts work (IFS) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy creates a powerful and intuitive flow. While this may sound complex, these modalities complement one another beautifully and tend to blend organically in practice. That said, some clients prefer to stay within a single approach—and that’s absolutely respected. The work is always guided by your needs, pace, and preferences.
3. Integration
The final stage is about weaving those changes into everyday life. We focus on reinforcing new patterns of regulation, cultivating deeper self-awareness, building healthier relationships, and expanding your sense of possibility. The aim is to support lasting transformation—so that your sense of self is no longer organized around old patterns of survival, but around wholeness, choice, and connection.
“IFS CAN BE SEEN AS ATTACHMENT THEORY TAKEN INSIDE, IN THE SENSE THAT THE CLIENT’S SELF BECOMES THE GOOD ATTACHMENT FIGURE TO THEIR INSECURE OR AVOIDANT PARTS. "
- Richard Schwartz,
founder of IFS
First Step: Would you like to talk?
Reaching out for therapy can feel daunting—but it can also be the beginning of a life-changing journey and one of the most valuable investments you can make in yourself.
I believe that finding the right therapist is one of the most important (and sometimes trickiest) parts of the process. To support this, I offer a free 25-minute introductory phone call, giving us both the chance to explore whether we’re a good fit and how we might work together.
If we decide to move forward, we’ll take a collaborative approach tailored to your needs. We may focus on a specific therapeutic modality, or we might draw from a blend of approaches to find what best supports you.
If you're considering starting therapy and would like to talk further, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You’ll find details about my fees and availability on the Contact page