Helen Sheeran

Helen is Senior meditation teacher, accredited mental health social worker and psychotherapist. Helen has a 30 year career as a social worker. She is the owner of Realising Possibilities and teaches Meditation courses at Live and Breathe Yoga and assists Allison with the Yogic Studies Immersion program. 

“My journey into mindful meditation is both a professional and a personal one. In 2008 my mental health spiralled rapidly downwards after a series of traumatic events resulting in hospitalisation for a number of weeks suffering acute symptoms of major depressive disorder, acute anxiety and hallucinations. I was given high doses of potent mood stabilisers and anti-depressant medication that dulled my senses and made me physically sick. Desperate for some kind of treatment that would help me to feel myself again. I undertook a program in Mindfulness Based Stress reduction as part of my recovery.

With the help of my meditation teacher and my therapist and a commitment to a daily meditation practice I began to recover my sense of self and to no longer fear and avoid the emotions I was feeling. Daily mindfulness practises helped me notice the fluctuations in my thoughts and emotions without needing to react. Learning to ground myself in the present moment and observe what was going on around me and inside me without getting caught up in a negative internal dialogue provided relief from stress and anxiety.

My interest in living a mindful life was further deepened through the study of the Tibetan Buddhism healing practices of the Medicine Buddha. An immersion into the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and a pilgrimage to the kingdom of Bhutan in 2013 further enriched my understanding of the traditions of Mindfulness Based Mediation.

As a mental health clinician and psychotherapist I was keen to increase my knowledge of the application of mindfulness to neuropsychotherapy to help my clients suffering from various mental health disorders. I have had the privilege of attend training courses with Bessel Van De Kolk MD, Dr Peter Levine and Russ Harris (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and to study the work of Dr Jon Kabbat Zinn; founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program.”