I AM ANDRESSA

You may feel that there’s something off yet you can’t pinpoint precisely what. Perhaps you feel disconnected from the world and from your truth. You may feel broken beyond repair because the pain is so real and constant that you just became accustomed to it. 

“Am I doing enough? Am I doing life the right way?”

The trouble is that overwhelming feelings can make it even harder to open up and trust friends, loved ones and even therapists—right when we need connection most.

…But be kind to yourself. Being human can get complicated sometimes and there is nothing wrong with how you feel. What’s more important is you know that you’re tired of feeling like this and deep down you trust that there is a better way, and that you are worthy of that.

Hi, I am Andressa Taverna.

It has taken me almost 40 years – and I’m still deep in the lifelong journey; lots of therapy, many different medicines, so much pain and many many crashes and falls for me to decide to turn down the numbing, the denial, the self-blaming and the huge shaming, and put all that into my forgiving journey, which can only start with self-forgiving. Being a survivor of sexual abuse has moulded me, and it still informs every part of my life in many obvious and also many mysterious ways. Numbing out and dissociating has helped me bear the trauma, I felt so much guilt and shame that I couldn’t bear to even think about it. But burying it deep and pretending it didn’t exist never really worked. 

It was only when I started looking at it and inviting my demons to come forward, to speak up, to scream out their rage, that what I saw behind it was pain. And I saw that they were not demons after all, but my inner child.

Today, I feel honoured to hold space for people that have been hurt, too, even if it’s not the same pain – no pain is the same.

I believe in the (psychobiology of) soft, connected and authentic.

I am a certified Life Coach, Wellness Counsellor and Full Spectrum Doula based in Vancouver, BC (land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples).

I assist individuals and couples into deep acceptance and the healing power of the radical inclusion of all parts of ourselves.

I believe that everyone deserves to feel heard, to feel supported and to realize their goals and dreams. I offer my presence to support, hold accountable and celebrate someone’s successes.

I abide by a non-judgmental and compassionate framework.

I believe in the gifts of exploring one’s inner world, gaining clarity about how experiences from the past affect life today and how to move into a present full of spaciousness, integration and joy.

If you would like to speak with me, I would be glad to hold your story and help you to find peace and safety with your truth as a person.