MISSION: FREE YOUNG MINDS FROM BS insta-therapy
Sweary Northern Gen X therapist on a mission to free young minds from BS pop psychology, individualistic self-help, pseudo-spirituality and coercive control. I offer philosophy and Arts -based therapy sessions and tutoring in critical thinking, creativity and how to combat coercive control. I work with deep thinkers who want to go beyond the superficial, one-size-fits-all fortune cookie wisdom pushed by the legions of grifters on internet.Â
About Me
Iâm Jenni Walford, a British therapist and educator based in Catalunya, Spain. My approach is grounded in existentialism, phenomenology, field theory and social psychology, with a focus on confronting societal conditioning and the false narratives we often accept as truths.
After years of exploring various therapeutic modalities, Iâve seen first-hand the stark difference between authentic humanistic therapy and the more manipulative, cult-like approaches that have unfortunately become mainstream, especially with the Esalen-style Californian gestalt therapy prevalent here in Spain. My practice is about challenging prescribed norms, creating a space thatâs grounded in ethics, transparency, and real human connection.
My Services
Gestalt Therapy
Develop here-and-now awareness, explore how you connect and avoid connection, and explore how you perceive and distort your experience, within the context of society and its influences. No New Age guff and definitely no Claudio Naranjo!
I have been helping people to create their professional profile including CV/rĂŠsumĂŠ, cover letters and interview practice, as well as tutoring them in the skills they need to develop professionally for over 20 years.Â
Gestalt therapy, Existentialism, awareness practice and somatic activities – as well as how to identify coercive control, manipulation and all-round culty BS. I also offer training in English, communication skills and critical thinking to psychologists and therapists, which I’ve been doing since 1998, with Freudians in Buenos Aires. I was very much into cognitive psychology at the time so those conversations were heated and a lot of fun!
My Approach to Therapy
I work with people who:
⢠feel disillusioned with toxic work cultures, manipulative relationships, or simply need a space to breathe and be themselves.
⢠want to challenge coercive social and political dynamics and live in a way thatâs true to who they are, rather than conforming to someone elseâs idea of ânormalâ.
⢠are struggling to adapt to the culture they live in and need support in dealing with issues around racism, identity, faith and inequality.
⢠are looking for a therapist or teacher who is down-to-earth, up-to-date as well as nauseatingly and unapologetically woke.
Consulting & Training Services
I also offer consulting and training for organisations, educational settings, and other therapists on coercive control, manipulation in professional environments, cultural competence, and ethical practice. My work aims to help individuals and organisations confront societal conditioning, challenge toxic norms, and build healthier, more conscious ways of interacting – free from toxic woo or corporate body farm neoliberal doctrine.
Oh, and “conscious” doesn’t mean being a smug git who goes around sneering at other people whilst wafting a bit of incense around, by the way.
Incorporating the Arts
Drawing on my background in fine art, English, French, Spanish, and Latin American literature and culture, I bring creative and culturally rich methods into my sessions. By using insights from literature, film, and the arts, we gain the tools to deconstruct false narratives and see things from a more authentic, grounded perspective.Â
Where on Earth do the concepts in self help come from?
Much of what passes for âwellnessâ today has its origins in ideas that arenât as benign or as healing as they might seem. From Scientology to Christian Science, and even Eugenics, the underpinnings of modern wellness culture often promote deeply harmful ideologies – classism, ableism, white supremacy, and neoliberal individualism -dressed up as self-help.
I have been researching the origins of popular New Age wellness trends extensively for years. I have seen how harmful these ideas can be. From Scientologyâs manipulative doctrines to Louise Hayâs dangerous denial of modern medicine, many of these approaches are not about healing but about perpetuating ideologies of control and blame. My practice rejects these influences, focusing instead on grounded, ethical, and research-based therapeutic methods, philosophical reasoning and the arts.
The Influence of Scientology in personal development
Who is Louise Hay & what is Christian Science?
Eugenics & White Supremacy in Wellness
Neoliberal Objectivism and âAttractionâ Philosophy
Explore how concepts like being âat causeâ – a Scientology term – have bled into mainstream wellness culture, pushing the idea that individuals are responsible for all the events in their lives, including illness and misfortune.
Delve into Louise Hayâs teachings and their connections to Christian Science, a movement that denied conventional medicine and promoted a âmind over matterâ philosophy that blames individuals for their health conditions.
Examine how certain wellness movements have ties to eugenicist ideologies, promoting an undercurrent of white supremacy and classism that elevates certain groups over others.
Critically analyse the belief that we âattractâ everything into our lives, which absolves society of responsibility for systemic inequality and places the burden on individuals. This philosophy is central to many New Age movements but is rooted in neoliberal, capitalist ideas that perpetuate exploitation and abuse..
If Self-Help Works, Why Are Mental Health Issues Getting Worse?â
That´ll be your fault, too. Or you’ll be “at cause” as they used to say in NXIVM.
âWe are living in an age where self-help and wellness advice is everywhere. Every other person seems to be a coach, therapist, healer, shaman, guru offering guidance on how to live your best life. Yet, paradoxically, mental health disorders – particularly among young people – are rising at an alarming rate. Why? If there are so many âsolutionsâ available, why are we seeing more anxiety, depression, and self-harm than ever before?â
âThe Clinical psychologists I speak to are overwhelmed and on their knees, reporting a huge surge in self-harm cases among young people. They are using every resource at their disposal, barely keeping their heads above water, earning shockingly low salaries after years of intensive training and study, and struggling to cope with this unprecedented wave of mental health challengesonly to see coaches,Âconstellators and glorified massage therapists dispense Yogi Tea advice whilst charging a fortune for their services.
So what is missing?
Why are these widely promoted solutions not working?â
âIn todayâs corporate environment, many people find themselves pushed into coercive coaching, so-called emotional intelligence training, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and other pseudoscientific neoliberal frameworks that disguise themselves as personal growth tools. These practices, often forced upon employees, are rooted in business school doctrines that prioritise compliance over true development. Companies use these tools to push employees into adopting a so-called âgrowth mindset,â often accusing those who resist of being narrow-minded and not wanting to leave their comfort zones – disingenuous modern day insults.â
âIâve witnessed this firsthand, having worked in environments where such methods are not only encouraged but imposed. I have also endured years of training in what I now recognise as a decentralised cult under the guise of so-called Gestalt therapy – an experience that left me feeling humiliated, exhausted, and disillusioned. After that, I struggled for a long time with issues like disordered eating and addiction, and other things that had not affected me for years. I felt I was to blame for everything and that I had been deluding myself, that I wasn’t really “healed”. In fact, I had been retraumatised. My therapy practice is a clear stand against these coercive, unethical practices.â
Let’s Go!
If you reject the individualistic pop psychology touted by both business schools and hippy quack therapists (because the underlying philosophy is the same!), you’ve come to the right place!
Flee from toxic positivity
Find the antidote to the superficial, individualistic, neoliberal pop psychology we are bombarded with everyday.Â
Develop connection
Humans heal through connection and acceptance, not by being gaslit into believing they are always to blame for everything.Â
Mindfulness activities
Flee from the soulless, corporate McMindfulness that business school charlatans sell. It was developed to make the USA military into disassociated killing machines.Â
Critical thinking
Gestalt therapy is built on Existentialism and Phenomenology. DIve into these philosophical schools of thought to develop your critical thinking skills and gain insights into freedom and authenticity
My Philosophy
Together We Will
Why Choose Me
Many of you shouldn’t. And I might not want to work with you, either! I’m not a therapeutic whore. If you think you’re going to pay me to blow sunshine up your arse or take abuse, you have VERY MUCH come to the wrong person!
“I’m paying you to make me feel better!”
“Bye, bye!”
“Tell me what the correct thing to do in this situation is. I just need some strategies.”
“Ciao, ciao!”
“My boss is paying you so you have to do what I SAY!”
I shit you not.
Articles
My Blog
Where I get ostracised from polite society foreverÂ
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Gestalt therapy
Drop me a line if you would like more information or a budget for consultation services.
+34 605171415
Contact me via What’s App. I don’t answer calls unless I know the number due to the obscene number of spam calls I receive!