"I want to discover why I know what's right
and still do what's wrong."
Pierre Bezukhov in Tolstoy's "War and Peace"
Hey my dear, I'm Olivia.
When I tell you I've been there...
I've been there.
I created Authentic Attachment because I realized that a lot of psychological approaches do not really work to heal the root of emotional pain and attachment issues long-term.
This is due to a myriad of reasons:
some professionals themselves not being experienced with healing of emotional pain;
the subconscious mind being largely neglected in traditional therapeutic/coaching approaches;
the female nervous system not having been scientifically studied as deeply as the male;
neurodivergence not being properly understood within the psychology community,
and so on.
As someone who lived their whole life with an extreme version of Disorganized Attachment Style (Fearful Avoidance), C-PTSD; as well as undiagnosed neurodivergence, I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it was to not feel understood even by highly educated therapists.
My personal experience sent me on a long journey of trying to heal—traditional therapy, university psychology courses, a trillion health supplements, countless books on overcoming trauma... the list goes on.
What I couldn't understand was why I would still be in so much pain despite already having such high self-awareness. If I understand my patterns, why can't I change them? If talking about my feelings in therapy doesn't help, am I a lost cause? I felt like I was a special, unhealable case.
At long last I discovered the teachings of attachment theory and the mechanisms of the subconscious mind through the YouTube videos of author and counsellor Thais Gibson which truly changed my life forever.
I realized that behavior modification could never work for me because I needed to reprogram my subconscious mind before my actions would change sustainably. I understood how many of my wounds were relational and required relational healing.
I also began to understand that women have a fundamentally different wiring that needs different care than the standardized (aka: male) nervous system does. This especially applies to neurodivergent women, as female-phenotype autism and ADHD are still chronically misunderstood and under-diagnosed.
I decided to get certified in Integrated Attachment Theory and to educate myself specifically on the subconscious mind, the female nervous system and also how female-phenotype neurodivergence can affect all of this.
The true wish of my heart is to give other people the understanding, presence, empathy, explanations and tools that I so desperately needed once upon a time.
Trainings and Qualifications
Coaching Certifications
Integrated Attachment Theory™ (IAT), Personal Development School
Trauma-Informed Certificate for Coaches, The Centre for Healing
Courses and Trainings
"The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs"
University of Toronto
"A life with ADHD"
Université de Genève