Paola Villanueva

Hi, I’m Paola Villanueva, a certified relational art therapist and a member of the European Federation of Art therapy. Currently I am training in Somatic Experiencing, a science based approached developed by Dr. Peter Lavine, that uses interoception -that is the capacity to feel what is happening inside of you- to renegotiate trauma. I am Mexican and have been living in Lisbon for the last 5 years. I work in Spanish, English and Portuguese (a lot of times in “Portunhol”). I have always been curious about the diversity of ways in which we all live our lives, the different responses we use to deal with life’s challenges and the patterns we repeat, even the ones we know won’t do us any good. This curiosity is what led me to become a therapist – and to move countries a lot-, as an attempt to understand humanness, relationships, culture, life. In sessions my primary goal is to create a safe space for each patient, where there is clarity, and curiosity prevails over judgment. A clear therapeutic space allows for freedom to show yourself more wholly. I believe that we transmit our inner world not only through words, but also through movement and stillness, gestures or poker faces, volumes or silence, tones, attitudes, etc. So, during the sessions I like to be attentive to all these cues from your body, voice and presence, because all of them are manifestations of what you are sensing and feeling in the moment. The more you familiarise with them, the more you can care for yourself. For me therapy is fulfilling and enjoyable. I am not going to lie, there are times when there are tears, rage, sadness; but there is laughter, “aha!” moments, tenderness and congratulatory occasions too. It is an opportunity to contact with your inside world and discover what makes you feel good or bad, notice how you find out what feels safe for you and regain the agency over your life and choices.