Ana Pekolj

There may be a constant inner pressure to do more, do better, or not make mistakes. You might be hard on yourself, caught in self-criticism, or carrying a quiet sense of “not enough”. This can show up as people pleasing, overextending, or prioritising others at the cost of your own needs. Slowing down or setting boundaries can feel difficult, even when you know you need it.

I work with adults who learned early to adapt: to take care of others, perform, or stay strong, often by making themselves smaller or setting their own needs aside. Many of them carry the impact of relational wounds or complex trauma and long for a deeper sense of inner safety and belonging, within themselves and in relationships.

My approach is relational, somatic, and experiential. Therapy with me is an embodied process. We work with what is happening in your body, in real time. We explore body awareness, inner parts, and present moment experience in a gentle and attuned way.

I often work with themes such as perfectionism, shame, self-criticism, burnout and boundaries. Together, we approach patterns such as hypervigilance, anxiety, chronic tension, numbness or overwhelm not as flaws, but as intelligent adaptations that once helped you survive.

At the core of my work is the cultivation of inner safety and resilience, not only as an idea, but as something your system can gradually begin to feel. Within a steady and attuned therapeutic relationship and nervous system regulation, clients gradually strengthen self-support, develop a more compassionate inner dialogue, and reconnect with their own needs, boundaries, and a clearer sense of self where inner parts are met and the body slowly softens.

This work is not about fixing what is “wrong,” but about restoring contact with what has always been there, beneath adaptation, survival roles and learned patterns. From that place, clarity deepens, choice expands, and a more grounded and integrated way of living becomes possible.

Alongside my professional training in Gestalt psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing®, my work is continuously shaped by ongoing education, supervision, and personal therapy.