I chose the name Temenos for my practice when I first started seeing clients, way back when. I don’t recall where I first heard the word, but I do recall the effect it had on me – at least, not the word, but its meaning.

Temenos describes a space that has been set apart for something particular, something sacred. It is boundaried; nothing from outside can walk in uninvited, anything inside the space is held with genuineness and openness, nothing that happens inside is spoken about carelessly, and it stays inside.

The space is protected, even if it is not always cosy. It is a space that tries to find the sweet spot between safety and stepping out of comfort zones. It is a space for seeing old things in new ways, or in a new light.

It is a powerful space, with all the strength of defences lowered and individuals meeting as honestly and openly as they know-how.

Sacred spaces like this are rare.

I chose the name because I want to create a space for each of my clients where they can be themself each time we meet. They don’t have to pretend, they don’t have to perform. They can come just as they are with all their fears, hopes, dreams, pain, ordinariness, individuality. In this space I want them to be able to say the unsayable, and think the unthinkable because they are safe.

A former client once told me; “I like coming here. I can be who I want to be when I am here, and there are no consequences”.

I can admit that I don’t know what to do.

I can admit that I don’t care when I feel that I should.

I can look at the real me, not the me I show to my friends.

I can uncover the pain and loss that I normally keep hidden.

I can learn to be kind to myself.

I can learn to love myself just as I am.