“My sessions with Sonia were life changing. Who would have thought as a 57 year old woman I would become so juicy and ready to explore my sensual body and wildly enjoy sex with myself or my partner.
Sonia, I will be forever grateful. Once awakened there is no way back to sleeping mode again :) Thank you so much!!!”
— K. O.
“My experience working with Sonia was the most holistically affecting therapeutic work I have ever engaged in. As we shifted experiences in my body I watched my life and relationships shift in accordance, the change I saw in this time communicated to me how much evolution is possible when working from bodily intelligence.
As someone who has been in therapy from a young age, it was truly a groundbreaking experience to have a practitioner that brought my healing all the way back to breathing - the gateway of so much of our experience and relationship with life. With Sonia I felt truly safe and trusting - beyond this, in these sessions, I was able to learn how to trust myself, an immense gift for which I am deeply grateful.”
— V. G.
“Sonia, thank you so much. The embodiment practices you helped us develop, the anatomy lessons, breath work, communication and clarity you taught us have been transformative to our relationship. You held a safe space and patience while we learned how to get out of our heads and into our bodies. We contacted you after 15 years of marriage at a loss on how to move forward together. Now we are getting on like when we met, in fact, better, this is deeply nurturing, mature, love.”
— A. B.
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for the three sessions. As you know, I was very uncomfortable with the whole concept of this but it was so much better than I imagined! We both found it super useful and it has revolutionised how I look at intimacy – it has taken all of the negative pressure away. It is so subtle but makes such a big difference.
I’m so grateful for your work!”
— S. A.
“Such a surreal experience. Sonia is amazing at what she does & makes you feel super comfortable from the moment you meet her. Life-changing results. Go on - get yourself out of your comfort zone to experience some positive change and results. Money well spent!“
— C. S.
“I had progressively disconnected my mind from my body in order to cope with the growing pain of a serious back injury. My sexual well-being had slipped from my grasp as I focused more and more on coping with my back pain.
Surgery cured the back pain, but months later my sexual well-being showed no sign of life. I didn’t know how to heal the nerves that had been under stress for such a long period. Restoring my somatic pathways with Sonia’s gentle guidance was the breakthrough. Bodywork has eased my emotional and physical scars and has reconnected my mind and body. My sex life has blossomed.”
— R. K.
She started the session tight, anxious and wanting change, through breathwork and embodiment practices she finished feeling like “no judgement, general aliveness and that everything is as it should be.” From a woman who felt the oppression and judgment of her parent's church, those words were deeply significant. She also said, “I love this room, the sheepskin rugs, their texture, and I love lying on the floor, I want to do this at home”. I love that she loved these :))
With another client, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, we have been working via Zoom. Her words at the end of the first session “Is it really possible to see and feel my body as mine again?”, and the second session “My body is me. While being present with my body, I am present with me. My hands are me in concentrate, I do everything with them.” And “I am learning to be in my own body. I am lucky I have these sensations. I am loving feeling them as mine.” And so this work continues to help people find and feel their freedom.
With love for all the people who do this work,
Sonia.
“My coach [Sonia] with gentleness, when I wandered off into my head, bought me back to working with the question somatically. This has in a sense reaffirmed the importance of remaining and maintaining a state of being embodied. Each and every session was valuable and so very rich and profound in what occurred in me, in my path of learning.”
— C. H. Sexological bodywork student
Letter from a client:
“Sonia has opened my heart and allowed me to regain my power and find my momentum.”
Every Tuesday I offer a free session for those who are curious to explore how this work could benefit them, but for whom cost is a barrier. Feel free to contact me if this is for you.
After five sessions by Zoom with Amber, she wrote this…
Working with trauma and depression are complex. Breakthroughs are life changing!
“Sonia created a safe space for me to release a lifetime of pent-up emotions, helped me reconnect with my lost memories and elevated me to an empowered path from a wounded animal toward healing and self love. Unlike any other therapist I’ve experienced in the past, and I have had more than 10 in my no longer young, not yet old life, I have made huge and sustainable progress in each session. It is amazing to know I can be an active author in my own healing. Thank you for being my witness and facilitator of growth.
I’m looking forward to continuing this journey alongside Sonia. I have complete trust and faith that together, I will rise above my trauma and pain in the near future. I would highly recommend Sonia for her work, her intuitive wisdom and her amber-like warmth radiating out from her being.”
— Anita Sydney
“My name is Tinamaree Kaiparajon. I am a mother of eight. My eldest is 32. My youngest is 9. I have 18 grandchildren. I did it. I pushed the refresh button on my life. And reset myself. My Majesty. My Warriorship. My Sanctity. My Devotion. My Measure. My Connection. My Heart. My Spirit.”
— Tinamaree Kaiparajon
“Thank you Sonia I had such a lovely time; Scott and I had a really nice conversation after the Relating Greatly Zoom call.
You held the space easily and are both a wonderful facilitator and know your stuff! I just want to really honour who you are and what you are doing, and how you delivered it. Your talent is rare.
You were present, mindful and generous - not to mention glowing!
We would love to do a weekend with you sometime in Wanaka... :)
Love your deep and meaningful work.”
— Anna Wellington
“Thanks so much for the most excellent workshop tonight. I very much enjoyed the enriching experience of learning from you.”
— Sonia Australia
“It seems to me if I live in this embodied way:
• I can be healthier. Reducing my susceptibility to disease and illness by releasing trauma from my body and recognising and working better with my emotions.
• I can be happier. I will learn to live more in the present, releasing the past, and being less concerned by the future.
• I can open up to my mind, body, and spiritual connection. By learning to live in my body, to be centred, I will open up the world around me beyond the physical.
•My relationships will improve. Firstly with myself - I will learn and grow into my own body, understand its wants and desires, and understand its pleasures. And with others. Consent, boundaries and other tools to be able to expand and grow my relationships.
• My intimacy with my beloved will grow. Through understanding of my own body and others and having permission to explore.”
— Shane
“Every aspect of my life has changed, letting go of the bindings of my experience so far and making space for what fits with the fully embodied version of myself, able to discern my true wants and needs and communicate with lovers, colleagues, and friends in a more open honest way.
Sonia offers a supportive non-judgemental space and deep but playful kindness in online teaching, interpersonal interactions, and through touch. Her respectful modelling enabled me and also my partner to safely explore meaningful and sometimes challenging realms of self-discovery.”
— Ester Bassett NZ
“Thank you Sonia for your gentle, kind, adaptable approach, that so encourages light-hearted and playful growth in a safe space. I love that we discuss what I need on the day, and that you offer practical and mental support that is completely non-judgemental.
We all can grow beyond our set ways and I appreciate that you offer a relaxed approach, professionally delivered without expectations. I would not have been courageous enough to have conversations or experiences I can now have without your loving support so thank you.”
— A. S.
“My session with Sonia helped me experience that the shame I feel associated with my body, whether sexual shame or shame related to my body size, is not inherent to my body, and therefore something I can choose to let go of. To see my own body through Sonia's eyes - as beautiful and innocent - was a profound gift.”
— Emily USA
“Anxiety has been a lifelong crippler for me.
The focus of my work with Sonia has been to find ways to manage anxiety so that I can live a more full life. Through Wildself Online and Adventures, with guided breathwork, meditations and nature immersion I have discovered ways to do just that.
Now, I can make gut-wrenching anxiety dissipate and replace it with softer vibrations. I turn fear into excitement. I feel exhilaration in speed, I feel pleasure in my body, I hold my own on a cliff edge.
I am opening wider, loving deeper and living with more passion than I imagined.
The ability to find ease and relief from anxiety is life-changing. Thank you Sonia.”
— S. M. NZ
“Sonia's help and professional support has been life-changing. I have always resisted the advice people have given me to breathe, take better care of myself, and listen to my body. She held out her hand and invited me to learn how, in a safe, therapeutic, convenient and modern setting, with deep empathy and patience and kindness in the face of my fear and shame about both the things that were bothering me in my wider life, and my discomfort with talking about bodies and how paying attention to mine could help me.
As a result of working with Sonia for only a few months, I am noticeably less stressed, I am feeling healthier physically, and I am happier and more resilient, creative and confident. I am less reactionary, calmer, less easily offended, more likely to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see, more likely to laugh, less likely to skip a meal and more likely to say no to something I don't want to do.
I feel very fortunate and blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from Sonia; she is not only a wise woman and healer but a professional, who is never late, is always prepared, follows up and can be available long distance. I recommend her to anyone who would like to have a more loving and accepting relationship with themselves, who is tired of hating themselves, and who wants to be able to move forward from old pain. Sonia is amazing.”
— Sarah Henderson NZ
“I have learned that to live in my body is every bit of important as my head. I now understand the need for balance and how to access my body. Through breathing, shifting energy, conscious walking and presence, I am less reactive, more balanced, and more connected.
New skills = new life.”
— S. M.
”Sonia really held the space for me so intuitively and allowed me to guide the massage to where I felt it needed to go. We did some womb work and I felt my womb pulsing as if to remind me she was there, followed by a range of emotions and memories that were allowed to surface. I felt whole at the end of the massage, body, mind, and spirit all integrated as one.
.... Many thanks Sonia for being such an amazing therapist to work with.”
— Kate NZ
“Sonia gently guided me through a journey of a personal opening where I learned to see myself as a sexual being. She is non-judgmental and grounded and created such a safe space I could say stuff to her I hadn't shared with anyone.
When my wife started bodywork with Sonia our relationship took on a whole new dimension.
We make love now like we both want to! It is awesome :) What we learned with Sonia has been key in our decision to remain together.”
— James
“I was intrigued. Felt my wild self nudge me. Who was this woman with the beautiful smile and what adventure was I being drawn to by my intuitive self? Where was I going to travel with her?
The word adventure conjures up childhood memories of excitement, discovery, spontaneity, glee, and unbridled joy ... all totally real in the Wildself context.
Wildself can be a journey taken in the physical sense in the South Island immersed in the beauty of nature ... a true calling of the wild.
Wildself Online encompasses all those aspects and associated feelings and provides the freedom to adventure into self-discovery. Guided by a truly remarkable and talented communicator who gently provides the seeds and courage to follow your own self-governed desire for growth and expansion ... on so many levels.
Experience a gentle unfurling and shedding of those many, many constrictive layers from years of conformity, stereotyping, and repetitive daily routine that is absolutely liberating and revelatory.
I encourage you to become a little Wild. Life will open to you and you will have the tools to be your true, totally remarkable and unique self. Beautiful.”
— Sue
“This experience is truly unique. Sonia goes over the top to ensure that you are embarking on a spiritual journey. Incredible and breath-taking views were felt and seen on our hike. She packed us hot tea as the snow fell, along with a delicious lunch. Her knowledge and breadth of the land around us were next level. I felt safe, grounded, and unearthed my spiritual warrior goddess.”
— Stef Tennessee, USA
“To all of you inspired by Sonia's insight I encourage you to find the magic each of us has but few take the courage to find. Sonia is and remains a warm human being a renaissance woman.”
— Bob Hall NZ
“What is it to be wild? We have created lives full of obligation, commitment, information overload and ultimately busyness. Have we sold our souls in the name of comfort and materialism? Is something missing?
Those questions drew me to participate in a Wild Self adventure with Sonia in the beauty that is Central Otago.
... It felt like this place returned me to innocence as if I was back in the womb with my life stretching before me with so many roads to choose. The stress of my week was long gone. What a magic place. If freedom still exists it was there.
We finished our time together back on the Clutha, paddle boarding with dark clouds threatening, the river bank racing by.
In our journey with Sonia we learnt to walk consciously, we were led through meditations amongst the stones, the wind whistling through the tussocks, and we sat in circles and connected with ourselves, with each other and with nature. In the hills, I could feel the silence, at times my mind's eye let me roam as if a wild animal or a bird. And we explored.
Nature is healing. To sit quietly, to share, and to listen are equally so. I was reminded how important meditation is.
Thank you, Sonia, for giving me a renewed commitment to the routines and rituals needed for me to find my freer, wilder self.”
— Steve NZ
“Kia Ora
... Sonia is soft-spoken, an attractive and intelligent middle-aged woman. A welcoming smile and a heart that warms the cockles of your belly. But don’t be fooled by her physical appearance, her form contains a strong, self-driven and spiritual awareness that is seldom in today’s society.
She knows who she is and in that knowledge, she projects an inner strength that is contagious. I dare not tell her, but she beholds air about her, one I liken to a Smiling Assassin.
Further down the track, we found a spot among the rocks. Sonia's melodic guidance into a trance-like state, the breeze swishing in the tussocks, our inner vibrations and we found ourselves in our primal animal being. A dimension in oneself that is infinitely more vast than the surrounding openness of the wild Central Otago Country itself.
It must be said heaven is not a location, but an inner realm of consciousness. On this journey, Sonia will take you there.”
— Dion Taka
“I have found I can trust my truth deeply and it is in the gentle expression of personal truth that safety and trust are created in which love and loving touch can flow … ”
“River floating is like flying … I can feel at any time now, the flow of the river, like all the cells in my body, is aligned with her, part of her, the calm and relaxation is helping me sleep deeply and the dreaming that is rising from that place is … magical!”
“I travelled to depths where I retrieved my breathing and voice … messages from this weekend feel potent for changing my life.”
“This feels like deep healing.”
Please note references to Voice work are thanks to co-creator Tahlia Brand.
— Wildself Voice Adventurers Feb 2019
“Thank you!
Just like for everyone who comes near you…. A little bit of your positive energy rubs off and my life is all the better for it! And then somehow even onto my family. My husband made some of his own bold and insightful insights into aspects of himself tonight and that NEVER happens!”
— Bex NZ
“Working with Sonia gave me the support I needed to address a deep issue in my life.
Wildself Online and Bodywork have been great and have helped me enormously. Thank you.”
— Mike
“From start to finish, Sonia's gentle spoken and breathing guidance eases you into the imagery of anchoring one’s self to the earth as you empty your thoughts around the stone circle and then embark on a climb to the sky. I highly recommend a one-on-one connection as a wondrous journey of mind and soul.”
— T. L.