Elizma Bellingan, MA
Professional Psychotherapist
Cape Town WC
I have an integrative approach to working with clients that include aspects of physical, emotional, cognitive, relational, and spiritual healing. By addressing multiple levels of the human experience the chances of successful treatment and balance are more likely.
My practice is informed by my training as a somatic-based psychotherapist and spending over a decade working with the ritual use of ayahuasca in traditional Peruvian ceremonial settings.
I was born and raised in South Africa and currently have a Wellness Coaching practice near Cape Town, South Africa. I did my graduate studies in the USA at Naropa University and graduated in 2009 as a professional somatic-trained psychotherapist.
After my graduation, I spent time in the amazon forest outside of Iquitos, Peru apprenticing and learning about the ritual use of Ayahuasca within traditional mestizo and Achuar lineages. It was in the jungle, fresh out of graduate school in 2009, that I saw participants healing psychological trauma and distress much faster and with much more depth compared to western models of psychological healing. This sparked a personal and professional curiosity in me that changed the course of my life and career. I have a passion to bridge the gap between ritual healing with sacred plants and western models of psychological healing and believe these models could be integrated into more effective healing strategies and experiences for clients looking for relief, health and meaning. Throughout the years I continued my studies with regular dietas in the jungle of Peru. For the last 14 years I work together with my husband, a Naropa-trained transpersonal psychotherapist and certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator, guiding participants through deep and transformational healing processes.