Laya Jamali, LMFT
Compassionate Psychotherapy in East Bay
"Go in and in.
Be the space
Between two cells,
the vast, resounding
silence in which
spirit dwells.
Be sugar dissolving
on the tongue of life.
Dive in and in,
as deep as you can dive.
Be infinite, ecstatic truth.
Be love conceived and born in union.
Be exactly what you seek,
the Beloved, singing Yes,
tasting Yes, embracing Yes,
until there is only essen
"Go in and in.
Be the space
Between two cells,
the vast, resounding
silence in which
spirit dwells.
Be sugar dissolving
on the tongue of life.
Dive in and in,
as deep as you can dive.
Be infinite, ecstatic truth.
Be love conceived and born in union.
Be exactly what you seek,
the Beloved, singing Yes,
tasting Yes, embracing Yes,
until there is only essence;
the All of Everything
expressing through you
as you. Go in and in
and turn away from
nothing that you find."
Danna Faulds
Trauma Informed Care
What to expect
My focus is to create a safe and warm container for exploration. With gentle and compassionate curiosity I walk alongside you to ponder, understand and discover your strength, values, wounds and patterns of stuckness. Sometimes the work requires us to sit with it, sometimes it wants us to run, but whatever it asks of us, we can't get ahead of it. It demands our respect . My work is to be a companion in your journey of self discovery and for that we use our alliance to learn about conflict, challenges and vulnerabilities that could strengthen your relationships with yourself and others around you. I utilize images, dreams, metaphors, poetry, stories and myths that can open and enhance creative paths towards a more active and playful participation with life.
I work best with individuals who are curious about themselves and their inner lives.
Psychotherapy is a process and requires a deep commitment. Staying with its rhythms even though hard at times, can offer incredible insight and growth that can be in service to life.
Tending to the inner life is an art and a craft. Weaving, sewing, molding, drawing, mending, building, breaking and repeating. It is an exciting and enduring task.
Compassionate Psychotherapy
When inward tenderness finds the secret hurt, pain itself will crack the rock and Ah! Let the soul emerge.”
-Rumi
About Laya
My clients describe me as non-judgmental, warm, present, smart, sometimes serious and other times playful.
Drawing from parts work, mindfulness based, and Jungian/archetypal studies I offer an integrative approach to healing by weaving my knowledge and skills across the diverse realms of my interests.
I am committed to creating a safe container in which my clients can freely and easily explore, reflect, realize and move towards a more alive and engaged participation in and with life.
My work is influenced by my imaginal and dream work practices, conscious movement and somatic embodiment practices, infused with my Persian mysticism and Sufi lineage which is the foundation of my spiritual practice.
With attunement to systemic oppression and drawing from anti-oppressive practices, I bring a more nuanced dynamic to our work. I have experience working with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrant and sex worker populations, and embrace diversity while paying attention to the intersections of identity.
Education and Experience
I am a licensed Marriage and Family therapist. I received my MA with an emphasis on humanistic and trauma informed care from St. Mary’s College of California.
I completed a two year training program in Ketamine Assisted Therapy at Alchemy Institute, Oakland and am a certified KAT practitioner by Fluence. Inc.
I have a second master’s degree in Brain Imaging and Cognitive Neuroscience from University of Birmingham, UK, where I studied cognitive processing with an emphasis on perspective taking and information extraction related to neurocircuitry mechanisms of attention as well as modulation of pain perception and its impact on behavior, using scientific methodologies of brain imaging (FMRI and EEG) and brain stimulation (TMS).
I am a certified Ericksonian hypnotherapist from Milton Erickson Foundation.
I specialize in working with grief, trauma, women’s issues, immigration, religious trauma, and creative and spiritual depression.