not accepting new clients
washington DC therapy

Facilitating Insight, Growth, & Transformation

for highly sensitive millennials on their journey to wellness and belonging

THE HEALING EXHALE

Cultivating Curiosity

We fuse modern psychotherapy frameworks and ancient healing modalities in our practice. Here are the pillars at the foundation of all the services we offer: 

When pain gets some space, it often alchemizes into wisdom and healing. As such, understanding and embracing all parts of who we are not only relieves suffering but also catalyzes deeper transformation. 

There is profound wisdom in our bodies and the emotions they hold. When we ground ourselves in that inner wisdom we make room for clarity, presence, and aliveness to emerge.

We are wired for connection and belonging. Our health and wellness is interlinked with the health of our communities, and the social and environmental context in which our lives unfold.

Mara Gutierrez
ABOUT US

Hi! I’m Mara

founder and therapist at The Healing Exhale

I help people look within and find their way back to their wise, centered, grounded Self. Using feelings as feedback, we hold space for intense emotions and explore painful wounds, maladaptive behaviors, and limiting beliefs inflicted by those wounds.

I don’t prescribe to tips and tricks looking to minimize or ignore our pain as I believe we can never be free from anything we desperately avoid. Instead, I strive to guide my clients to pay attention and listen to what the discomfort might be trying to tell us. I am committed to my own Self-discovery because I know the more inner work I do, the better I am at guiding others to do the same.

I take a holistic approach to healing, exploring trauma and emotions using an IFS framework, while also incorporating somatic modalities like breathwork to bridge the mind-body connection. My goal is for our time together to feel as an exhale, for me to be a catalyst for your emotional risk-taking, while guiding you to heal your relationship with yourself.

The Liminal Space

A liminal space is the gap between ‘what was’ and ‘what's next’
It is a place of transition
a season of questions and reflection
what was

You might be feeling...

  • Overwhelmed with sensations and emotions
  • Perpetually drained, unsettled, and mentally foggy
  • Stuck in a constant cycle of self-improvemet
  • Unable to break relational patterns you find unhealthy 
  • Afraid and ashamed of showing up as your true self
What's next

You want to experience...

  • More clarity and self-awareness all around
  • Deeper compassion for yourself and others
  • Firmer boundaries that protect your sensitivity
  • Freedom to be yourself around the people you love
  • A return to an inner knowing as your compass
Therapy can be the liminal space where you transform 'what was' into 'what's next'.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

- Mary Oliver

What We Offer

IFS therapy sessions exploring your inner world in an intentional container, tending to all parts coexisting within yourself.

Preparation and integration sessions for those working with psychedelics and looking for a dedicated space to process these profound experiences.

Clinical supervision for LGSW’s, IFS / psychedelics case consultation, and private practice building + business strategy consulting.

Working Together

We do our best work with those whose needs, values, and personality align with our therapeutic style. Goodness of fit often determines how the therapeutic process unfolds. That’s why it’s important to make sure we are a great fit before we begin working together.

We might be a good fit if

  • You’re a highly sensitive, empathetic human wanting to explore the power of that sensitivity.
  • You consider yourself a curious person with a thirst for insight and understanding.
  • You care about the people around you, the communities you are a part of, and our planet.
  • You are committed to your growth and can embrace some of the discomfort that comes with it.
  • You are eager to invest 1-2 hours every week for further exploration/practice outside of sessions.

We might not be a good fit if

  • You are in the midst of a crisis and need a higher level of care right now ( call 1-888-793-4357 if so).
  • You are looking for top-down, analytical approaches to therapy (CBT, DBT, ACT, etc).
  • You are looking for psychedelics. I offer preparation and integration work only, I do not offer dosing sessions. 
  • You need ongoing support from your therapist outside of sessions (regular emails, phone calls, etc).
  • You worship Andrew Tate, think climate change is a hoax, or were at the US Capitol wearing a maga hat on 1/6/21  : )
If, after reviewing the checklist above, you believe we’d be a good match, please contact us to schedule a free consultation.