Brave Therapy

05/01/2026

Dear Brave Therapy™ Friends,

I've been thinking a lot lately about what gets in the way of deeper healing work.

Often, it's not willingness — it's time. The rhythm of weekly 50-minute sessions doesn't always allow for the kind of sustained, immersive work that can shift things at a deeper level. By the time we settle in, attune, and begin to access what's underneath... the session is ending. Also the nervous system is slow to learn about safety if there has been lack of it in one's life.

That's why I'm now offering 3-Hour Therapeutic Intensives on some Friday afternoons and Saturdays.

These sessions bring together the modalities I've found most effective for working with the nervous system and early attachment patterns:


* Somatic Experiencing — tracking and releasing what's held in the body
* Co-regulating touch (Kathy Kain's and also Steve Terrell's approach) — using safe, boundaried touch to support nervous system regulation and help repair the deeper wounds of trust and isolation that live in our physiology
* Brainspotting — accessing and processing subcortical material
* Attachment-focused psychodynamic work — informed by my training as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and as a certified coder of the Adult Attachment Interview


The touch work deserves a word. So much of early developmental trauma lives in the body — in patterns of tension, collapse, or disconnection that formed before we had words. Co-regulating touch works directly with this: helping your nervous system learn what safety actually feels like, from the inside. As one client put it: _"Now I know what my body feels like when it trusts someone"_

The AAI training means I can also recognise and work with your specific attachment patterns or states of mind — whether that's a dismissing pattern that keeps emotions and relationships at arm's length, a preoccupied pattern that floods you with feeling and makes you feel like you cannot handle them alone but cannot trust anyone to help, or unresolved trauma that makes relationships generally really hard. The approach is tailored to what _your_ system needs.

Each intensive also includes 6 months' access to either the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) or Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) — evidence-based listening programs that continue supporting your nervous system between sessions. We would also use these sound based treatment in the room together.

Investment:


$700 if you pay before the 15th January 2026
$800 after the 15th January 2026


This kind of extended, focused time isn't for everyone — but if you've been feeling like something needs more space to emerge, or need more time for your system to learn how to settle, this might be the container for it.


WHO IS IT FOR?


Existing clients who know me well and feel a longer, integrated session would be beneficial
People experiencing nervous system symptoms like IBS, chronic fatigue, or chronic pain—while one session won't resolve these, it can help build more capacity for restorative states
Anyone wanting dedicated space to work through one specific stressful or traumatic event that we agree on before the session


WHEN MIGHT IT HELP?


To integrate big cathartic experiences that still feel unresolved
To focus deeply on one agreed event without the constraints of a standard session
For general nervous system restoration and integration


WHO IS IT NOT FOR?


* People looking for a quick fix—this work is about building capacity in your nervous system, not bypassing it
* People who are brand new to therapy—intensives work best when you already have some foundation in self-awareness and emotional / nervous system regulation
* People currently in acute crisis or feeling very destabilised—we'd need to focus on stabilisation first before doing deeper integrative work
* Those who prefer a purely talking-based approach—these sessions involve somatic and body-based work, which requires a willingness to slow down and tune into physical sensation


The touch work or with other words 'table work' is optional and boundaried in these sessions.

When you book you pay for the session, the time we will agree on it together. I offer these sessions twice a months as it requires intense preparation and engagement from me.
Cancellation policy applies.
If you'd like to explore whether an intensive is right for you, reach out and we can talk it through.

Warmly, Andi

https://www.halaxy.com/book/appointment/psychotherapist/ms-andrea-szasz/519691/479491?feeId=10010171

31/12/2025

As the year turns, I want to acknowledge the quiet bravery it takes to do this work — to listen to your body, stay with hard feelings, and keep choosing care over self-criticism. Wishing you a New Year that holds space for rest, repair, and small meaningful shift. ™ somaticexperiencing somatic psychodynamic brave therapy andreaszasz inspiration thedaringway healingtrauma trauma bodymind mindbody compassion selfcompassion connection connecting emotionalhealth attachment healingattachmenttrauma attachmenttheory fnd
functionalneurologicaldisorder pnes fnsd holdyourbodyinmind

31/12/2025

Great reminder

This time of year, there can be a lot of overdrinking and that can lead to sexual and physical assaults, which are often unreported, but nevertheless, this is a peak time of year for sexual and physical assaults.

Where to find help:
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact:

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732

24-hour Emergency Accommodation helpline on 1800 800 588

Safe At Home helpline on 1800 633 937

National Violence and Abuse Trauma Counselling and Recovery Service on 1800 FULLSTOP (1800 385 578).
They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on 1800 497 212

SHE (free and confidential counselling and support) on 6278 9090

Sexual Assault Support Services on 6231 1811, or after hours 6231 1817

Family Violence Crisis and Support Service on
1800 608 122

Bravehearts – Sexual Assault Support for Children on
1800 BRAVE 1

Kids Helpline is for young people aged 5 to 25 on 1800 551 800


Don't go it alone.

Please reach out for help by contacting Lifeline on 13 11 14

Men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, should contact the

Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or the

Don’t Become That Man helpline on 1300 243 413

30/12/2025

Mental health struggles are part of the human experience. They do not define your identity, your worth, or your capacity to heal.

Many symptoms make sense when we understand them through a trauma informed and nervous system lens. Anxiety, low mood, shutdown, or overwhelm are often the body and mind responding to stress, loss, or unmet needs.

Therapy offers a space to gently explore what you are experiencing, rather than judging yourself for it. With support, understanding can replace shame, and self compassion can begin to grow.

You are more than what you are going through.

™

25/12/2025

The holiday season can bring connection and joy - and also pressure, old dynamics, and emotional overload.

When your nervous system feels stretched, regulation comes first.

One simple practice you can use anywhere:
Breathe in through your nose for 3 counts.
Breathe out through your mouth for 5 counts, gently pushing the air out.
Repeat three times, a few times a day.

Longer exhales signal safety to the nervous system and help activate the parasympathetic response - the part of us responsible for calming and settling.

You don’t need to fix the situation to feel steadier.
Sometimes, supporting your body is the most compassionate first step.

™ #

22/12/2025

Andi will be on leave from 20th December 2025 - 20th January 2026.

Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season.

™

19/12/2025

Mental health struggles are not a personal failure or a fixed identity.
They are experiences that arise in response to stress, trauma, loss, relationships, and the way our nervous system has learned to protect us.

A diagnosis can be helpful in making sense of symptoms, but it is not the sum of who you are. You are more than anxiety, depression, trauma responses, or any label placed on your experience.

At Brave Therapy™, we work from a holistic, bodymind, and relational approach that honours the whole person. Healing is about understanding your patterns with compassion and rebuilding a sense of safety, connection, and meaning.

If this resonates, follow for grounded, trauma informed mental health support.

™

14/12/2025

http://nsw.gov.au/nsw-goverment/bondi-beach-attack

14/12/2025

Please share

09/12/2025

Did you know that across clinical populations, unresolved trauma and loss shows up as the most common attachment pattern?

Recent research on over 26,000 Adult Attachment Interviews found that while 54% of non-clinical adults are securely attached, almost all clinical groups show an overrepresentation of unresolved/disorganised attachment.

What does this mean for therapy?

It means addressing unresolved experiences — not just symptoms — should be central to the work. And it means understanding _how_ someone’s attachment system is organised can help us tailor treatment more effectively.

As a certified AAI coder, this research shapes how I work. More on that soon.
https://bravetherapy.com/adult-attachment-interview-classifications-key-findings-and-clinical-implications/
Link in bio to enquire.

08/12/2025

Orthorexia isn’t about “being healthy” - it’s when the pursuit of clean eating becomes rigid, obsessive, and harmful.
In this carousel, we explore what orthorexia is, how it’s diagnosed, its symptoms, and what treatment can look like.

If food rules are taking up more space in your mind than joy, connection, or flexibility, you’re not alone - and you’re not failing. These patterns often develop as a way to cope, feel safe, or gain control.

Support is available, and healing is possible with the right guidance.
If this feels familiar for you or someone you love, reaching out is a powerful first step.

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