Therapeutic Services
Working with Adults (18 years to 60 years) in the following areas:
Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, OCD, Phobia’s, Trauma Work, Loss and Grief Work, PTSD, Self-confidence and Assertiveness, Physical / Emotional / Sexual Abuse, Adult ADHD, Social Anxiety, Abandonment and Attachment Issues, Work related Stress and Burnout, Self-esteem, Resilience, Shame, Sleep Problems, Identity Work, Defying Aging, Work with Pain and Autoimmune Disorders and Working with Chronic Pain.
Training:
BWRT Level 1 - General Psychopathology
Certificate for Abolishing Anxiety
BWRT Level 2 - Psychology of Identity and Behavior
BWRT Level 3 - Psychobiology
Certificate for Reptilian Magic Expanded
Certificate for Smashing Depression
Certificate for Defusing Depression
Eye Movement Integration (EMI) - Level 1
Eye Movement Integration (EMI) - Level 2
Resource Therapy
Certificate Working with OCD
Certificate for Social Media Addiction
Certificate in Chronic Pain
Somatic Experiencing (SE) Intermediate Level II
Doreen is a Counseling Psychologist registered with HPCSA and also a registered BWRT (Brain Working Recursive Therapy) Practitioner. She has completed Levels 1 and 2 and is a Registered Advanced Practitioner in Level 3. She is also a Supervisor in BWRT Level 1 and 2 Training.
What is BWRT?
‘BWRT®’ stands for ‘BrainWorking Recursive Therapy®’, a modern model of psychology and psychotherapy created by UK professional therapist, Terence Watts, MCGI. It uses a totally logical, practical and down-to-earth working method in which it’s not necessary for you to talk about anything you would rather not discuss – the practitioner only needs to know how you feel and how you would prefer to feel instead. BWRT® is unlike any other therapy you might have heard of or read about, using the latest discoveries in neuroscience coupled with your own unique brain processes to help you get better. Only Certified Practitioners have been trained to deliver BWRT® and all have to adhere to a strict ethical code. Find out more at www.bwrt.org
BWRT consists of different types of therapies, organized in three different levels that are designed to address a certain set of problems.
BWRT® Level 1
The early brain stores information in neural pathways that has helped the person with survival. When triggered, the brain scans stored patterns and initiates an action in about a third of a second - before the person becomes aware of the action taken. These actions often cause emotional upset anxiety, panic, phobias, stress, trauma or grief.
In BWRT Level 1, a replacement neural pattern will be introduced so that when the person is exposed to the traumatic trigger, the brain will choose the preferred neural pathway.
BWRT is an efficient short-term therapy where the original neural pathways are re-routed to the preferred neural pathway. Recursive loops are used to cement the new preferred neural pathway. BWRT is a client-centered therapy and the preferred pathways originate and are developed by clients themselves. It is important to note that BWRT cannot change anything outside of the client’s control, but it can help the client to change their responses to problems.
BWRT® Level 1 addresses the following:
Anxiety
Phobias
Panic attacks
OCD
Generalized anxiety disorder
Exam anxiety
Social phobia
Fear of failure
All types of performance anxiety
Self-worth / Self-confidence Issues / Resilience / Assertiveness
Relationship Issues
Grief and Loss
PTSD and FTSD
Chronic Pain
BWRT® Level 2
BWRT Level 2 is used for more serious issues regarding identity and beliefs of the self. Level 2 is built on the idea that behavior and beliefs cannot be changed if a person is still clinging to an old identity. The same goes for identity; you cannot change a person’s identity without changes in behavior. This therapy is covered in six weeks with consecutive weekly sessions and requires motivated participation from the client, as well as the completion of homework assignments. Before Level 2 work commences, all Level 1 issues need to be addressed.
BWRT® Level 2 can only be practiced by qualified Psychologists and Psychiatrists.
BWRT® Level 2 addresses the following:
Alcoholism
Gambling
Depression
Addictions
Sexual obsession/addiction
Fetishism
Porn addiction
Masturbation fixation
Bullying (relationship or school)
Substance abuse
BWRT® Level 3
BWRT Level 3 focuses on physical sickness, autoimmune disorders and some inflammatory conditions. It deals with psychobiology and the links between the brain, body and mind. The body is believed to have the ability to self-heal and the brain can be used to instigate such a healing process. The brain plays a big part in the body’s immune system.
Level 3 can change the body’s systems with conscious thoughts. The client will be introduced to the anatomy of the organs involved, the neural and lymphatic connections, as well as the working of hormones and enzymes and also to which part of the brain is involved. Level 3 can initiate or accelerate processes in the body that is not working optimally or manage the symptoms, side effects, discomfort or pain related to the condition. It is not suggested that these therapies can “cure” a medical condition, but rather it can help the client to deal as effectively as possible with the condition.
An important requirement, before taking on Level 3 work, is that the client must have consulted a relevant professional medical practitioner. This medical practitioner will also be informed about the Level 3 work that the client will be undergoing. It is important to note that Level 3 therapies are not intended to replace conventional medical treatments.
BWRT® Level 3 addresses the following:
Hypo/hyperthyroidism.
Autoimmune illnesses (such as: Diabetes II, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, etc.)
Under-active immune system.
Adrenal fatigue (or adrenal insufficiency)
Cushing’s Syndrome (or high cortisol)
Cholesterol problems
Hypertension
Vasovagal Syncope (stress/anxiety induced fainting)
Bradycardia (slow heart rate)
Tachycardia (fast heart rate)
Digestive illnesses
Bowel illnesses (such as IBS)
Circulatory problems
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS, previously known as ME)
Post Viral Syndrome (PVS)
Fibromyalgia (FMS)
Chronic Pain
Before Level 3 work can commence, all relevant issues need to be resolved with Level 1 work. Level 3 is an interactive therapy and the client needs to agree to participate and complete homework assigned as part of the therapy. Client must be under treatment of a doctor and in some protocol an approval letter from the doctor is required.
BB4B is a required training before training in Level 3 can commence. BB4B includes protocols and therapies for:
Anxiety
Social phobia
Insomnia
Pain management
Physical energy output
Sport enhancement
Sexual enhancement
To learn more about BWRT, visit www.bwrt.org
Podcast link below gives a good summary of BWRT Level 1, 2 and 3
https://www.mariettesnyman.co.za/blog/bwrt-level-3-relief-from-chronic-illnesses
https://iframe.iono.fm/e/1281686
WHAT IS SOMATIC EXPERIENCING®?
Introduction/Overview
“Trauma is an internal straitjacket created when a devastating moment is frozen in time. It stifles the
unfolding of being, and strangles our attempts to move forward with our lives. It disconnects us from
ourselves, others, nature and spirit. When overwhelmed by threat, we are frozen in fear, as though our
instinctive survival energies were ‘all dressed up with no place to go.”
Somatic Experiencing offers a new and hopeful perspective on trauma. It views the human animal as a
unique being, endowed with an instinctual capacity to heal, as well as the intellectual spirit to harness
that innate capacity. It asks and answers an intriguing question: Why are animals in the wild, though
routinely threatened, rarely traumatized? By understanding the dynamics that make wild animals
virtually “immune” to traumatic symptoms, the mystery of human trauma is unveiled.
Somatic Experiencing is a short-term naturalistic approach to the resolution of post-traumatic
stress reactions. It is based upon the ethological observation that animals in the wild utilize innate
mechanisms which regulate and neutralize the high levels of arousal associated with defensive survival
behaviors. Somatic Experiencing normalizes the symptoms of trauma, which bind this arousal, and
offers the steps needed to resolve activation and heal trauma.
Although humans possess regulatory mechanisms virtually identical to those in animals, these systems
are often overridden by neo-cortical inhibition (through the rational mind). This restraint leads to the
formation of a constellation of symptoms, including pain, patterns of bracing and collapse, cognitive
dysfunction, anxiety, and a sense of intrusion. Through the focal awareness of bodily sensation,
individuals are able to access these restorative physiological action patterns. This allows the highly
aroused survival energies to be safely and gradually neutralized. Unregulated arousal previously “locked
in” the neuromuscular and central nervous systems can be discharged and completed, thus preventing
and resolving traumatic symptoms.”
Peter Levine, Ph.D., 1997
For more info on Somatic Experiencing, go to link below and click on SE 101
Polyvagal Theory - see link below
WORKING WITH CHRONIC PAIN: Understanding Acute Pain vs Chronic Pain
Acute Pain is usually a signal of tissue or structural damage to the body and it resolves when healing occurs. Chronic Pain (Neuroplastic Pain) occurs long after tissue or structural damage has healed or it appears without a clear injury.
Pain fits into the category of a protection response. In acute tissue or structral damage, pain will draw attention, limit movement and promote healing. Sometimes the protection respons remains active. In this case neural patterns in the brain has not been updated and the brain continue to predicts danger. Pain is then produced as a protection. Often fear and anxiety accompany pain, which then also intensifies the pain.
Perception of danger will lead the body to focus on sensory inputs which are interpreted as threatening. Here the sensation is not the problem, but the meaning that is associated with it is the problem.
BWRT does not work on changing the sensations, but it works on updating the interpretation or meaning of the sensation.
Once pain has been generated, it feeds back into the system and strengthens the original prediction.
This creates a loop: (The following loop comes from Chronic Pain Lesson 1 Training Module created by Dr Annalisa Manca 2026)
• the brain predicts danger
• attention narrows onto the body
• emotional responses such as fear or anxiety increase
• sensations are amplified
• pain confirms the original prediction
• and the next prediction becomes stronger
BWRT works on updating the prediction pattern where the response is generated (rewiring neural patterns). Once the prediction patterns are updated, it eliminates the perception of danger and threat and the pain is no longer required as protection.
The Chronic Pain Protocol is not suitable to address acute pain associated with tissue and structural damage. To exclude any possible medical conditions, the client should be cleared by a medical professional and also continue with treatment and medications already prescribed.
(The following script comes from Chronic Pain Lesson 3 Training Module created by Dr Annalisa Manca 2026. This is used to explain chronic pain to the client.)
“ I want to explain why you’re experiencing these symptoms in the first place, because that part really matters. Pain isn’t always produced directly by tissue damage or injury. It’s produced by the brain as a way of protecting you. The brain is constantly scanning for danger, and when it decides something might be unsafe, it can use pain to get your attention and make you slow down, avoid, or protect. In situations where there’s an injury, that makes perfect sense. But sometimes the brain stays in protection mode even after the body has healed, or when the danger isn’t coming from the body at all. Things like anxiety, ongoing stress, trauma, grief, or long periods of feeling under pressure can keep the nervous system on high alert. When that happens, the brain becomes much more likely to misinterpret normal bodily sensations as dangerous, and pain can show up even though there’s no damage being done. That doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real... Pain as always real! It only means that the brain is trying to protect you based on what it has learned, and it is making a mistake. What we do with BWRT is work directly with that fast, automatic part of the brain that learned those danger patterns in the first place. We don’t have to analyse everything or relive the past. We help the brain update its response so it no longer needs to protect you in the same way. When the brain updates its prediction of danger, the pain often reduces naturally, because it’s no longer required.”