Who is Oliwia Poddana?

My Story

I didn’t arrive at this work through a textbook. I arrived at it through my own body.

My own history of trauma led to years of struggling with PTSD, attachment difficulties, suicidal ideation, depression, and chronic health problems. My early years were spent in chaos and uncertainty. By the time I was four, my parents had divorced and my father was in prison. I never felt safe or wanted. At 12, I moved from Eastern Europe to the UK, which brought experiences of discrimination and displacement.

As a little girl I lived with chronic pain and dissociation. Later I was diagnosed with FND: when my body decided it didn’t feel safe, I would faint or lose all feeling in my limbs. No doctor could explain it, because my results always came back “perfect”. It wasn’t until I discovered somatic psychology that it all made sense. My nervous system had been stuck in survival my whole life, and my body was screaming, “I can’t do this anymore.” It had locked away emotional pain I wasn’t equipped to feel at the time.

For years I believed I was broken and needed to be fixed, so I tried everything. What finally shifted was realising that my trauma hadn’t broken me. My body and mind had done exactly what they needed to do to protect me.

Therapy and spirituality became my refuge. I began therapy at 15 and have continued my own healing work with several therapists since, from CBT, psychodynamic, and person-centred counselling to IFS, EMDR, and somatic therapy. IFS and somatic work were what brought me home to my body. So when I hold space for you, it isn’t only as a clinician. I know from the inside what it’s like to sit on the other side of the room, working through pain, trauma, and heartbreak.

Professionally, I pursued multiple certificates in psychology and psychotherapy to understand the healing arts. The pain I grew up with became curiosity about the human experience, and the deeper I travelled inwards, the more was revealed to me about consciousness, the psyche, and the wisdom held in the body.

I am committed to the arts of shamanism, shadow work, and energy healing through altered states of consciousness. People I work with often call me a witch, a fairy, or a psychic, yet what I witness in myself is the psychic potential all humans carry. My greatest honour is being trusted with the most tender parts of people, and assisting them on their trauma healing journey as they reclaim the sacred aspects of themselves.

Today I work as a psychotherapist and spiritual guide. It’s a true privilege to be of service in this way. I don’t see you as broken, and I’m not here to fix you. I’m here to hold space for you to find your own way home. If you connect with my writing, I share my thoughts and reflections on Substack at @oliwiapoddana.

In 2023, I was guided to start Embodied Woman Club, a women’s embodiment community that hosts workshops, meet-ups, and retreats in Manchester and online. It’s a space you can find me outside of my psychotherapy work and writing.

Thank you for being here and for getting to know me a little. However we stay connected, through my writing, the resources I share, or a one-to-one space, I have deep reverence for your journey and the hard work you do to make this world a little lighter.

Sending love from my heart to yours,
Oliwia