The Work of Liberation

Meeting you as you are. Supporting you to heal and liberate what is calling out to you.

* Hakomi & Nondual Psychotherapy for Core Healing

* Spiritual in-depth Guidance, Embodiment and Soul Work

* Resonance Relating and Healing for Relationships

* Mentorship for Leaders, Healing Professionals & Spiritual Facilitators

I offer a gentle, yet deep and powerful way of working with people. My holistic approach integrates mindfulness, presencing, emotional, relational, energy, and somatic healing, and spiritual awakening elegantly. This labor of love unites embodied spirituality and depth psychology. If you wish, we can go to the core so lasting changes emerge organically in your life.

Private sessions benefit you if you want to:

Receive refined, seasoned, and in-depth support

Unravel the knots that bind and affect your life

Tend to all levels: mind, body, emotion, energy, soul, and environment 

Resolve wounding and trauma – personal and intergenerational – at the core

Awaken deeper into who you are and embody that in daily life

Build bridges through resonant relating 

Embrace your humanity and live your soul 

Cultivate advanced leadership, facilitation, and healing capacity and skills 

Meet Dr. Nicola Amadora

I love helping people. With 30 years of experience of working with people from all walks of life and substantial training, I offer seasoned and refined work.

I am a Spiritual Teacher, Holistic Psychologist, Hakomi Therapist, Trauma Therapist, Couples and Family Constellations Therapist, Energy Healer, Leadership Educator, and Group Facilitator. I am deeply trained and have extensive experience in the field of spirituality, psychology, and holistic psychotherapies. Therefore, I can tend to each person uniquely, depending on what’s needed and the healthiest way for you.

My work unites grounded spirituality with depth psychology. It includes hakomi/ trauma therapy, resonance relating, and transformational leadership skills for life. It’s based on moment-to-moment experience, respect, and loving presence. This supports you in living genuinely present, connected, and wholehearted in your life and in the world.

Often, I am called the heart doctor, a soul ninja who helps you to get to the root of any issue and resolve it with grace.

For my list of credentials please visit the Bio page. For information about Hakomi go to www.Hakomi.org.

BOOK A PRIVATE SESSION

Private sessions are available via phone/WhatsApp or video online (Zoom) in English or German language between Monday-Wednesday.

To arrange a session, contact Dr.Nicola Amadora using the ‘Request a Session’ button below with your time zone, and briefly share what you need help with.

Important: Once you receive a reply with a session date and time, you can return to this page to make your payment. With your payment, your session is then confirmed. A 48-hour cancellation policy applies. To respect your trust, all sessions are held strictly confidential.

Please note: I usually work with advanced people who have experience with personal healing, walk on the spiritual path, and who are dedicated to the process. Often, I am called to support therapists, transformational leaders, or people who have tried everything else, but nothing really helped.

I don’t offer free consultations or ‘quick fix’ sessions, nor do I work with drug addiction or classic mental health issues such as clinical depression or family therapy anymore. Please see my offerings below. You are welcome to combine therapeutic and soul-depth work. It usually goes hand in hand in any case.

This core work is profound and life-changing for people who are dedicated to their healing and liberation. Please inquire if you are serious about that.

I am looking forward to meeting you!

Reviews from Real People

“My sessions with Nicola have been truly groundbreaking. She guided me home to myself and my life changed from the inside out. Thank you so much for these incredibly powerful, profoundly healing, and illuminating sessions. It’s working and I am very grateful!”
Eleneor Pier, Nurse & Yoga Teacher, New Zealand

“She is a true master who is profoundly skilled with an uncanny ability to get to the core. Already during the first session, I received far more than months of therapy and training I had done before. So much shifted for me inside and in actual life through this depth of work Nicola offers. I stayed with it and the core knots that had affected every area of my life unraveled. It turned everything around. And as a beautiful side effect, my work with people changed as well in a way I had always hoped I could guide others through the realms of heaven and hell. Nicola’s gift is rare, precious, and so real. I highly recommend her.” 

Annemarie, Therapist and Mentor, USA

“If you have an opportunity, any opportunity, to learn from Nicola Amadora, say Yes. Say, “Yes!”. With Nicola as my therapist and teacher, I have begun to return Home, to Love, in earnest. Nicola’s ingenious skillfulness, clarity, awareness, and mastery, and her steadfast commitment to living the Path coalesce to express transformational Love and unwavering expert guidance. Nicola’s companionship and living example induce profound reorientations and expert guidance. Nicola’s companionship and living example induce profound reorientations to one’s experiences and a courageous fidelity to All That Is. I honor and thank you, Nicola. I bow to Her. I bow to You. And I continue to walk home.
Caitlin Harrison, UK

“Before I knew of Nicola’s credentials and her extensive experience, I was drawn to her powerful and loving presence. I understood from our first conversation that she was a true professional who maintains the highest standard of integrity in her work. In our healing work together, Nicola has a way of meeting me exactly where I am ready to transform and stewarding me through the difficult emotions that arise in the process. She holds a safe and sacred place for me to discover and heal past trauma.

Together, we go directly to the core of the issues, and I experience how old knots unravel with ease. Nicola is loving, honest, courageous, fierce and wise all at the same time. She effectively models the qualities that she is dedicated to transmitting. She draws from a rich array of first-hand experiences, skills, research and tools to apply just the right therapy for me in any given moment. Working with her has really made such a powerful and lasting positive impact on my life and I know the benefits will continue to unfold for years to come.”
Lucia Comnes, Rome, Italy

“You have helped me tremendously. My trauma healed, and I walk so grounded and whole in my life. Before I tried all sorts of methods and healers, spiritual practices, but nothing shifted. Quite the opposite: it got worse with the added shame. But Dr. Nicola met me in the darkest, scariest place with your unconditional, unwavering loving presence. I couldn’t imagine that any human being would be able to truly see, meet and love me here. That’s when everything turned. Thank you, Nicola from the bottom of my heart”.
Nicolette B. Germany

“After the session, I felt completely different. Something really profound had shifted at the core. It feels like I have gotten in contact again with a part of myself that I had lost what seems like a long time ago. So intimate with myself. I cried really deeply with joy and gratitude that evening. Today I finally could do what I wanted without falling into old patterns. It feels like I am closer to myself. Such a fantastic turning”.
Sophie O., Holland

“I was locked up and numb, living with Lyme disease and experiencing PTSD. Although I was on a spiritual path and experiencing amazing states of consciousness, I wasn’t integrating. I was spiritually bypassing, and it came and bit me in the ass. She helped me walk through the fire of my pain. She helped me burn what was not true and was ultimately making me sick.

She held me with immense love I had never experienced before.. I cried.. I screamed until I saw deep love within my own soul. What I feared became a piece of myself to face. The natural world came alive as I connected deeper to who I truly am. My trauma has healed. I am forever grateful. For all that I have learned and all that’s come as we peel the layers back of years and years of hiding my true self. Thank you, Nicola for helping me find my true voice and heal my life pain.

Stephanie Heard, Canada

“It’s not easy for me to trust people who call themselves spiritual teachers or therapists.  I’ve had experiences in the past where people present themselves as one way but turn out to be false or fake. Nicola is different. From our very first session, I was able to drop into a deep and tender place with her.  She has a way of speaking directly to my heart and soul that gives me the feeling of finally drinking water after years of wandering in the desert.

Working with Nicola has allowed me to connect with my power, my heart, and grow confidence on a profoundly larger scale. There are places I’ve been able to touch and heal that felt way too scary to connect with until having Nicola’s support and guidance. I can honestly say that the work we’ve done together has been revolutionary, life-changing, and incredibly empowering. I leave each session feeling lighter, more receptive, and more in love with life. I am so grateful to have found such a force of love in human form.”
Nico Nelson, LA, USA

“My sessions with Nicola have been such a healing and homecoming journey. Nicola has a beautiful way of holding space. Her genuine loving-kindness allowed me to trust her as a guide. Her somatic approach is very precise. Like a surgeon, she delicately helped me uncover deep deep wounds and memories with mindfully-paced healing and integration. I started working with her when I saw the limitations of energetic and shamanic healing. Nicola is also a great bridger for those who float high up in the unseen realms and helped me integrate spirituality into this human experience.

I also received a lot of guidance in my communication skills for better relating. The result is tangible; I have more authenticity in my relationships. Thanks to my newfound intimacy with myself and others, I cry more easily than ever, which is excellent news. I have softened into more realness and less defensiveness. I am very honored to know Dr. Nicola Amadora and to have received such transformational care.

Alicia Dunin, CA, USA,

“I just wanted to reach out and thank you for the space you hold and let you know how much it’s helped me. I sit here in tears, so grateful to feel myself starting to come back into my body. After years of trauma, I haven’t even realized how disconnected from my body and mind I’ve been, and I feel myself coming back in. It’s a feeling I didn’t even realize was missing, and it brings such hope to my heart. Such deep gratitude. Thank you for being a guiding light on my path ♥️

Rachel Sims, U.S.

“I’ve been seeing Nicola weekly for about six months, and she has helped me transform my life. The very first session we had together, I was (uncharacteristically) an emotional mess, sobbing on her couch. I’ve never trusted anyone so quickly and completely; her compassionate nature, wisdom, and strength have given me a lot to lean into. In each session, she has given me tools to work through my pain in ways that no one else has.

It works and really heals! Nicola is very unique; what she teaches and how she works are completely new to me, and I have experienced deep healing since working with her. Her intuition is right on. She always leads me into spaces that are necessary to work through to move forward. She keeps me in my body (which has been a challenge; no other therapist has done this with me).

This work goes leagues beyond what “talk therapy” has been able to do in my life. She is a master at working through tough emotions and healing what is stored on the somatic (physical) level. I recommend Nicola wholeheartedly for anybody ready to heal and wanting deep and lasting positive change in their life.”
Carrie Burr, Santa Cruz

“My therapeutic experience with Nicola has been profoundly healing. Her loving and unwavering presence, open-heartedness, and unconditional acceptance of everything that I was experiencing have been truly transformative. My ability to trust her completely allowed me to let go in a way I never had before, and life changed from deep within me.”
Terri Vandeer, Santa Cruz

“Dr. Nicola Amadora is such an insightful, compassionate, and authentic healer. She helps people to truly and safely experience their emotions, so they can learn those powerful lessons from their experiences and integrate them into their lives. Carefully and clearly, she shows us how to see the opportunities and options that await us, and she supports us to connect to our inner wisdom to determine the best way to proceed. She facilitates an organic unfolding of the process and helps us to truly see how to align ourselves with the life we want. My experiences with her have been transformative and invaluable.”
Dr. Juli Mazie. Doctor

“Nicola’s capacity for love and compassion is truly inspiring. I am comforted instantly upon seeing her, my monkey mind is invariably silenced – giving way to the truth of my heart, at the end of every session. She is both sensitive to my needs and completely frank. She does not so much dispense advice as gently guides me back to myself and the truth that is in me all along. My relationships have deepened and grown, and my sense of self has blossomed. I am so grateful for her and our work.”
Jen Ziegler, New York

“I have worked with Nicola both in couples and individual counseling, and find her truly stellar in both areas. Nicola creates a safe container that encourages trust, honesty, vulnerability, and transformation. She is focused, intelligent, sensitive, and compassionate. Her knowledge is extensive and available for her to draw on when needed, but her true brilliance is demonstrated in her ability to illuminate unconscious patterns that no longer serve and help create paradigm shifts based on love, compassion, perspective, and truth. I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to work with her.”
Mark Schneider, Headhunter

“The words I am about to say will not even come close to expressing how incredible the experience I had with Nicola was and how she truly changed my life. She is the real deal. A truly loving individual who genuinely cares about the wellness of others. She is an angel. With the most gentle and loving approach, she enabled me to source and release my deeply rooted and hidden emotional pain. She gave me the tools to fully process emotions, stand up for myself, value myself, and, most importantly, love myself. As I said, these words will never show the magnitude of what she did for me. You will have to find out for yourself. And if you do, I assure you it will be the greatest gift you ever give to yourself.”
Liz O’Connor, Manager

“Working with Nicola is life-changing for me. She has the incredible gift of getting through suffering into the very heart & truth of a person, guiding to freedom. Like a soul ninja, she effortlessly & painlessly cuts through the “story” and teaches how to allow our light to come shining through. The sessions with Nicola have been an exceptional gift for me that transformed my life, opened my heart, and set me free. I cannot say enough what a blessing Nicola is. We are so lucky to have her, and this world is brighter because of the beautiful work she does.”
Star Hanson, Organizer, Monterrey

“Nicola is a gifted therapist who uses an approach to healing that is laser-like in its precision and effectiveness. I came to her when I was at my lowest — feeling hopeless, I had truly given up. Nicola focused in immediately on the real issues that were causing my pain, a deep feeling of being unworthy and unloved, and unlovable, covered up by a history of bad relationships and personal experiences.

Since then, she’s led me, like a skilled guide, to the love and joy within me — to my true self. She has helped awaken my soul in a way I didn’t know was possible. I’ve struggled with depression for more than 25 years, and I’m proud to say that I no longer take antidepressants, and for the first time in my life I look forward to whatever lies ahead of me — I’m actually excited about it! I thank her for helping me find my way back to life, to home, to myself. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Susan Barclay, Graphic Designer, California

“My life before Nicola was all in my head, and I was playing a game of survival with a heavy dependence on antidepressants. It was such a high cost, living life like that. My body was screaming for help, and I knew I was getting to a point where I could no longer raise my two little children. And that’s when Nicola came into my life, like a savior. She lovingly saw through me and held me in a light to transform.

I’ve been living without antidepressants for two years now, my body is healthy and strong, and my family is thriving. When I occasionally trip into old patterns, I don’t linger. I have the tools and the support, I feel empowered. And I am never alone. Nicola’s nurturing voice is in my head, and my heart is resting gently in her hands. I am free, strong, loved, and I am forever grateful.”
Amber Payet, Santa Cruz, Mother of two children.

“My granddaughter Alex is 11 years old. Last year her schoolmate friend died suddenly, and Alex began having problems. She was consumed daily by intense fear. Her parents were frantic because Alex couldn’t sleep, had panic attacks daily, sleepwalked every night, and upset the whole family with her screaming and crying. They didn’t know what to do to help her. After her first visit with her therapist, Dr. Nicola Amadora, Alex was able to sleep at night and stopped sleepwalking. Her panic attacks stopped entirely. Alex feared fire, had near-constant visions of her house catching fire, and her being trapped.

After two sessions with Nicola, instead of panicking, Alex began to check whether there was any real danger when she saw smoke or a match being lit. She is able to face fire and evaluate any possible danger, and she lost her intense fear of death. Alex was never the cuddly type, but after working with Nicola, she is softer, allows herself to be hugged and touched to feel safe and grounded, and is kinder at home. Her parents are amazed and delighted by the changes they see in her.

After only 4 sessions, Alex is more confident, far less fearful, and happy. She wrote to Nicola: “You will never understand how much you have helped me, so so much. Thank you”. Nicola’s incredible ability to heal my granddaughter is nothing short of magic!”
Nancy Cassel, teacher and grandmother.

“Nicola has a capacity for compassion that is profoundly healing.  Her way of seeing and understanding the places that are wounded help to unearth the shadow aspects that need to come forward in order to experience more freedom and lightness.  This includes our inner child that needs healing.  I couldn’t do this work alone or with other therapists. Thank you, Nicola!”
Josclyn Bordeaux

“Each session with Nicola has been poignant. She helped me to awaken. And the burdens that I have carried my whole life were healed at the core. Nicola was instrumental in changing the relationship with my daughter in a profound way. A solid connection, health, and more love have grown between us now. I am deeply grateful for this work and Nicola.”
Alexis S., Therapist, San Jose

“Nicola is a very diverse and experienced therapist, leader, and teacher. She has helped me in couples therapy, in dealing with grief and loss, and in being a leader in my career. Working with Nicola is unlike anything I imagined therapy to be. What I am present to when I leave a session with her is how much I contribute to people and life around me. I was introduced to Nicola by my ex-wife for marriage counseling. I only had a few sessions with her and my ex; however, it was in our one-on-one sessions where I started the healing that I had been needing my entire life. That was seven years ago.

Since then, she has coached me through the loss of family members, helped me to deal with compulsive behavior and self-doubt, and has guided me through anger management. More recently, she has helped me to realize my potential in my career and to focus on the things most important to me. During our sessions, I find that we can go very deep and get very quiet and still, very much like meditation. At other times, when needed, we can stay light and happy and simply celebrate the victories, large and small. All across the spectrum, my experience of these sessions is quite profound.”
Andi Ames, Santa Cruz

“Dr. Nicola Amadora gets right to the core, to the heart of the matter. The session with her caused a real transformation in me that led to real changes in my world. I now have a sense of belonging, for which I am so grateful.”
Sahar Kordahi, Speaker & Coach, San Ramon

“Nicola Amadora is a very skilled and heart-based facilitator, therapist, and teacher. She creates a safe and nurturing space for her clients and group participants who are being fully seen, embraced, and met by her – no matter where they are in their psycho-spiritual evolution. Nicola’s authentic presence and gentle guidance are rooted in the love and wisdom gleaned from the crucible of real-life experience. I felt fully met in my sessions with her. She helped me to reconnect more deeply, which was a very healing and illuminating experience for me. I highly recommend her!”
Isabella Price, MA, Speaker, Educator, and Author

“I am seeing profound shifts as I am working with you. Amazing, the breadth and depth you have. You are a caliber of a true healer. THANK YOU!”
Amy Baldwin

“I have been working with Nicola for six months after experiencing an extremely traumatizing event. Nicola has shown me great love, warmth and support and has taught me how to develop compassion and love for myself again in the most troubling times. I have been so fortunate to find such a teacher, so wise, gentle and kind, guiding me and enriching my being. Enabling me to enjoy the present moments and truly believe that life’s greatest hardships can be our brightest times to find new meaning and purpose.

To say it more personally:  Nicola, you saved my life. You met me in where I was at, with such love. You pulled me out of the dark mud into a beautiful new beginning. My heart opened again, I healed so much, I learnt how to be with my feelings and how to stop going with the spinning wheel of my mind, and be in my body, connect with the joy in life. I found true peace and inspiration. I feel connected with myself, with life and I am so grateful for this tremendous gift. It’s big. Thank you from the bottom of my heart”
Cassale Scherrif, Tiburon

“My husband and I came to see Nicola for a marriage tune-up and to resolve a few issues we were dealing with.  What we have experienced is the deepening and broadening of our communication as we have learned new pathways to share and listen. Nicola is very professional and doesn’t take sides. She stands in the middle ground, bringing you together as a couple.

Her open heart and compassion for the pain that may be in your heart allows you the safety to express your most personal wounds and find the best route to healing.  We always look forward to our sessions with her and the new skills we will learn. Because of our work with Nicola, we are more capable of understanding each other’s personal worlds and serving our partners’ emotional needs and that makes every day together sweeter and far more loving.”
Rebecca Dye  ASLA, LEED AP B C and Design Focus Landscape Architecture

“I was afraid, shy, wanted to disappear, and felt not good enough. It was an underground stream in my life. It was powerful, and I could not deny it. Therapy with Nicola is helping me a lot. I used the practice she taught me in my life: I turned toward what was arising, used the breath, was present, and was able to give that part of me what it truly needed. I could connect with the source of love, that which is greater, I could viscerally experience how I am held. Right in that moment I such relief washed through me, I opened, it felt amazing. I don’t feel alone anymore, so beautiful and embraced by love itself. Incredible how my fears dissolved and I feel stronger, more confident and connected.”
Adria Dunnington

“Nicola’s gentle yet firm guidance got me to a place I was not able to get to on my own. I came to her in a state of emotional desperation, unable to function in romantic partnerships or see any kind of hope for the end of the suffering that seemed to continue with every new relationship. In dealing with my addictions from the ground up, we worked together to change my perspective completely.

I no longer want to seek out relationships and “band-aids” to numb the pain. I learned to heal my pain from the inside, by tending to the wounded girl inside, and in a short time, I have already felt the emotional and spiritual freedom of doing so. I don’t have to rely on outside sources with the tools Nicola has given me. For this I am forever grateful.”
Samantha Gennuso, Graduate Psychology Student, LA

“What Grace you have entered my life. My gratitude is boundless for the myriad of ways you show up…for your own bravery, courage, and wisdom that has morphed into this beacon of love and light that you are. Each session we explore together, I am continually surprised by the unfolding mystery and the depth of new and visceral insights that emerge. Spirituality and humanness are highly integrated in this work.

I experience love in my heart, have healed in many ways and live more awake in this world. I bow to the very masterful guidance you offer as you shepherd me ” home”. A gift beyond words and measure. May all beings be free.”
Robbyn Paxton-McGuire, Park City, Utah/ British Columbia, Canada

“Working with Nicola over time has allowed me to build a reservoir of emotional, psychological and spiritual resources that I can carry with me. She has helped me to repair the ground of my own being, so that in times of stress or crisis, I no longer find myself sinking into an abyss of helplessness. Nicola has been one of the few pivotal figures who have been able to offer me entrance back into my own life.”
Maggie Hippmann, Madison, USA

“Thanks, Nicola, again, that last session has helped me tremendously. I was able to find my center in wholeness and home inside. The feelings of loneliness and pain have almost completely disappeared, despite my circumstances. Thank you for your support and guidance, I’m so grateful for you in my Life.”
Dave Solomon, Therapist, USA 

“After the session, I felt completely different. As if something really profound had shifted. I found contact again with a part of myself that I had lost what seems like a long time ago. So intimate with myself.  I cried deeply for joy and gratitude that evening. Today I finally could do what I wanted without falling into old patterns. I am closer to myself. Such a fantastic feeling.”
Sophie Onderstal, Netherlands

“Nicola is pure love! With her deep, clear, and highly skilled guidance, my husband and I have a renewed connection (after 30 years of marriage) we didn’t know was possible! It is rewarding to leave behind many years of toxic behaviors, face our triggers, and move forward as a healthier, happier, and more fulfilled couple. Nicola’s loving and deep approach allowed us to see and bring out the best of ourselves and therefore the best of each other. Thank you, Nicola, from the bottom of our hearts! We are just back from a second honeymoon. Really was something special, and the foundation of that was our work with you!”
Patrice and Greg Petroff, California

Read more real people’s reviews here