Lesley Chorn
Counselling Psychologist
Somatic trauma-informed psychotherapy for nervous system regulation and lasting change.
PS0037400
8629927
About Me
Over time, my work showed me that talking alone is often not enough to create meaningful, sustained change. I became increasingly drawn to approaches that work beneath the level of narrative — methods that address the root of distress rather than only its surface expression.
My early training in hypnotherapy introduced me to the significance of subconscious processes and the ways in which experience and memory are carried beyond conscious awareness. From there, I continued to train in body-based modalities that support the processing and release of trauma stored in the body.
Clinical Orientation
My work is grounded in a psychodynamic understanding of how early experiences shape emotional patterns, core beliefs, attachment styles, and the way we relate to ourselves and others.
In our work together, we explore how these early relational templates continue to organise present experience — not only through reflection and dialogue, but through direct awareness of sensation, emotion, and nervous system response. The body often reveals what the mind alone cannot access.
Education
MS in Guidance and Counselling, Johns Hopkins University (USA)
Psychology internship and clinical training, University of Natal, Durban
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
EMDR
TRE
BWRT
Brainspotting
Clinical hypnosis
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (Integrative Psychiatry Institute, USA)
Diploma in Astrology (Rod Suskin)
A Personal Note
My interests centre around consciousness, healing, and what supports a greater sense of presence, awareness, and connection to life.
I’m also interested in the physiological side of wellbeing — how the body supports (or disrupts) psychological balance. This includes an ongoing curiosity about nutrition, functional medicine, and the ways physical health shapes how we feel and function.
I’m nourished by sensory experience. Simple, physical activities such as being in the sea, snorkelling, dancing, gardening, cooking, and walking help restore and regulate me.
I’m equally interested in individual differences — how each person is wired in their own way, and the process of learning to understand and relate to oneself as one is.
I also have a longstanding interest in symbolic systems such as astrology and Human Design. While I don’t use these clinically, I find them useful as reflective frameworks for understanding temperament, patterns, and different ways of moving through life.
