About Maria Gaian
“For years it felt like depression and anxiety were built into my DNA. I didn’t believe I could ever feel ‘normal’. Life was something I endured, not enjoyed and I always felt unworthy, unlovable, hopeless and helpless.”
Maria Gaian – Alchemical Ecotherapist and Therapeutic Witchcraft™ Practitioner
Hola! I’m Maria. It’s so good to have you here!
I’ll warn you now, I’m a bit shy, but I guess you wanna know what kind of weirdness you’re getting yourself into before you decide whether to stick around or not.
I’ve suffered from the ‘black dog’ of depression and its sidekick anxiety, for as long as I can remember. Being neurodivergent and having an abusive childhood kinda does that to a person.
I tried popping prescribed meds and endless yapping to a variety of counselors, but nothing ever got rid of my feelings of sadness, self hatred, hopelessness and helplessness.
Until I started dabbling in the world of witchcraft and Spirituality that is. Therapeutic Witchcraft not only changed my life, it saved it!
Think I’m the devil’s spawn?
That’s ok.
You can back quietly away now.
I promise I won’t put a hex on you. (Just kidding!)
But if you’re open minded and curious, stick with me.
I might not be as weird as you think!
My personal battle with the black dog of depression led me to become a mental wellness mentor, but I’ll bet I’m not like anyone else you’ve come across!
I’m a certified coach, counselor, ecotherapist, and advanced hypnotherapist.
But that’s not all I am.
I’m also a magickal mix of intuitive green witch, Soul healer, herbalist, animal assisted coach and clairaudient tarot card reader.
I guess now you can see why I call myself a metaphysical mental wellness mentor.
It’s (slightly) less of a mouthful! Plus I love alliteration.
Before you start imagining me with a pointy witches hat, chucking rats and frogs into a bubbling cauldron whilst reciting weird rhymes, STOP!
I’m not the kind of witch you read about in fairy tales.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of theatrical stuff, but I don’t wear a cloak, or fill a gothic chamber with skulls, spiders and bats. And I don’t talk like one of the witches in a Shakespeare play.
I’d say I’m more #cottagecore than #witchcore!
I’m just a normal wife and mom.
I spend most of my time wearing sportswear or shorts and a flowy top. No pointy hats here. I’d love a hooded cloak but it gets hot here in Spain and I’d end up roasting!
My cauldron is a tiny pink mini barbecue. It’s never been in contact with eye of newt or tongue of toad!
I work from a wooden cabin that’s filled with books and bits and bobs that make me happy – like Wonder Woman merch, loads of art and craft materials, pine cones, scented candles and a bowl of crystals.
Oh, and foxes – I almost forgot the foxes.
I LOVE foxes.
You’ll find them all over the place around here.
If you love foxes, or horses, or dogs, or cats, or chickens, (or any other animals) we’re going to get on like a house on fire.
Anyway, I’m getting off track
That’s cos I am neurodivergent – another reason why I need to carefully manage my mental health and wellness.
It’s easy for me to slide down a slippery slope into anxiety and depression, especially if I start listening to what I lovingly call my ‘Inner Bitch’.
You know, the voice that lives inside your head that loves to make you feel like sh*t about yourself and regularly beats you up for fun.
Getting that voice to stfu is one of the best ways to ditch the black dog……..
Where were we? Oh yes, I was telling you what you need to know about me and Ditch the Black Dog.
Why do I describe myself as a ‘metaphysical’ mental wellness mentor?
Because I stand at the crossroads where neuroscience and the metaphysical meet!
Metaphysics tries to make sense of the things that we can’t explain scientifically, such as spirituality, the afterlife, deities and spirits, and magick.
Whilst I use cutting edge therapies and coaching tools based on neuroscientific evidence to help ditch the black dog of depression, I also tap into the metaphysical world for help.
I have Spirit Guides who help me to unravel the reasons why someone suffers from depression and to help them survive.
And I create beautiful Spiritual ceremonies, Soul healing rituals, and what you might call ‘spells‘ to help you ditch the black dog of depression and unleash your passion for life.
Through my wild and magickal circles, retreats, and programs, (online and here in Spain) my clients learn how to heal their Soul wounds, banish their psychological blocks, detox their lives, and much more.
All these things contribute to feelings of depression.
Don’t let the woo woo stuff put you off! Read this before you decide if I’m for you or not:
Is Ditch the Black Dog™ too woo woo for you?
I love to help people to heal the deep mind, heart and Soul wounds that keep them trapped in a prison of depression using Therapeutic Witchcraft™ and Alchemical Ecotherapy™.
Sounds a bit weird, I know, but trust me, it works like a charm!
I’m going to share something that you might find a bit controversial!
I don’t think that popping pills and talking endlessly about our trauma for years actually works for most of us.
Some of us.
But not most of us.
I believe there’s a better way.
A way that really digs deep into why so many of us feel depressed and turns the typical treatments prescribed for depression upside down.
The Gaian Method™ is a unique depression survival program.
It’s a holistic method that actively promotes bringing clarity, compassion, courage, connection with what matters, community, creativity, and contribution into your journey to recovery.
Your personal healing journey will include using modern and metaphysical tools to help you: –
- heal the emotional wounds that are causing you to feel depressed;
- banish the psychological blocks that hold you back;
- and consciously creating a life that allows you to feel healthy, happy and whole, however that is for you.
The Gaian Method not only changed my life, it saved it.
Are you willing to see if it can do the same for you?
“If you’d told me 10 years ago that there were things I could do to help me manage the anxiety and depression I’d suffered from my whole life, I’d have laughed you out of my house!
(although laughing wasn’t something I did much of back then.)”
Maria Gaian – Alchemical Ecotherapist™ and Therapeutic Witchcraft™ Practitioner
After years of suffering from depression, I’ve learned how to manage my mental health so I can ditch the black dog when I feel it nipping at my heels.
My life has changed so much from the days when I could barely get out of bed and wanted to be unalive. I’m so glad I didn’t succeed. I’d have missed out on so many good things.
♥ I’m married to my soulmate, Mac, and I fall more and more in love with him every day. We reconnected and rebuilt our relationship and it’s better than ever. He’s very aware of what I need to stay mentally well and he watches out for warning signs.
♣ My family are my world and I no longer emotionally neglect them. I’m there for them in ways I wasn’t when I was depressed. My wish is that I never put them through that hell ever again.
♥ We moved from the drizzly, grey UK to live in a gorgeous little finca halfway up a magickal mountain in Spain. The blue skies and sunshine help me to stay optimistic.
♣ I run my own successful dream business helping others. My work feels meaningful to me and I jump out of bed early every morning excited to get started. Being neurodivergent means I’m prone to burn out, so I make sure I don’t overdo things.
♥ I’ve detoxed my life and I’m mindful of everything I do and how it could affect my mental health and wellness. Self care, especially setting boundaries is so important to me! No matter how much people (especially my family) try to drag me into their dramas, I won’t have it. My response is always ‘not my circus, not my monkeys’.
I unleashed my passion for life!
♥ My Soulmate and I make time to do things that make us feel good, such as gardening, hiking, swimming, cooking, eating out and exploring our adopted country.
♦ Depression stole my creativity from me for a long time, but I persevered and learned the secrets to make art again.
♥ I’m the first to try new things and I make the most of my one wild and precious life!
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to check if I’m awake cos my life is something that most other people will only ever dream of!
I don’t say this to brag, I’m telling you this because if I can ditch the black dog of depression and unleash my passion for life again, anyone can!
For the last few years I’ve felt healthy, happy, and whole.
No bouts of severe depression at all!
I have low moods sometimes, I’m human, but I don’t suffer from depression like I used to. Life is good and it can be good for you, too, if you give it half a chance and you’re willing to make a few changes.
So here I am.
I created a sacred space called the Ditch the Black Dog of Depression Virtual Retreat where you can feel healthy, happy and whole.
What People Say About Working With Me…
Could we be friends?
I love:
- rummaging through charity shops and the local bric-a-brac auction looking for unique and interesting items. Sometimes I jazz up what I find, sometimes things are perfect as they are.
- helping feral cats – we care for 26 of them currently;
- Wonder Woman, Deadpool and the X-men. I’m a comic book nerd. Don’t ask me to choose between DC and Marvel. I can’t!
- spending time with the people I love the most;
- eating Cadbury’s Marvellous Creations Jelly Bean and Popping Candy chocolate; (it’s been discontinued, Thanks Cadbury!)
- making cobbled together recipes that look terrible but somehow taste good;
- singing (badly) from the bottom of my lungs. I have very eclectic taste in music. I love Selena Gomez, Heart, Evanescence and more. I’m a MASSIVE Swiftie, but I’m mostly an 80’s/90’s rock chick! Why is every song that worms into my brain lately by the chuffing Jonas Brothers?
- nurturing plants, people and pets;
- books of all kinds, but especially ones that make me belly laugh or help me grow and thrive;
- the ocean and the mountains in equal measure;
- feeling like I am flying without wings on the back of a horse;
- loving, laughing, forgiving and being kind to everyone – including myself.
I don’t like:-
- capitalism and greed;
- people who say they’re good people cos they’re religious but then proceed to do heinous things in the name of their god.
- war;
- injustice;
- bigotry;
- racism;
- trans and homophobia;
- inequality;
- the patriarchy;
- rhubarb and pickled beetroot.
I believe that: –
Magick is REAL.
The lives of indigenous folks and people of color, MATTER.
Every child deserves love, compassion, clean water, healthy food, a safe place to live, healthcare, an education and to be happy. I want this for the children of Palestine. That does not make me antisemitic.
Climate change is real. We need to rise up and take action to fix this world.
Abortion is healthcare. IVF should be accessible and affordable. People should be able to have autonomy over their bodies, not have lifechanging decisions made for them by politicians.
Trans women are women and trans men are men.
Trump is a crook and has no business being in the White House. (Yes, I just brought politics into my work. But the thought of that man being leader of the free world is enough to make anyone depressed!)
Capitalism = inequality.
I guess some people would call me ‘woke’. If that bothers you, my products and services aren’t for you!
Before you go
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Come on over and feel the magick happen!
