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 – Soul Healer and Therapeutic Witchcraft™ Practitioner
You don’t have to battle the Black Dog of depression alone!
The Black Dog Café is a FREE, off-Facebook sanctuary for depressed souls who are done pretending they’re fine.
No pressure. No platitudes.
Just connection, compassion, and a generous sparkle of healing magick to help you feel a little less alone – and a little more you.
Don’t bother getting out of your PJ’s – just grab a coffee (or your favourite drink and come on over.
You don’t have to battle the Black Dog alone. I’m saving a space for you! ☕
A place outside the noise of the world, tucked deep in a virtual retreat, where the Black Dog no longer bites, just curls up beside us as we heal.
Hi, I’m Maria. Good to meet you!
I’ll warn you now, things are going to get a little quirky, but you need to know what kind of weirdness you’re getting yourself into before you decide whether to stick around, or not.
I battled the black dog of depression and its sidekick, anxiety, for as long as I can remember.
Growing up neurodivergent in an abusive home kinda does that to a person.
I tried the usual routes –
-prescription meds, endless yapping to a variety of counsellors, but nothing could ever get rid of my feelings of sadness, self hatred, hopelessness and helplessness.
I believed I was powerless and I’d be stuck with depression for the rest of my life.
Until I stumbled into the magickal world of witchcraft and spirituality.
The Gaian Method™ not only changed my life, it saved it!
My own battle with depression led me to create Ditch the Black Dog Virtual Retreat – a healing space rooted in both science and magick.
I spent years researching depression and training in modalities that could truly help. Today, I’m a certified coach, counselor, nature therapist, and advanced hypnotherapist. But that’s only part of the story.
I’m also a Gaian Witch, practicing Therapeutic Witchcraft™, Soul Healing, and Energy Work.
Before you start picturing me in a pointy hat, tossing frogs into a bubbling cauldron STOP!!
I love the witchy vibe, but you won’t find me lurking in a gothic chamber, whispering spells over skulls and spiders.
What you will find is someone deeply intuitive – clairaudient, clairsentient, and empathic – who receives guidance from Spirit and picks up on the emotions of others.
Despite all the woo woo stuff, I’m just a regular wife and mom. Most days, I’m in sportswear or flowy tops (no cloaks, Spain is too hot for that!). My cauldron? Just a quirky auction find that’s never seen an eye of newt.
I work from a cosy wooden cabin filled with an eclectic mix of books, Wonder Woman merch, art supplies, pinecones, candles, and crystals.
My time is spent mostly with my gorgeous family in the mountains or by the sea shore.
Nature is my happy place, and that’s where I love to bring clients to help them to ditch the black dog and rediscover their passion for life.
Anyway, I’m getting off track, which is a classic neurodivergent move.
That’s actually another reason I have to carefully manage my mental health.
As someone with ADHD and autism, it’s way too easy for me to slip into anxiety and depression, especially if I start listening to my ‘Inner B*tch’, (pardon my Spanish) you know, that voice in your head that loves making you feel like sh*t and beating you up for fun.
Getting that voice to STFU?
That’s one of the best ways to start ditching the black dog!
What makes my work different?
I stand at the crossroads where neuroscience and magick meet.
I’m actually a very analytical person (I used to be a lawyer.)
I believe in science, but I also love the metaphysical.
Metaphysics explores the things science struggles to explain – like spirituality, the afterlife, deities, spirits, and magick.
I use a combination of cutting-edge therapies and coaching tools based on neuroscience and tap into the metaphysical world for support.
My Spirit Guides, who happen to be my Nan and my Great Grandmother, help me unravel the deeper reasons behind why you might be suffering from depression, and they help me to craft powerful Soul healing rituals, ceremonies, and even ‘spells’ to help you reclaim your joy.
Through my wild and magickal circles, retreats, and programs – both online and in Spain – I help people heal their Soul wounds, banish any psychological blocks, detox their lives, and break free from the grip of depression.
Is Ditch the Black Dog™ too woo-woo for you?
I get it – Therapeutic Witchcraft™ and the Gaian Method™ both sound a little out there. But here’s the thing: it works like a charm.
If traditional approaches haven’t been enough top help you ditch the black dog of depression, maybe it’s time to try something different.
Read my blog post if you want to know a bit more: Think I’m too woo woo for you?
WARNING!!! I’m about to say something controversial…
I believe that antidepressants and endless talk therapy don’t actually work for most people struggling with depression.
For some? Sure. But for most of us? Not so much.
I believe there’s a better way—one that digs deep into why so many of us feel depressed and flips conventional treatments upside down.
The Gaian Method™: A New Approach to Healing
The Gaian Method™ is a holistic depression survival and recovery program, born from my own struggles and the experiences of those I’ve worked with over the years.
It combines:
🐺 Modern neuroscience-based coaching and therapy techniques;
🦊 Practical lifestyle changes;
🐺 Therapeutic Witchcraft™, including Energy Healing, Soul Healing, and Nature & Animal-Assisted Therapy;
🦊 And something you won’t find anywhere else – The Magickal ‘C’s of Change;
✨ The results? Transformational! ✨
Instead of just managing symptoms, we focus on true recovery.
Through a mix of modern and metaphysical tools, you’ll:
🩹 Heal the emotional wounds at the root of your depression;
💥 Banish the psychological blocks holding you back;
🌻 Manifest a life where you feel healthy, happy, and whole—whatever that looks like for you;
The Gaian Method™ didn’t just change my life. It saved it.
Are you ready to see if it can do the same for you?
So now you know a bit more about me.
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!
“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 – Therapeutic Witchcraft™ Practitioner
After years of battling depression, I’ve learned how to manage my mental health and ditch the black dog when it starts nipping at my heels.
My life has completely transformed from the days when I could barely get out of bed and wanted to be unalive. I’m so grateful I didn’t succeed – I’d have missed out on so many amazing experiences.
❤️ I’m married to my soulmate, Mac, and fall more in love with him every day. We reconnected, rebuilt our relationship, and it’s better than ever. He understands what I need to stay mentally well and watches out for warning signs.
👩👩👦👦 My family is my world. I’m present for them now in ways I wasn’t when I was depressed, and I never want to put them through that hell again.
🏡 We left the drizzly, grey UK and now live in a gorgeous little finca halfway up a magickal mountain in Spain. The blue skies and sunshine help me stay optimistic.
🧙♀️ I’ve created my dream business, helping others. My work is deeply meaningful, and I wake up excited every morning. Being neurodivergent, I’m mindful of burnout, so I pace myself.
🧽 I’ve detoxed my life and set firm boundaries. Self-care is non-negotiable. No matter how much others (especially family) try to drag me into their dramas, I refuse. My motto? Not my circus, not my monkeys.
I unleashed my passion for life!
🏊♀️ Mac and I make time for what brings us joy—gardening, hiking, swimming, cooking, eating out, and exploring our adopted country.
🎨 Depression stole my creativity for years, but I fought back and reclaimed it.
🤩 I embrace new experiences and make the most of my one wild and precious life!
Sometimes I have to pinch myself—my life is something most people only dream of.
I don’t say this to brag but to show you that if I can ditch the black dog and fall in love with life again, so can you.
For years now, I’ve felt healthy, happy, and whole. No severe depression, just the occasional low mood – because I’m human.
Life is good. And it can be good for you, too, if you’re willing to try something new!
Introducing the Ditch the Black Dog Virtual Retreat
When you’re battling depression, finding effective support can feel impossible.
Maybe you've been prescribed medications that leave you feeling numb, or suffering with hideous side effects that make you feel even more miserable!
Have you waited months for therapy, only to get a handful of sessions - one hour a week, with no support in between appointments?
If you've been lucky enough to access therapy at all, maybe it didn't work the way you hoped, or your allocated sessions ended before you felt better, leaving you feeling alone and lost.
Even worse, have you fought your way through one bout of depression, only to find that the black dog is still nipping at your heels and the cycle of waiting for help has to start all over again?
Or have you received treatment in hospital and now find yourself struggling to put the pieces of your life back together by yourself?
Enough already!
It's time to end the cycle of suffering.
I created the Ditch the Black Dog Virtual Retreat - a therapeutic online space where you can access everything you need to get started on your journey to ditching the black dog of depression and unleashing your passion for life.
Join the Ditch the Black Dog of Depression Virtual Retreat
The Ditch the Black Dog Virtual Retreat is always open for you.
There's something helpful, no matter which stage of depression you find yourself in.
You'll find support, practical tools, healing, and hope, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week - even at 4am when everything feels darkest.
Take a look - it might be exactly what you need to help you put depression into remission for good.
Could we be friends?
I love:
❤️ Never giving up. My motto? This too shall pass. It’s carried me through thick and thin.
🛍️ Treasure hunting. I love rummaging through charity shops and bric-a-brac auctions, searching for unique finds. Some get a creative makeover, others are perfect as they are.
🚶♀️ Thursdays. Auction house treasure hunting, lunch with my Soulmate, and a brisk beach walk—my perfect day.
🐈 Helping cats. A gang of rough-and-tumble feral cats chose me as their guardian. My mission? Creating safe and sacred spaces for wounded souls – human and animal – to heal and thrive.
🌴 Spain. In 2015, we left the grey drizzle of the UK for blue skies and mountain magic. Best decision ever.
🦸♀️ Superheroes. I refuse to choose between DC and Marvel. Wonder Woman, Deadpool, and the X-Men have my heart.
🌟Manifesting!
Manifesting. I wished for a pony on every star and birthday candle until, at 30, I got my dream horse. Since then, I’ve manifested homes, jobs, cars, my Soulmate, and so much more. Right now? I’m manifesting my dream home—a retreat for wounded souls. Follow my Manifesting the Masia experiment on my substack.
📜 Life philosophy: If you don’t like how things are, change them. You’re not a tree! – Jim Rohn.
👨👩👧👦 Family time. The people I love most are my world.
🥘 Cooking… but my presentation sucks! My cobbled-together recipes look like disasters but somehow taste amazing. That said, my recent diagnoses (diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) are complicating my relationship with food a little.
🎵 Singing (badly) like no one is listening! I have very eclectic taste in music. I love Selena Gomez, Heart, Evanescence and I’m a MASSIVE Swiftie. Why is every song that worms into my brain lately by the chuffing Jonas Brothers or Sabrina Carpenter?
📘 Books. The ones that make me belly laugh or help me grow are my favourites. You’ll find recommendations all over my website.
🌅 Nature. The ocean and mountains in equal measure—my happy place is anywhere wild and free.
🐎 Horses and feeling like I’m flying without wings when I ride.
🦊 Foxes. They’re everywhere in my world—literally and spiritually. My Animal Guardians? Fox, Black Jaguar, and Sea Turtle.
If you love foxes, horses, dogs, cats, chickens (or any other animals), we’re going to get along just fine.
I don’t like :-
🤑 Greed-driven capitalism.
😡 Hypocrisy—especially from those who preach goodness but spread hate.
😭 War.
😡 Injustice, bigotry, racism, transphobia, homophobia, and inequality.
😡 The patriarchy.
🤢 Rhubarb and pickled beetroot. (Some things are just inedible.)
I believe that: –
✨ Magick is REAL.
🧕🏾 Black lives, Indigenous lives, and the lives of people of colour matter.
🧒 Every child deserves love, compassion, clean water, healthy food, a safe place to live, healthcare, an education and to be happy. That includes the children of Palestine. This is not anti-Semitic; it’s pro-humanity.
🌡️ Climate change is real. We need to act. NOW.
👩🏿⚕️ 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 unhappy!)
✨Capitalism = inequality.
Some people would call me ‘woke’. If that bothers you, my products and services aren’t for you!
What do people say about working with me?
Before you go
Join my Ditch the Black Dog Substack and get all my latest blog posts and podcast episodes delivered to your inbox for free!
You’ll also be able to comment and chat about depression with other people on the same journey as you.
Come on over and feel the magick happen!