Words From Those Who
Came Home to Themselves
Stories of healing, presence & transformation
Honestly I almost cancelled my first appointment, that's how burnt out I was — couldn't even be bothered driving across town. So glad I went. About twenty minutes in, Odete had me so relaxed my shoulders dropped for what felt like the first time in months. Three sessions later I'm sleeping properly again, which sounds small but isn't.
I'll be the first to admit I went in pretty unsure what I was even signing up for. Turned out to be a lot more than I bargained for, in a good way. There was a moment in the second session where Odete said something that just clicked and I actually got a bit emotional, which never happens to me. Still thinking about it weeks later.
After the year I'd had, I'd basically stopped feeling much of anything. It took me a while to even agree to try this. The space Odete created felt safe from the very first hello, no pressure to perform or explain myself. Bit by bit things softened. I'm not "fixed," whatever that means, but I feel like myself again, and that's everything.
I live in my head, full stop — always have, probably always will. My partner basically had to talk me into trying this. Odete didn't push, which surprised me — it was gradually grounding in a way I wasn't expecting. I notice it most when I'm stressed at work now, I catch myself instead of spiralling.
I went in expecting a nice relaxing hour, nothing more. What I didn't expect was to cry halfway through — Odete told me that's normal, and it really did feel like a release rather than sadness. I walked out lighter. Genuinely one of the most nurturing things I've done for myself in years.
My physio actually suggested I look into this for the tightness in my lower back that nothing else was fixing. Didn't think it would go beyond the physical, but Odete found a lot more than just muscle tension. Turns out I was holding a lot more than that. Back pain's better too, for the record — just not the only thing that changed.
"Numb" is the only word that fit for a long time before this. Not dramatic, just sort of switched off. Nothing about the sessions felt rushed, which mattered a lot to someone like me who needed time to even trust the process. Odete was patient with that. Slowly, in layers, things started feeling real again. Hard to put a price on that, honestly.
Didn't realize how much I was clenching my jaw and shoulders all day until Odete pointed it out mid-session. Kind of embarrassing, kind of a relief to finally hear it out loud. I'm a lot quicker to notice when I'm tensing up now, and quicker to actually do something about it instead of just pushing through like I always used to.
I'm the type who pushes through everything until I physically can't anymore, classic story. This was the first time in ages I actually stopped and listened to what my body was telling me instead of overriding it. Odete has a way of calling that out gently. Calming, yes, but also kind of confronting in a useful way. Booking my fourth session this week.
Went in fairly sceptical, won't pretend otherwise. Years of just talking things through in therapy hadn't shifted the physical tightness I carry, but Odete did, almost immediately. Can't fully explain why it works, only that it does. Recommended it to two mates already, which tells you something.
Found this in the middle of a pretty rough transition in my life — new city, new everything, nothing felt stable. Oddly enough, my time with Odete became the one constant that helped me feel like I had ground under my feet again. Left every session calmer than I walked in, which sounds simple but really wasn't, not for me, not back then.
Work stress had basically become my default state, to the point I'd forgotten what relaxed even felt like. Took two sessions with Odete before I really felt the shift, and then it just kept building from there. Sleep's better, patience is better, snapping at my kids over nothing has gone down considerably. Worth every penny.
A friend wouldn't stop talking about her sessions with Odete so I finally booked one just to see what the fuss was about. Now I get it. There's something about being fully present for an hour, no phone, no to-do list running in the background, that I didn't realize I'd been missing this badly. It's become my non-negotiable now.
I run my own business, so "slowing down" isn't really in my vocabulary most days. Odete forced the issue, gently. No big dramatic breakthrough to report, just a steady, quiet shift toward feeling less wound up all the time. Sometimes the undramatic kind of change is the kind that actually sticks.
There's a particular kind of peace I found with Odete that I genuinely hadn't felt before, not even on holidays, not even doing the things that are supposed to relax you. Tension I didn't know I was holding just... released. I left the first session a bit wobbly, in the best way. Booked the next one before I'd even left the car park.
Not someone who usually writes reviews, but this earned one. I'd gotten so used to feeling disconnected from my own body that I didn't even notice it as a problem anymore, it had just become normal. Walking out of my first session with Odete and actually feeling present in my own skin was honestly a bit of a wake-up call.
My therapist actually recommended I try somatic work alongside our usual sessions, said talking alone wasn't going to get me all the way there. She was right, annoyingly. Odete's approach gave me a clarity afterward that's hard to describe, like static clearing off a radio. Still doing both, and honestly the combination has made more difference than either on its own.
Came in completely overwhelmed, juggling too much and feeling like I was failing at all of it simultaneously. I didn't expect to leave feeling anything other than tired, if I'm honest. Instead, thanks to Odete, I left feeling like I could actually breathe. That feeling stuck around longer than I thought it would too, which has been the real win for me.
There was zero pressure to "perform" being okay, which I really needed because I'd been faking it for everyone else for so long. Odete made me feel safe enough to actually drop the act. Some sessions I left quiet and reflective, others lighter than I'd felt in ages — both felt like progress in their own way. Grateful doesn't quite cover it.
Grew up being told to just push through and not make a fuss about how I was feeling, physically or otherwise. Unlearning that has taken a while, and working with Odete has quietly been a big part of it. Nothing flashy to report — just small, steady shifts in how present I actually am, day to day. That's been more than enough.
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"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
And to give yourself permission to feel what you feel,
without judgment or apology."
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