Dorien Knight, MA

Dorien Knight, MA

Licensed Social Worker

She/Her/Hers

Hello!  I lived for almost a decade in South Africa (Cape Town), where I worked with ladies in prostitution and guys in prison. Overall, I worked with people struggling with poverty, addiction and mental health issues. Often in these connections, it felt like I received my real education.

In 2015 I had my own spiritual crisis. Looking back, I went through the Renewal Process (described by John W. Perry). I am grateful that I did most of my recovery/discovery on the African continent. I found my way out of the regular mental health system, which gave me the time and space to find my own meaning to my experiences. I was really privileged to have access to skilled coaches and resources in the alternative field, where I could really integrate my spiritual emergency.

In Africa I became a big fan of Internal Family Systems (IFS), as I started to learn more about the impact of trauma. Rather than seeing impulses, ‘negative’ thoughts and feelings, voices and behavior as something to get rid of, IFS brings curiosity to the inner parts of someone’s system. Parts are often felt as young inner beings with their own memories, views and perceptions, feelings and goals.

Parts are trying their best to help from their own perspective, there is always that positive intention. Some parts are carrying the wound, other parts are helping in protecting the pain. Sometimes they need to become loud, to be heard.

In 2019 I came back to Europe, and had the privilege to do the official IFS training in the UK. Since 2021 I am an IFS practitioner in private practice.

My interest is in the field where parts of us are playing a role in a spiritual emergency.
For example: Often suppressed parts come to the surface in time of crisis and are acting out (in rage, in addiction, in neediness, in …) On the other side of that polarity is a powerful Inner Critic part. Or young parts try to release their trauma, while there are powerful energetic forces going on, sometimes this can become too overwhelming. Rational / intellectual parts can have a hard time in understanding experiences. Often there are powerful sequences between parts, in how they respond on each other. A spiritual crisis is such a powerful opportunity to start a healing journey, when it is well understood.

I work with a wide scale of spiritual experiences. I help people prepare/integrate psychedelic journeys. I am working with intrusions and everything that can stir in the system. I help people to make sense of symbolical experiences. I hold space for all kind of experiences without judgement. Together we explore what part is playing what role, and what is the effect on the rest of the system. And how to safely access deeper places to bring healing and relief – that parts don’t have to work so hard anymore – to create more inner harmony.

I work mostly 1-1. I have experience in facilitating groupwork (circling) in Cape Town. When there is enough interest I will consider to start this again in the Netherlands.