Finding Healing Through Words and Silence – Exclusive Interview with Andy Travis

From poetry and meditation to counselling and recovery, Andy Travis has walked a path shaped by both struggle and profound transformation. In this exclusive interview, he opens up about the pivotal moments that defined his journey, the power of transpersonal counselling, and the healing role of spirituality and creativity in helping others find wholeness.

Andy Travis, Therapist

Introduce yourself!

Andy Travis is a poet, counsellor, and meditator. His personal experience recovering from addiction and a mood disorder uniquely qualifies him to help others. Andy has run Meeting Point Counselling for the last nine years. He helps organise a monthly spoken-word poetry night, gives and receives support in addiction-recovery peer-run groups, and volunteers at a meditation retreat centre. Andy likes to strum his guitar on walks in the forest near his home. He is 54 years old and lives with his partner in the hills southeast of Melbourne, Australia.

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

When I was 16, I started to search for the universal truth. I was inspired by my big brother, who introduced me to mysticism and to perspectives on life that weren’t part of my high school curriculum. Here’s an extract from a poem I wrote after my brother’s death:

Just us on an uprooted van seat,

Under infinite stars,

Outside your bush cabin,

You told me,

“Matter only appears to be solid.

Atoms are mainly open space.”

A bell rang in my soul.

Electron planets whizz around proton/neutron suns.

On an overseas backpacking trip after finishing high school, I immersed myself in a meditation practice and lifestyle that continues to be a source of inspiration and insight today.

How have your personal experiences of having a mood disorder, and addictions, influenced your approach to counselling?

I was 18 when I joined a worldwide meditation community, and 21 when I moved into one of their centres as a resident teacher. Up until my early thirties, I was what I’d now call a ‘spiritual bypasser,’ intensely dedicated to transcending the material world without realising that I had emotional wounds that no amount of meditation could heal.

I found myself, during bouts of depression that seemed to come from nowhere, self-medicating with novels, unhealthy food, isolation, and long pornography binges. I knew I needed help, so I started seeing a psychiatrist. I also began addiction recovery using the 12-Step peer-support model.

Today, if someone asked me, “What’s the one most important thing in your life?” I’d still say “Spirituality,” but I balance it with practices to enhance my physical, emotional, and mental well-being too. In my counselling service, I love to support others in fine-tuning these four aspects.

What inspired you to focus on transpersonal counselling, and how does that shape the way you work with clients?

My first qualification was in counselling, and it inspired me to start seeing clients. Because of my interest in meditation, studying Transpersonal Counselling was a natural progression. Transpersonal means transcending the ordinary sense of self. Live guided meditation is one way to experience this, and I often do a meditation with clients at the end of our hour together. It’s such a great way for clients to access more inner resources than talk therapy can. Psyche means the human soul, mind, or spirit, so any work in this area is a journey inwards to a deeper level of awareness.

Other transpersonal techniques that shape how I work with clients include:

iRest Yoga Nidra. iRest stands for Integrative Restoration. One of its key components is exploring what primary sensations are in your body. The process then integrates opposing sensations (and/or thoughts and/or emotions).

Focusing. Sometimes a client has a burning question about an issue or difficult situation. They just can’t get a satisfying answer with their analytical mind alone. Focusing is a simple technique you can be guided through to ask your own body’s wisdom that question.

SEEL. SEEL stands for State-Enhanced Exploration and Learning. It’s a simple form of therapeutic hypnosis. While Focusing enquires of the body, SEEL enquires of the unconscious. A SEEL journey can often be a gold mine of symbology, deeper meaning, and hidden resources.

Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

Firstly, a couple of personal achievements that strengthen my career:

• Being 15 years free from the in-person adult industry, and 3 years free from pornography.

• Sleeping well last night, being in a healthy relationship, doing meaningful work today, and swimming laps tonight.

I’m grateful for these things today.

Career achievement? It’s the honour of listening deeply to people’s stories...

When the wars are all over

Today I heard about a woman’s aunt.

Auntie Elena (aged 8) saw her big brother shot dead,

As he handed her onto the boat,

To escape from the war,

That was ricocheting around their heads.

How does anyone live with that?

Where does the pain go?

It trickles down generations,

Turning children’s and grandchildren’s homes,

Into deserts,

Bereft of love.

And still all of us,

One way or another,

Through one script or another,

Trudge on,

Carrying our wounded hearts,

Our shaking hands,

Our glazed eyes,

(On the inside)

Into tomorrow.

Carl Jung said that every soul

Reaches for wholeness

As instinctively as an acorn

Reaches for oakhood.

Love,

You are the sun to my acorn,

You are the warmth that draws trauma’s poison

Out of my veins,

Distilling it into compassion.

Hearing these stories,

I now know that my pain doesn’t separate me from humanity,

It joins me to it.

And when the wars are all over,

Inside and out,

We will come home to You.

For free, original guided meditations, click here.

Follow me on Facebook and visit my website for more info.

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