Become an inner thriver and flourish from the inside, out!
A warm welcome to Inner Thriving Holistic Psychology (ITHP):
We strive to make this psychology practice
“…a place to which you can go…that simply allows for the blossoming of something new and promising…”
- Joseph Campbell
ITHP is:
an online, holistic, clinical psychology private practice operating out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and founded, created, and owned by Dr. Kamala Pilgrim, M.Sc., Ph.D., C. Psych, CYT, that launched on February 1, 2022, to offer scientifically-informed and empowering mental health care that nourishes, mind, body, and energy/spirit.
What’s new at ITHP?
1. Dr. Pilgrim is currently accepting a few new clients as of September 2024.
2. The winter 2024 “ Team H.A.R.M.O.N.Y ” cohort of this below group just wrapped up May 16, 2024! But Dr. Pilgrim will be running it again on November 20, 2024.
3. New tank tops and tote bags to represent ITHP are here (Mugs/tumblers coming soon too!)
Front of tank top, tote bag, and mug/tumbler
4. New ITHP group by Dr. Pilgrim, coming soon! To potentially join, “ Team TRANSCEND ” please check back often for updates and details.
Back of tank top, tote bag, and mug/tumbler
Meet the founder and owner of ITHP!
Hi! :) I’m Dr. Kamala Pilgrim, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist (C. Psych.) and Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT), founder, owner, clinical director, and psychotherapist practitioner at ITHP.
Meet Lee Taylor, B.A. Psychology, Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT), our professional administrator and care facilitator, extraordinaire (literally)! :) She has been a cherished and absolutely integral part of the ITHP team since it’s inception on, February 1, 2022. Lee is the first soothing and helpful point of contact clients speak with when reaching out to the practice.
Click here to learn more about the ITHP team OR continue on this page!
Small message from Dr. Pilgrim:
“I am a passionate person by nature and this is why I adore helping myself and others tap into their own inherent mind-body wisdom and truly accept and love their own healthy and amazing gifts and talents so that they can become who they are meant to be and not feel obligated to follow the crowd, become a mere copy of the status quo in stifling ways, or be anything less than what they know to be true for them.”
Discover who you uniquely are and live your life with passion!
At ITHP we strive to offer non-pathologizing mental health care that embraces the beauty of unique individual differences while also propelling people to notice and grow beyond any self-limiting or otherwise harmful patterns that may have developed as very useful coping mechanisms but which now, are no longer serving them. We recognize that there are cases where we must call out abusive or damaging behaviour but also hold fast to the belief that the majority of people are good and primarily act the way they do in an attempt to manage distressing feelings and circumstances. We see people’s personalities and ways of being as existing on a continuum and so acknowledge that not everyone lies at the extremes where more toxic forms of behaviour and related outcomes are common.
Dream
•
Believe
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Act
•
Grow
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Dream • Believe • Act • Grow •
Are you feeling:
Bored, unfulfilled?
Worried, afraid, on edge, restless?
Discouraged, down, isolated, self-critical?
Exhausted, stressed, depleted?
Overwhelmed by disturbing memories?
Dominated by intrusive thoughts and/or,
Controlled by impulsive, repetitive behaviours?
Do you want to…
Enhance your current level of well-being?
and/or
Feel more sure of yourself?
Become who you truly feel you are meant to be?
Work on achieving certain specific heart-felt goals in line with your unique values?
We are here for the unique and wonderful YOU.
At ITHP, in our work with others, we aim to foster:
non-judgemental-openness,
discernment,
adaptability,
self-understanding,
kindness,
negative thought and narrative reframing,
somatic awareness,
nervous system and emotion regulation,
caring, honest, social connection, and
helpful action in line with values
to ultimately aid our clients in
accessing and wielding their own authentic
INNER strength and guidance.
Three primary aims and intentions of ITHP are to help people heal through:
1) Introspection and self-awareness - deeply understanding their history and/or, any traumatic experiences encountered, validating and cultivating a deep compassion for this, helping them use specific skills and adopt healthy, nourishing practices that aid them in grounding and regulating distressing emotions and related physiological imprints, so that they can embrace who they are and want to be in the world as well as, use all of this information to foster courageous personal accountability, ownership, and an empowering responsibility to create their own life.
2) Embodiment - becoming receptive to and tapping into the intricate mind-body link through principles and practices of yoga so that they can ruminate less and be more engaged in the present, living from the heart.
3) Passion, core values as well as, consistent action in line with meaning and purpose - clarification of what truly matters to them uniquely, reducing the social comparison game, and anchoring into what lights them up so that they can express themselves authentically, and fulfill as yet untapped potential, goals, and aspirations.
Clinic motto:
“Become an inner thriver and flourish from the inside, out.”
“At the end of the day, I hope you can say you chose happiness. That you chose to find joy within the smaller, softer moments that tugged at your heartstrings. That you did not wait for Friday, for next month, for Summer to go out and experience all of the beauty this world has to offer…At the end of the day, I hope you can say you did your best. That you relentlessly pursued your dreams and chased all that ignited something bright within your soul…That you did not hold yourself back. That you did not stand in your own way. That you went all in and never looked back.”
-Alysha Waghorn
Keep reading to learn one of the ways we tend to view human nature:
Based on ancient yoga philosophy as well as, more recent psychological, empirical evidence, at ITHP we appreciate that there are two major forces that exist on a continuum, that drive much of human nature, and shape personality, interests as well as, behaviour:
YIN - similar to the BRAKE of a vehicle and in nature, the MOON: chaos/low-control ease, acceptance, surrender, rest, slowing down
AND,
YANG - like the ACCELERATOR of a car and in nature, the SUN: order/high-control, effort, force, resistance, activity, speeding up.
In most cases, a balance between the two is ideal (symbolized by the slightly wavy line in the centre separating the yin from the yang). This is known in ancient yoga philosophy as, Sukha Sthanam - a state of harmonious balance where we feel open, grounded, and willing to engage with life from a place of flowing, loving, courageous, calmness. Because each individual is special and unique though, and will be in different seasons of life, facing specific challenges, some may naturally and beautifully want and need to lean more in one direction versus the other for their whole lives, or just for periods of time. That is, their Sukha Sthanam, point of authentic ease, may rest to the left or right of centre relative to others. And this is awesome and not only okay, but necessary since authenticity is a survival NEED. This is why social comparison and feeling forced to be like everyone else often leads to pain and unnecessary suffering! :)
That is, problems arise for people at the extremes; when they try to be someone they are not or get stuck in unhelpful patterns, applying too much focus and pressure into one of these forms of energy for too long, and/or, when not helpful to. However, NEITHER energy is inherently superior to the other and BOTH are necessary (notice that there are small dots representing the opposite force within the dominate one, on each side) to live a harmonious and importantly, authentic life. Like a seesaw we must be receptive to what life is asking of us either due to our circumstances and/or, to what suits our unique constitution, i.e., what do I personally want and need more of, Yin or Yang…?
Please find below, two small videos with diagrams that Dr. Pilgrim created to depict this concept visually (can also be found on social media - scroll down to footer for links!).
In this video I am trying to demonstrate that within us, we all have a unique abode/sanctuary; a point of total and authentic ease, balance, harmony, from out of which we feel we can flow and express ourselves clearly, honestly, and freely, that is a mixture of both yang and yin energies.
In this video I attempt to show how a unique individual's point of ease, flow, harmony, can vary relative to others. It is when this region falls way at the extremes that we may see damaging mental, physical, and/or interpersonal pathologies/consequences. That is, landing too far to the right or left of centre means that we are off kilter in unhelpful ways. But individual differences are normal, necessary, and beautiful because we need to be able to express our authentic selves in honest, real ways in order to offer service to the world in a manner that is appropriate for us, and also to remain true to our own unique hearts and spirits.
Reference:
Gitananda Yoga
Super meaningful quotes that depict what we are striving to convey here at ITHP. :)
A bit about founder and director of ITHP, Dr. Kamala Pilgrim, Ph.D., C. Psych., CYT!
She ADORES adventure, freedom, authenticity, creativity, fitness (passionate long-distance runner!), physical and mental challenges, fashion, dance and music, spirituality, Yoga as well as, travel!
If all of these are available in one, that’s the best combination in her view!
After an energizing hike at the top of Koko Head Crater, Hawaii, United States, 2019.
Below is an especially favourite quote of Dr. Kamala Pilgrim’s that deeply permeates all of her intentions:
“Even while striving to improve yourself, learn to stand alone, secure in your own virtues and self-worth… The ability to do this, great ones have told us for millennia, really comes from only one place - within, from our higher Self.”
- Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
Inspiration to help you GROUND and FLOW…
A poem on surrender by Khalil Gibran read by Dr. Pilgrim.
A Pranayama practice called, Bhramari - explained here.
“When you let go of who you are, you become
who you might be.”
- Lao Tzu