About Sean
Sean Downes is a Licensed Psychotherapist with a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work, as well as a trained RYT 200 Yoga Teacher.
Sean uses a unique and integrative approach that combines EMDR therapy, talk therapy and mind-body awareness, helping each individual balance their own core energy with their unique brain chemistry.
What follows are healthier relationships, positive life goals and effective choices that turns lives around. Benefits from this approach are genuine, with the client experiencing a brand new outlook on life. An increase in self-confidence, self-awareness, happiness and joy will follow. You will soon be able to access your innate ability to heal yourself from within.
“Working together we cultivate self-awareness, healthier relationships, positive life goals and more effective choices. My approach is based on authenticity and insight: a mindful resolve to achieving clarity with your intentions and desired outcomes.”
Sean has also provided yoga instruction in public studio settings, a police department gym, to residents of residential recovery program, patients of an intensive inpatient treatment program and to veterans at the Veterans Administration.
Sean is a member of The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine and The International Association of Yoga Therapists.
My Story
After a childhood in New Mexico, I spent my formative years in the Bay Area — attracted to the rich culture and diversity. Later, during college, I discovered a talent for helping and working with others, eventually graduating summa cum laude from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. I also earned a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee.
I quickly acquired a passion for personal development. In my twenties I reached a pivotal point in my journey, experiencing a personal crisis that prompted the need for big changes. I started on a path of exploration. My interest in personal growth led me to experiential workshops, the men’s movement, grief work and meditation. Yoga came a bit later for me, but has become the most diverse and comprehensive approach of mind-body tools and techniques I have found.
I’m the son of an immigrant and no stranger to diversity. I have dual citizenship in the U.S. and Europe, and consider myself a World Citizen. I have traveled extensively, and am always seeking exposure to new cultures and adventures. Further, I have a deep appreciation for nature and its healing qualities, and enjoy connecting by cycling, hiking, rock climbing and the like. I believe exercise integrates well with a daily personal practice, the mind-body perspective and a well-balanced lifestyle.
I completed my yoga teacher training at The White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA, one of the oldest and most reputable programs in the country. Becoming a yoga teacher had a multi-purpose goal— to deepen/strengthen my own practice, to share the practice and discipline of yoga with others and to weave yoga into a dynamic approach to healing and change.
My work is my life purpose, and helping to change lives has taught me so much about myself, my work, and my interactions with the world. When you are dissatisfied with the way things are and the way you are, it means you are ready to evolve and take steps toward the life you desire, as I have found in my own life. You can live happily in uncertainty, while overcoming challenges. I know it’s true because my clients experience it during and after our work together. As part of development, your brain and nervous system created emotional and mental adaptations to protect you. You may not remember when it happened. Yet these adaptations still may influence your thoughts and feelings today.
You can release old ways and unlock the life that serves you best! I’ve worked with people of all ages and backgrounds: professionals, people with disabilities, those with chronic pain/illness, teens, groups, couples and families. Working together we cultivate self-awareness, healthier relationships, positive life goals and more effective choices.
Contact me today and begin your journey towards self-realization and transformation.
