THE WHY WAY FOR PERSONAL WORK

Philosophical Biographical Analysis:
Self-Awareness & Sustainable Relationships

Become who you really are.

We are made of relationships. Every personal story is unique, and uniquely connected with other personal stories. Nurturing these bonds is how we care for ourselves, others & our world.

Personal Journeys

The Why Way is a therapeutic approach rooted in philosophical and psycho-analytic tradition, enriched by the wisdom inherent in art, spirituality, and the search for meaning — all of which help us orient ourselves.

Individual Sessions

Existential Therapy

  • Undertaking a journey of biographical analysis using philosophical practice is a choice that comes from within. It arises from a need to find deeper meaning in our life’s events and in our own decisions, by surpassing our habitual mental and emotional behaviors — without erasing them but by observing and embracing their existence. We accept and know ourselves fully, so that we may live fully.

    Verbal dialogue can be accompanied by moments of bodily listening and conscious breathing.

    The duration of my client’s journey is not established a priori but discovered and determined over a period of mutual listening that lasts as long as necessary for my client to feel “at home” with his/her/their self.

    I address the "healthy" dimension of people, existential discomfort, the challenge of finding life’s meaning, conflicts with self and others, and moments of disorientation that give rise to a fear of changing. In general, I assist those who are hungry to know themselves better and to be architects of their own well-being with an awareness of its flux and impermanence.

    Each session lasts 50 minutes, in person, and can be held online to accommodate specific needs.

    The first session is free.

The first meeting is without charge.

Group Sessions

Living fully & in harmony with self, others & surroundings

  • Designed for the practice of constructive dialogue even and particularly in the case of various points of view, this seminar is an opportunity to practice verbal exchange with the goal of increasing individual and collective potential.

    At its core, it’s an exercise in speaking, listening and staying in silence that trains the mind and body to not be reactive, to put aside certainties and narcissistic impulses giving the group the possibility of communicating in a non-conflictual way, building meaning together and giving life to something greater than the sum of the individuals. In a time so full of conflict, difficulty understanding others, and frustration making one’s self understood, this seminar is an essential training ground.

    We explore the five dimensions of dialog as set forth by physicist David Bohm: dialog as conversation, inquiry, creation of shared meaning, a participatory process and collective meditation.

    The seminar is recommended for both pre-existing groups seeking to strengthen their collective thinking while diminishing conflict and groups of previously unacquainted individuals seeking to learn to talk to others and not just at others.

  • Conducted with Maia Cornacchia, these are seminars for discovering the body’s language in relation to one’s own emotions, history and encounters. The body’s profound relationship with nature—with light and dark, plants, grass, clouds, sky, and its own breath—are the basis of this experience of crossing a threshold towards a richer relationship with oneself and with others.

  • In everyday life, time is stolen from us, not by work, the boss, clients or needy elderly parents, but by our own inattention. Being attentive, present and open to listening is our power in every moment of life, even in those tragic and painful chapters that require us to be fully present.

    Walks in Wonder are group experiences of staying attentive to the movement of our body and its relationship with the spaces and objects that surround it—in the city, as chaotic as it is full of surprise and beauty. A breath of fresh air in the cacophany of our lives that replaces retreating into isolation with active enjoyment of traffic and noise as coaches of attention and presence.

An Integral Approach to Existential Care

Biographical analysis meets humanistic conflict mediation.

I accompany my clients through existential care to help them transform their lives by transforming difficulties and challenges along the journey into resources that aid personal growth, give meaning to their choices, and increase awareness of the impact they have on others.

  • L’incontro negli anni tra gli studi filosofici, le scuole spirituali tradizionali, le esperienze corporee di meditazione, la scuola di specializzazione in mediazione umanistica dei conflitti (CIMFM) e la scuola Philo di analisi biografica a orientamento filosofico (ABOF), mi ha condotta a mettermi al servizio di chi desidera intraprendere un percorso di analisi esistenziale animato da nuove domande per costruire un’ immagine di sé, della propria vita e degli altri meno conflittuale e più in armonia con il proprio essere nel mondo.

    Valeria Cantoni Mamiani