— Welcome to Nafs Healing
Our Team
Nafs
‘Nafs’ is an arabic term lexically meaning The Self, Mind, Ego, Soul, Spirit. In other words Nafs means the entirety of the person because healing is coming back to the essence – ‘The Self’.
Nafs Healing was founded by Asiya Shaikh who was always fascinated by the miraculous nature of humans as a whole, comprehensive and holistic being. At Nafs Healing we take a unified trauma-informed approach and consider the psychological, physical, spiritual and social dimensions, to provide holistic mental health services from a Biopsychosocial & heart-opening spiritual perspective. We provide a safe and inclusive environment, culturally-relevant services, utilizing anti-racism and anti-oppressive framework to work with people of colour, visible minorities, refugees and anyone who is culturally wounded and seeking to heal.
The theme of the word Nafs has a modernistic undertone. It is to instill a sense of individual responsibility through a strong emphasis on choices made by the individual, it is the sophisticated cognitive and perceptive part that has many inter-related functions and unique characteristics. Nafs is something to be nurtured & self-regulated so that it can progress into becoming ‘sound’ by being with what is and being with God.
Our methods are rooted in a traditional approach to healing the whole being, we engage the metaphysical heart (qalb), self (nafs), mind (aql), emotions (ihsaas), body (jism), and spirit (ruh). As healing the nafs is psycho – spiritual, our approach is not limited to talk therapy and often includes somatic, embodied experiential work which allows access to deeper parts of the self. We combine embodied practices like horse-riding, archery, swimming, nervous-system reset by working with the vagus nerve also known as the ‘soul nerve’. We integrate different techniques, tools and evidence-based therapies to cater to the unique needs of each client.
“Successful indeed is the one who purifies their soul.” (Qur’an 91:9)
Understanding that trauma often originates in early relational experiences, our program also emphasizes the importance of collective healing circles, retreats fostering transformation and healthy relational patterns. This relational work, combined with somatic therapies, provides a path for individuals to experience wholeness and wellness in their everyday lives. We believe healing is restoring safety and connections.
Our goal is to help individuals and families not only recover but also grow through the process. We believe healing is the revival of the ummah to reach its full potential for what they were created for.
Our therapists, counsellors and coaches are passionate about empowering and helping you thrive. We are here to tell you, that you are not alone. You can count on us as a rafeeq – a companion on this healing & rewarding journey.
Meet The Team
Head Practitioner
Asiya Shaikh
Registered Psychotherapist & Supervisor
Registered Pychotherapist
Farah Memon
Registered Psychotherapist
Counsellors
Noura Amkieh
Nauma Shezad
Sarif Alrai
Betul Yildirim Amin
