Meditation coaching
When mindfulness feels stuck: trauma-informed coaching
Rediscover safety and ease in stillness.
If your mindfulness practice feels stuck, you are not alone. Sitting in a meditation hall with 50 others in the English countryside, I felt like I was continually being punched in the face. Despite following every instruction perfectly, something felt terribly wrong. My body screamed, but I was told to simply "sit with it."
I was so determined to "get it right" that I became a Buddhist monk. After more than a decade as a monk, still in my robes, I finally understood the truth: I had PTSD. And traditional meditation wasn't healing me—it was retraumatizing me.
The Story They Don't Tell You About Meditation
My psychotherapist said something that changed everything: "Drop the D in PTSD—it's not a disorder, it's a response."
That "punch" I felt wasn't resistance to overcome. It was trauma trying to get my attention. My body needed care, not more discipline.
For years, I'd been sitting for hours without self-compassion, pushing through pain, ignoring my inner signals. I thought this was "good practice." It wasn't. It was keeping me stuck.
But here's the gift: This journey made me trauma-sensitive. I studied with leading trauma experts, redesigned meditation retreats through a trauma lens, and discovered how to blend mindfulness with genuine healing.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Your meditation practice feels stuck, and you don't know why:
- You've lost focus or hit a plateau — can't reach that peaceful state anymore
- Your mind feels noisier than ever — intrusive thoughts persist despite hours of practice
- Anxiety or depression intensifies — meditation makes you feel worse, not better
- Old patterns keep surfacing — years of practice, but the same issues remain
- You can't integrate mindfulness — it works on the cushion but not in real life
Here's what's really happening: Your nervous system might be dysregulated. Traditional meditation approaches often miss the trauma piece—and that's not your fault.
How trauma-informed coaching helps your meditation practice
Instead of pushing through, you'll learn to:
- Recognize when to pause vs. when to continue — build genuine resilience, not false toughness
- Work WITH your nervous system — honor your body's wisdom instead of overriding it
- Integrate mindfulness safely — bring practice into work and relationships without triggering
- Transform stuck patterns — address root causes, not just symptoms
- Find your authentic path — discover what genuine peace is for YOU
“As a dharma practitioner, Amaranatho’s mindfulness-based coaching and brainspotting helped me access parts of myself that had felt out of reach. The brainspotting quickly got to the heart of things, leading to real shifts in my relationship with my family; I carry much less guilt now, with a new sense of ease. The work also brought an unexpected reconnection to my masculinity, with a sense of aliveness I hadn’t realized I was missing. Alongside that, I’ve rediscovered play, not as something to check off, but as something genuinely nourishing. Most of all, this work connected me to a growing sense of purpose and self-trust.”
“I am very grateful to Amaranatho. He is a wonderful teacher: skilful, knowledgeable, challenging, playful, down to earth, reliable and likeable. I had asked him to help me in my meditation practice. He gave me the tools, the knowledge and the confidence to set up a regular practice and to allow it deeply and transformatively into other areas of my life. We covered a lot of ground in the process. It was the most serious play, and there was a lot of good laughter. I would recommend him highly.”
“Amaranatho has a vast well of knowledge and uses a holistic approach to unravel the complexities in life. His suggestions of practical tools bring clarity to how and why things are. If you’re looking to get ‘unstuck’ from persistent patterns he will help leverage insight to make it happen. I highly recommend working with Amaranatho.”
The PlayfulMonk approach to complexity combines awareness of who you are and personal development
Explore, Play, Love, Presence and Connection
Explore
Delve into complexity to uncover new insights and possibilities
Play
Be adaptive and relaxed in the way you deal with complex situations
Love
Love what you do, yourself and empower the people around you to do the same
Presence
This approach will help you recognise presence to not be restricted by past habits, or future desires and be creative in responding to the challenges that happen in life.
Connection
This will enhance the way you connect with yourself, others, and the environment.
Amaranatho – Your guide and coach
Amaranatho is an experienced and accredited coaching supervisor and senior practitioner of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). He brings a unique blend of life experiences and spiritual insights to his clients, drawing from his background in technical support management and his degree in AI. Having worked with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds around the world, Amaranatho is skilled in connecting with individuals and supporting them in achieving their goals.
As a former Buddhist of 15 years, Amaranatho has a deep understanding of contemplation and has spent long periods alone exploring the deeper questions in life. His unique perspective on spirituality and personal growth allows him to guide his clients to recognise peace and contentment in their lives.
Why choose me?
This approach develops mindfulness, abundance, authenticity and the recognition of freedom.
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Integrity
I follow an ethical framework and have incorporated and embodied in my own life what I share with others. I will tell you when I have not
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Integration
I integrate mindfulness with evidence based neuroscience, psychological research as well as energy medicine, nutrition and shadow work.
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Individuation
I take full responsibility for my life and the choices I make and support others to do the same when they are ready.
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Transformation
I have worked with 1000's of people to transform their lives, through public talks, workshops, and residential retreats.
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Listening Ear
I provide a non-judgemental listening space for you. Whilst offering honest and direct feedback when needed
Ready to Transform Your Stuck Practice?
I've created a free online course that shares my complete story and puts it in context — designed to help you reflect on your own story.
A pain in the bloody neck: A journey of awakening
In this free course, you'll discover:
- How trauma and a dysregulated nervous system can show up in meditation
- When to pause versus push through — and why both matter for a stuck mindfulness practice
- Integrating mindfulness off the cushion without triggering overwhelm
- Untangling patterns that years of practice have not shifted
- My complete story and what it reveals about healing through stillness
You can view the course here. To access the course for free, complete this form to get a voucher.
If you are seriously looking for transformation
and like a guide for your journey.
It would be an honour to accompany you.