Maud Ray
International Couple & Psychosexual Therapist
I am an accomplished International Couple Psychosexual Therapist,
(PG Dip) (Tavistock trained),
Breathwork and somatic movement therapy for trauma healing (Embody Lab),
BACP Accredited & COSRT registered,
with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology.
I have extensive experience gained over more than two decades in personal development, and 12 years in applied psychology, and psychotherapeutic practice across both public and private sectors.
I work with individuals, couples & poly configuration relationship and sexual issues, including sexual orientation, gender identity struggles/coming out, and exploration of alternative sexuality and relationships (open relationships, polyamory, kink, fetishes).
Some couples also work with me to learn how to separate with integrity, authenticity, autonomy and respect.
I also offer pre-marital therapy.
Some people come to see me specifically to better understand and work with patterns held in the body.
I have extensive experience supporting neurodivergent clients and couples, including people with ADHD, autism and different sensory, communication and processing needs.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege to serve a broad and diverse international clientele, spanning a wide spectrum of gender, sexual orientations, abilities, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds.
About
Maud Ray
How I Work
I am truly grateful to be able to do the work I love.
I am compassionate, authentic and appropriately challenging. My aim is to create a safe, supportive and accepting therapeutic relationship in which we can work collaboratively, at your pace, with whatever arises in our sessions.
Together, we explore your unique lived experience: how you make meaning of your world, your relationships and your life. From there, we make space for what may feel different, new or possible for you.
Body, Mind and Therapeutic Integration
I hold a deep belief that body and mind can be integrated, because both are part of a whole. The body quietly gathers and stores knowledge from the experiences we live through, including those for which words may not yet exist. This dimension is an integral part of my clinical work.
My practice is informed by Humanistic theory and principles, Zen Therapy, Focusing, Body Psychotherapy, Psychosexual Couple Therapy, and the Psycho-Physiology of trauma, including Breathwork.
I am interested how cultivating a quality of presence and acceptance in mind and body of all our emotions and feelings affects the quality of our lives. How to sense, become aware of, label, live, release and dispel our emotions and feelings healthily .
Cultural Background and Values
I am of French-Italian descent. My professional life has taken me across the Globe, with England as my home base for the past thirty years. My personal life is enriched by relationships with people from many cultural backgrounds, and I have raised my children to appreciate the multi-cultural heritage they inherit.
The principles of Respect, Integrity, Autonomy, Diversity, Cultural Inclusion and Equality are central to both my personal ethos and my professional practice. I am also a 5Rhythms dancer, a yogini, and a meditation practitioner.
Finding the Right Fit
On a final note, I believe finding your therapist is like finding “that” pair of shoes - it needs to “fit”. The relationship you have together is pretty unique. Especially when we are exploring hidden, tender or unfamiliar parts of the self. So, it is essential for you to feel safe and connected with your therapist . TRUST YOURSELF, you will know when you find the right one for you. Do not feel discouraged or put off if I am not for you. Persevere - Afterall, "the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" ( Lao Tzu).
PSYCHOSEXUAL THERAPY
Areas We Can Explore
Together, we can explore a wide range of sexual and relational concerns, including sexual communication, sexuality, intimacy, menopause, sex and ageing, and alternatives to conventional intercourse. Help women learn how to feel pleasure and work towards having an orgasm, no matter their age.
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Issues relating to pornography, body image or loss of desire
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Differences in libido within a couple
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Difficulty with orgasm, involuntary ejaculation, vaginismus or erectile difficulties
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Fear of sex, sex avoidance or sexual phobias
What Psychosexual Therapy Offers
Sexuality is at the core of who we are. It involves the body, mind and emotions, and it can be a sensitive, complex or difficult topic to navigate.
Psychosexual therapy can offer a meaningful journey of discovery: a way of meeting your body and mind differently, unlearning old patterns, rethinking misconceptions about sex and relationships, and developing a healthier relationship with intimacy.
A Whole-Person Approach
The psychosexual lens is raw, powerful and unique. It allows every dimension of your life to be welcomed into the room: biology, psychology, spirituality and physiology, as well as your present, past and ancestral history.
Getting Unstuck
I value helping people get unstuck, demystify and normalise sexual intimacy, and move beyond the often narrow messages presented by media and culture.
This work may involve supporting people to reconnect with pleasure, explore orgasm, understand desire, or discover new ways of experiencing their own body and their partner’s body. For couples, it can open a new space of connection, curiosity and intimacy.
BREATHWORK AND SOMATIC MOVEMENT FOR TRAUMA PROCESSING
Together, we explore how experiences, emotions and relational patterns can be held in the body. Through gentle attention to breath, movement, sensation and awareness, this work can support healing, regulation and a deeper sense of connection with yourself.
How the Body Remembers
The body holds a quiet, or sometimes very loud, record of what we have lived through, including experiences for which words may not yet have been found. Trauma, stress and relational wounds can remain present as patterns in posture, breath, sensations, movement, and in what feels safe to reach for or avoid.
As a pluralistic practitioner, I see somatic work not as a replacement for talking therapy, but as a way to deepen it. It offers another language for what is asking to be understood and spoken to.
How We Work
Nothing is rushed. Before any deeper body-based work begins, we build safety and trust together. Any embodied intervention happens with clear, ongoing consent: you remain in charge of what happens, and you can pause or stop at any point.
Depending on what feels useful for you, this may involve tracking sensation, exploring movement or gesture, working with breath, or noticing the shapes and postures the body takes in different states. Over time, this can support your body in discovering new patterns of holding, moving and being that reflect safety and choice, rather than old protective responses.
Where This Comes From
My somatic practice draws on Body-Mind Centering, Laban Movement Analysis, developmental movement patterns, and training in breathwork and somatic movement therapy for trauma healing through The Embody Lab. It is also informed by my long-standing personal practice in 5Rhythms dance, authentic movement and Qigong.
