Therapy is a collaborative process. Together, we clarify what you would like to change and work toward practical ways of responding to life’s challenges with greater flexibility, confidence and autonomy.
Somatic & Strategic psychotherapy
About Emmanuelle Matsumura
About Emmanuelle Matsumura
Strategic psychotherapy & Clinical Hypnosis in Tokyo
Your therapist in Tokyo & Online
松村 エマニュエル
I’m Emmanuelle Matsumura, a strategic psychotherapist and clinical hypnotherapist based in Tokyo, working with clients both in person and online.
With over 20 years of experience in therapeutic and body-based practice, I work with adults experiencing anxiety, trauma, chronic pain, stress-related symptoms, and a wide range of psychological and mind-body difficulties.
My approach is person-centred, solution-focused and strategic, while drawing on clinical hypnotherapy and somatic approaches. I adapt the therapeutic process to each person’s needs, goals and way of responding.
Therapy is not simply about managing symptoms. It is also about understanding the patterns that maintain difficulties, developing new ways of responding, and creating meaningful and sustainable change.
Together, we explore what is happening, what may be keeping the difficulty going, and what possibilities may help you move forward with greater understanding, flexibility and autonomy.
How My Approach to Therapy Developed
My approach to therapy has developed through years of clinical practice, continued training, and learning from different therapeutic traditions.
My foundation in Strategic Psychotherapy and Clinical Hypnotherapy shaped the way I think about therapeutic change: understanding how difficulties are maintained, identifying what may be keeping a person stuck, and helping create practical and meaningful shifts in the present.
Over time, my training in trauma-informed and somatic approaches expanded this perspective, bringing greater attention to the relationship between psychological experience, the body, emotions and the nervous system.
Today, I bring these perspectives together in a way that remains person-centred, solution-focused and responsive to each individual.
Strategic Psychotherapy & Clinical Hypnosis
My training in Strategic Psychotherapy and Clinical Hypnosis has strongly influenced the way I understand change. I am interested not only in what a person is experiencing, but in how they respond to it, what patterns may be maintaining the difficulty, and what can be changed to create a different outcome.
This perspective is practical and future-oriented, while remaining attentive to each person’s individual experience, strengths and goals.
Somatic Therapy & Trauma informed
The various training in trauma-informed and Somatic approaches deepened my understanding of how psychological experiences can also be expressed through the body.
This perspective allows me to pay attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to physical sensations, patterns of activation, tension, avoidance and regulation. It has become an important part of how I support people working through trauma, chronic pain and other persistent mind-body difficulties.
An Integrative Mind-Body Perspective
These different perspectives have gradually come together to form an integrative approach to therapy. I do not see the mind and body as separate parts of the therapeutic process, but as interconnected aspects of the same person.
The aim is not to follow a predetermined therapeutic formula, but to understand the person, their difficulty and their desired direction of change, and to develop the therapeutic process accordingly.
Who I help?
Emotional Difficulties
→ general anxiety, stress
→ social anxiety
→ performance anxiety
→ emotional regulation
→ self-esteem, perfectionism
→ procrastination
Trauma & Pain
→ trauma / PTSD
→ chronic pain
→ persistent physical symptoms
→IBS & gut-related difficulties
→ health-related difficulties
→ sleep difficulties
Life Changes
→ grief
→ postnatal depression
→ addiction
→ relationships
→ life transitions
→ Burn out
Other Difficulties
→ Phobias
→ Eating disorders
Therapy can also support a wide range of psychological and mind-body difficulties…
If you don’t see your particular concern listed here, feel free to get in touch to discuss whether therapy may be appropriate for you.
How I Work With You
Understanding What Is Happening
Understanding your experience, current patterns and what might be perpetuating the difficulty.
Finding What Can Change
Identify opportunities for change, resources and new ways of responding.
Building Flexibility & Autonomy
To develop greater flexibility, confidence and independence beyond the sessions.
Therapeutic approaches
I draw from a range of psychological, hypnotherapeutic and somatic approaches, selecting and integrating them according to each person’s needs, goals and therapeutic process.
Strategic Psychotherapy & Clinical Hypnosis
Strategic Psychotherapy focuses on understanding the patterns that maintain difficulties and identifying practical ways to create change. Clinical hypnosis can support focused attention, therapeutic learning and access to new ways of responding.
Approaches include:
Strategic Psychotherapy · Clinical Hypnosis · Solution-Focused Therapy · Motivational Interviewing
Trauma-Informed & Somatic Approaches
Trauma-informed and somatic approaches bring attention to the relationship between psychological experience and the body. They can support greater awareness, regulation and flexibility when working with trauma, chronic pain and persistent stress-related symptoms.
Approaches include:
Trauma-Focused Therapy · Somatic Therapy · Mindfulness-Based Interventions · Polyvagal-informed approaches · Eyes Movement Reprocessing
Integrative Psychological Approaches
Depending on the person and the therapeutic goal, I may also draw on approaches that explore thoughts, behaviours, emotions, relationships and internal patterns.
Approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) · Internal Family Systems (IFS) · Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Specialized Mind-Body Approaches
My broader training in mind-body therapies also allows me to integrate specialized approaches when they are relevant to the therapeutic process, particularly when working with gut-related symptoms and the interaction between psychological and physical experiences.
Approaches include:
Gut-Oriented Hypnotherapy (Jane Corner)· Neuro Linguistic programming NLP.
These approaches are not used as a fixed formula. They are integrated within a collaborative therapeutic process and adapted as the work develops.
My professional training
Psychotherapy & Clinical Hypnotherapy
I hold an Australian National Diploma in Strategic Psychotherapy & Clinical Hypnotherapy at the Institut of applied psychology (IAP) led by Gordon Young.
I am a member of the International Strategic Psychotherapy Association (ISPA), and I also participate to monthly meeting with the North Carolina Society of Clinical Hypnosis (NCSCH).
My training in Strategic psychotherapy and Clinical hypnosis has been further informed by the work of Michael Yapko, Bill O ‘Hanlon, whose approaches emphasize practical therapeutic change, psychological flexibility and the development of effective ways of responding.
Trauma-Informed & Somatic Training
My professional development includes some training in trauma-informed care & Somatic approaches via PESI (Bessel van der Kolk, Peter A Levine, Gabor Maté).
And Internal Family Systems (IFS), supporting an understanding of how psychological experiences can be expressed through both mind and body.
Body-oriented & Mind-Body Therapies
My multidisciplinary training also includes body-oriented approaches:
- Massage & Body care (French Bachelor at Peyrefitte)
- Body work, Shiatsu
- Seitai Japanese chiropractic at Akaige juku,
- Kinesiology at Espace Kinesio Lyon
- Ostheopathy (gynecological and digestive) with French Osteopathy Kenkyujo.
I am also trained in Sonotherapy and hold certification as a Komyo Reiki Do Shihan.
Continuing Professional Development
I continue to develop my clinical practice through ongoing education in psychotherapy, trauma, hypnosis, neuroscience and mind-body approaches.
My multidisciplinary training allows me to look at your difficulties from psychological, somatic and body-based perspectives, while keeping the therapeutic process focused on what matters most to you.
A multidisciplinary & Cross-cultural perspective
My professional journey has taken place across different cultures and disciplines, shaping the way I understand people, health and therapeutic change.
Movement, Dance & the Body
My background in contemporary dance, movement education and somatic practices has given me a longstanding interest in the relationship between movement, emotions and embodied experience. Earlier work as a dance teacher and mediator in cultural and social settings also taught me to work with people from very different backgrounds and to respond sensitively to challenging situations.
Working Across Cultures
Having lived and worked in Australia, France and Japan, I have developed an appreciation for the ways culture, environment, personal history and individual values can shape how people understand themselves and their difficulties.
A Broader Perspective on Wellbeing
My experience across psychotherapy, body-based practices and different cultural traditions allows me to consider difficulties from multiple perspectives while keeping the therapeutic process focused on the individual person, their goals and what is most useful for them.
My multidisciplinary background is not about applying every approach I have learned. It allows me to look at each person’s experience from different perspectives and choose what is most relevant to their therapeutic process.
Therapy is available both in person in Tokyo and online, allowing you to choose the format that best fits your needs, circumstances and location.
Therapy in Tokyo & Online
In-Person Therapy in Tokyo
In-person sessions are available in Tokyo for clients who prefer face-to-face therapy and the experience of working together in person.
Online Therapy Worldwide
Online therapy allows me to work with clients beyond Tokyo and Japan, offering a flexible way to access psychotherapy and clinical hypnotherapy from wherever you are.
Whether we work online or in person, the therapeutic process remains collaborative, personalized and focused on what matters most to you.
