Meet Dr. Maritta Philp—MD, Coach, Therapist, and Author—whose mission is to guide others through life’s most transformative moments with empathy, insight, and authenticity. Blending her medical expertise with psychotherapy and holistic healing, Dr. Maritta offers a deeply integrative approach to personal growth and emotional well-being. Whether supporting clients through heartbreak, major life transitions, or the quest for self-discovery, she provides a compassionate space where healing begins from within. Her work is grounded in the belief that every challenge holds the potential for profound empowerment—and that by aligning with one’s true self, a more meaningful, balanced, and fulfilling life can emerge. Join Mystic Mag and read more.
Your background beautifully bridges medicine, psychotherapy, and holistic healing. How do you integrate these disciplines to create a truly personalized healing experience for your clients?
It took me a long time to reconcile what seemed like opposing worlds, the clinical precision of medicine, the reflective depth of psychotherapy, and the soulful wisdom of holistic healing. Over time, I came to see that they were never truly separate. Each simply addresses a different layer of our being, be that physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual.
When someone’s pain manifests on the physical level, a physical approach can be deeply supportive, but it must not exclude the unseen influences beneath it, emotional wounding, unmet needs, inherited patterns, trauma, or limiting beliefs formed through conditioning.
I meet each client exactly where they are, beginning with what feels most alive or pressing in their current experience. From there, we gently open to the layers beneath. In our culture we often overemphasize the mental and physical realms while neglecting the emotional and spiritual. My work weaves them back together, creating a coherent, compassionate field where true healing and self-remembering can unfold.
Many people seek guidance during times of emotional upheaval or transition. What’s the first step you take to help someone begin the journey from pain toward empowerment?
Emotional upheaval often activates younger parts of us; the mind loops, and we feel scared or stuck. The first step is safety and presence: we slow everything down and come back to the body, feet on the ground, a longer exhale, eyes gently orienting to the room. This settles the nervous system enough to meet what’s here.
Next, we shift language to create space: instead of “I am overwhelmed,” we try “a part of me feels overwhelmed.” This simple move unblends you from the storm and restores choice. I teach brief containment practices (hand to heart/belly, a timed journal “container,” boundary-setting phrases) so the system feels held.
From there, we turn toward the distressed parts with compassion and curiosity: What are you protecting me from? What do you need right now? In my experience, every part carries a positive intention but may be stuck in an old survival role. When we honour its purpose and update the strategy, the energy that was pain begins to reorganize into clarity, strength, and next steps.
What type of services do you offer?
My core offering is one-to-one transformational coaching and therapy, online or in person (UK—Edinburgh/Dunfermline). Sessions weave evidence-informed psychology with parts-work (IFS-inspired), trauma-sensitive practices, and spiritual guidance—always tailored to what’s most alive for the client. Most clients meet weekly or fortnightly for 60–75 minutes.
I also offer relationship support—both post-breakup healing and conscious-relationship preparation. We work on nervous-system regulation, grief integration, attachment patterns, boundaries, and values-aligned dating so clients can create and sustain truly loving partnerships.
Alongside this, I provide a spiritual evolution assessment that helps people discern where they are on the path—from a more dual, fragmented experience toward a felt sense of wholeness and coherence. The assessment is accompanied by practical tools and stage-matched practices, so clients have clear next steps between sessions.
I’m currently writing The Evolution of Self – A Mystical Journey from the Mundane to the Divine, a framework of 13 thresholds of development. With publication anticipated in early 2026, I’ll be opening online courses and small groups to explore the work in the community.
You often speak about helping people “create a life that reflects their true self.” What does living as one’s “true self” mean to you in a practical, everyday sense?
For me, the true Self is our steady essence, present, compassionate, and unblended from younger parts that are still reacting to the past. When we’re identified with a part, our energy gets pulled into “there and then.” When we’re in Self, that life force returns to “here and now.”
Practically, this looks like groundedness and choice. We notice a trigger, breathe, and relate to it as a part of me, not the whole of me. We act from values, not from fear. It doesn’t mean life stops being challenging; it means our relationship with challenge changes.
In everyday life, “true self” can sound like:
- “No” said kindly and cleanly, without over-explaining.
- Pausing before replying and choosing language that is truthful and compassionate.
- Tending the body (sleep, food, movement) so clarity has a home.
- Scheduling buffers, protecting deep-work and rest, and keeping small promises to yourself.
- Letting thought, feeling, and action align, so choices feel coherent, not costly.
It’s a loving, boundaried relationship with life: intimate with reality, yet not engulfed by it.
How do you help clients reconnect with their inner wisdom when they’ve lost touch with their own sense of clarity or purpose?
Reconnection begins with slowing down the system so we can actually hear. We create safety first, grounding, breath, and gentle orientation to the body, so the nervous system settles, and the deeper signal can emerge.
Then we shift language: instead of “I’m lost,” we notice “a part of me feels lost,” which unblends the self from the story.
Through quiet, curious inquiry and simple somatic practices, clients learn to distinguish the calm inner voice, the one that feels steady and true, from fear-based loops or protective parts. We honour what those parts are trying to do, update their role, and let clarity surface in its own timing. My job is to hold a compassionate, structured space where their wisdom can be remembered and trusted again.
What message would you like to share with those who feel lost or disconnected right now—people who are searching for healing but unsure where to begin?
First, there is nothing “wrong” with you. Feeling lost is a human experience, not a personal failure. Often, it’s younger parts of you asking for connection and attunement.
Begin simply:
- Slow down and come back to your body—feel your feet, soften your jaw, lengthen your exhale.
- Change the language: not “I am lost,” but “a part of me feels lost.” That small shift creates space and choice.
- Offer kindness: place a hand on your heart as you would comfort a child. Ask, What do you need right now?
Remember: your essence hasn’t gone anywhere. Like the sun behind clouds, it’s present even when you can’t see it. Hard seasons pass; they also shape us with unexpected wisdom. Reach for support if you need it—you don’t have to do this alone. The path begins with one compassionate breath, and the next honest, gentle step.
