About Olivia Jackson
Somatic Practitioner, Meditation Teacher & Spiritual Mentor
I know how it feels...
Before I became a chronic pain specialist and spiritual mentor
..I had an entirely different life.
I worked internationally as a model and stuntwoman – performing on productions including Mad Max: Fury Road, Avengers, Cinderella and Guardians of the Galaxy, and doubling for actresses Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Karen Gillan, Gwyneth Paltrow and Elizabeth Olsen. It was a life of extreme physical capability, constant movement, and a kind of freedom that I had no reason to believe wouldn’t last.
In 2015, an accident on set left me in a coma for three weeks. When I came back, everything had changed. I was living with brain trauma, severe physical injuries, ongoing neurological damage and chronic pain that will never go away. The career I had built – and the identity that came with it – was gone. Alongside the physical reality came profound emotional suffering: grief, loss, disorientation, a complete need to rebuild.
It was the hardest thing I have ever faced. It is also the reason why I can do the work I do.
Transforming suffering into growth…
I had been a dedicated practitioner of Tibetan Buddhist meditation for 15 years before the accident – a tradition I consider one of the most profound frameworks for understanding the mind. It was a practice that was very sacred to me and deeply inspired my life. After the accident, that practice became something far deeper than a passion. It became the ground I stood on when there was nothing else.
Through my own direct experience, I learned how to meet pain – both physical and emotional – without being overwhelmed by it. How to sit inside grief, fear and disorientation and not let it control my life. And I learned how to truly, in body and mind, transform how I respond to that pain – bringing me much more inner peace, no matter my situation.
Even in the midst of severe ongoing pain, it is possible to find clarity, meaning and moments of genuine inner peace. It is something I have lived, practised and continue to embody every single day.
My Approach
My work draws on lived experience alongside substantial formal training:
25 years of Tibetan Buddhist practice forms the deep foundation. Alongside this I bring training in somatic transformation practice, transpersonal coaching psychology, trauma-informed approaches, Compassionate Inquiry principles as developed by Gabor Maté, Jungian-informed perspectives, somatic movement awareness (Anna Murray-Preece) and mindfulness-based practices.
But more than this list of modalities – what I bring is the ability to be genuinely present with you and your suffering, confusion or overwhelm. To hold complexity without trying to fix it. And to work at the level where embodied, lasting change actually happens.
Every session is tailored, responsive and rooted in what is actually arising for you on that day.
Who I work with
Whatever brings you here – I meet you there.
The people I work with are often carrying one or more of the following.
- Chronic pain or long-term health conditions – particularly those of you who have explored conventional routes and are ready for a more integrated approach to how you live with pain.
- Significant life changes – including disability, loss or the kind of upheaval that asks you to rebuild your sense of self and meaning from scratch.
- Nervous system overwhelm – stress, anxiety or a persistent sense of being unable to settle or feel safe.
- A spiritual path or significant inner awakening that needs grounded, experienced support to help integrate it into your life.
- Those of you with a quiet but persistent sense that there is more to life.
I work online with clients across the UK, the USA, Canada and internationally.
Testimonials
Real Stories, Real Results
“Olivia’s support has transformed my life. She has given me tools to manage any feelings and physical sensations peacefully. It is the first time I have felt energetically connected to the therapist.”
– Natasha, USA
“I had trauma decades ago and still find myself holding my body tightly. At times of stress or anxiety it intensifies. Working with Olivia gave me supportive tools to physically soften and create healing. Thank you”
– Joan, UK
“After a year of trying to ‘fix’ my chronic pain by every means possible I discovered Olivia. I was desperately searching for relief and immediately resonated with her guidance.
My pain hasn’t changed but how I respond to it has. With Olivia’s guidance I am transforming my relationship with pain in ways that are enriching my whole life”
– Jack, USA