Work with Myriam Khouzam in Hamilton and Online!
You may remember me as A Nourished Heart. Don’t worry; you’re still in the right place!
About me
I am a queer person of the global majority, of North African descent, and I use she/they pronouns. I live and work in Attiwandarionia (Hamilton, ON) as a second-generation, unintentional guest on Turtle Island, the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas peoples.
My practice is rooted in the understanding that healing does not happen in isolation. Our experiences, relationships, cultures, histories, and the systems we move through all shape the ways we relate to ourselves, our bodies, and the world around us. I strive to offer a space where people can arrive as their full selves — without having to perform, explain, or leave parts of themselves behind.
My path into this work has been shaped by many years of learning, listening, and walking alongside people through difficult and transformative moments. With a background in sociology and social work, I have supported diverse communities, including unhoused and unemployed youth, and individuals impacted by gender-based violence and trauma. These experiences continue to inform my commitment to compassionate, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive care.
I have been teaching yoga and meditation since 2001, with over 1500 hours of training in trauma-informed and somatic approaches. My work is also informed by my training as a Shiatsu Therapist and Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), as well as ongoing studies with various teachers and healing traditions from around the world. These different perspectives have shaped my understanding of healing as a process that involves the whole person — body, emotions, mind, relationships, and spirit.
In my therapeutic work, I integrate somatic approaches, mindfulness, nervous system education, and parts work to support people in developing a deeper relationship with themselves. Rather than viewing symptoms, emotions, or protective patterns as problems to eliminate, I approach them with curiosity and compassion as meaningful responses shaped by our experiences.
In 2024, I completed the year-long Compassionate Inquiry Professional Program with Dr. Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur ND. This trauma-informed psychotherapeutic approach explores how early experiences, unmet needs, and emotional patterns can become held within the body, while cultivating compassion, awareness, connection, and greater freedom.
In 2025, I completed Levels 1 and 2 of Janina Fisher’s Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) training. TIST is a trauma-informed parts-based approach that integrates elements of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, clinical hypnosis, and cognitive approaches. It supports a compassionate understanding of protective responses and helps reduce shame while building greater self-awareness, integration, and self-trust.
My continued education includes training in:
OCASI (Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants):
- Mental Health and Stigma
- Effective Support – Cultural Competence
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Crisis Intervention
- Mental Health Training & Trauma Informed Care
- Creating Positive Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Newcomers
- Trauma and Violence Informed approach
AOcVF (Action Ontarienne Contre la Violence Faites Aux Femmes):
- Violence against Women
- Feminist interventions and vulnerable populations
- Vicarious trauma
- Therapeutic approaches for working with victims of trauma
- Anti-racist and anti-oppressive approaches
I offer sessions in person in Hamilton, ON (430 York Blvd) and online.
My Values
Therapeutic relationships are rooted in trust, collaboration, curiosity, compassion, and respect. I believe integration happens within relationships. It happens through being seen, heard, and welcomed as our full selves.
My hope is to cultivate a space where you do not have to perform, minimize, explain, or leave parts of yourself behind. A space where your experiences make sense within the context of your story, your relationships, your culture, your body, and the world around you.
My practice is intentionally trauma-informed, body-centered, and grounded in anti-oppressive principles. I recognize that our struggles do not exist in isolation; our nervous systems and ways of being are shaped by personal experiences, attachment, family and ancestral histories, cultural narratives, social conditions, and systems of power that influence how we move through the world.
I approach therapy with the understanding that healing is not about fixing what is “wrong” with you. It is about creating the conditions for greater awareness, connection, choice, and self-trust. I honour the wisdom already held within your body and recognize that you are the expert of your own lived experience.
My practice is committed to being:
Anti-colonial
Anti-racist
Feminist and intersectional
Queer, trans and gender affirming and inclusive of diverse identities and expressions
Weight-inclusive and body-liberatory
Neurodiversity-affirming
Culturally humble and curious
Trauma-informed and non-pathologizing
Rooted in consent, collaboration, and choice
I believe therapy must acknowledge the ways oppression, marginalization, and systemic inequities impact our wellbeing, while also honouring resilience, resistance, creativity, connection, and the many ways people heal.
I am committed to ongoing learning, reflection, and accountability. I recognize that I am continually shaped by my own experiences and perspectives, and I strive to remain open to feedback, complexity, and the wisdom of the communities I support.
Together, we create a therapeutic relationship where your lived experience is respected, your body’s signals are listened to, and healing can unfold in ways that are meaningful, authentic, and aligned with who you are.