About
Julia de Souza Queiroz, PhD.
As a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, my work integrates insights into how trauma, on one hand, and emotional growth and self-development practices, on the other, impact the functioning of both our brain and body. My journey began with a personal search for answers, driven by childhood wounds and life experiences, which led me to specialize in the therapeutic approaches that helped me heal.
My therapeutic ‘blueprint’ is grounded in evidence-based research, interdisciplinary studies, a blend of psychological approaches, and years of personal work. Every individual’s journey is unique, and I tailor my approach to meet the specific needs and goals of each client.
At the core of my work is the understanding of how trauma shapes neurological development, alongside the natural impulse within each of us that drives connection and healing. I believe the brain and body co-participate in the healing process. As such, I use top-down methods—such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and the Pathwork®—that explore how our thoughts, beliefs, and judgments influence our emotions. Additionally, I incorporate bottom-up methods, such as Somatic Experiencing®, which focus on how nervous system regulation affects thoughts and feelings.
Through our collaborative work, we will explore underlying patterns that contribute to suffering, identify and challenge limiting beliefs, and cultivate resilience, emotional balance, and self-awareness. The goal is to support my clients in accessing their fullest potential, moving through pain, and finding a space of greater vitality, self-compassion, and fulfillment. This journey fosters integration and self-awareness, allowing individuals to connect with their inner wisdom and live from the core of their being.
I believe in the transformative power of healing and am dedicated to creating a compassionate, safe space for my clients to explore their unique experiences and realize their fullest potential.
My Background
With a strong academic and clinical foundation, I hold a PhD in PsychoNeuroImmunology (2013), a Master’s degree in Neurosciences (2006), a professional license in clinical psychology with emphasis on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (2004). I am licensed to practice in Portugal (OPP #27065), São Paulo, Brazil (CRP/SP #06/140568), and I hold the European Certificate of Psychology (Europsi, EAFP #PT-068228-202211). In 2024, I completed my training in Somatic Experiencing® and further advanced my expertise in The Pathwork Internacional® with 390 out of 420 hours.
My professional journey also includes postdoctoral research roles at leading institutions, such as the Champalimaud Foundation’s Neuropsychiatry Unit in Lisbon (2019–2021), the Social and Cognition Neuroscience Laboratory at Mackenzie University in São Paulo (2015–2017), the MRI Laboratory at Universidade de São Paulo (2016-2017), and the Group of Translational Psychiatry/Neurospin in Paris (2013–2015). In addition, I specialized in trauma-informed practices (2019) and served as a lecturer in Neurosciences in Bordeaux, France (2018).
My Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
We navigate the world based on our core beliefs, which shape how we see, feel, and respond to life’s experiences. The dysfunctional core beliefs are limited and distorted. As a result, life can sometimes feel like a struggle or a threat, leaving us feeling helpless and hopeless.
During the sessions I focus to identify the dysfunctional core beliefs, and to correlate them with one’s suffering, promoting a non-judgmental awareness of internal experiences.
By bringing awareness to these core beliefs and understanding how they contribute to our suffering, we can begin to experience our pain instead of relying on the strategies we’ve developed to avoid it. This process fosters self-awareness and promotes a more present, authentic way of living.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing helps us overcome the negative effects of trauma by reconnecting with our body, feelings, and emotions.
Trauma (acute trauma or developmental trauma) is an incomplete physiological response to a real or perceived threat. When this response is not fully processed, it leaves energy trapped in the body, leading to physical and emotional symptoms, such as depression, hyperarousal, anxiety and irritability, rage outbursts, fearfulness, and even panic attacks.
We respond to trauma by dissociating and disconnecting. The result is a dimming down of the life force. By tracking the sensations in the body using Somatic Experiencing, it is possible to discharge the nervous system and to progressively put us more in touch with our core aliveness/energetic flow and coherence in all systems of the body.
Pathwork
Pathwork is a journey of personal transformation. It aims to guide individuals toward self-awareness and personal transformation by addressing the multiple layers of human consciousness. Pathwork identifies three primary levels: the Mask (or the ego ideal), the Lower Self (which holds our darker, negative impulses), and the Higher Self, (representing our essential, divine nature).
As conflicts are faced in a constructive way, by confronting one’s internal conflicts, patterns of avoidance, and self-sabotaging behaviors, the personality awakens to deeper self-awareness, consciousness expands, and with this growth, new inspiration and deeper levels of understanding are reached.
Through this process, we gradually build a more authentic and confident self, enhancing our capacity to experience joy and abundance.