About

Hello, welcome and namasté!

I am Miriam Popper, founder and developer of Yoga Psychotherapy (YoPT®).

My credo: In my experience, body, mind and soul are different aspects of the same reality, which we can integrate, transform and fill with consciousness. This was the starting point for the development of yoga psychotherapy YoPT.

I wanted to combine the great knowledge of yoga and the findings of psychotherapy so that in the psychotherapy process we can use the tools of yoga for healing the body and the spirituality of yoga for healing the soul, because both – yogic bodywork and yogic meditation – can be wonderfully combined with the findings of modern psychotherapy research and help far more on the healing path than just talking on the rational level alone can achieve.

What the ancient Hatha yogis knew long ago is now also being discovered in psychotherapy research: evolutionarily older areas of our brain cannot be changed by talking – it takes activation and calming, mobilisation and relaxation, breath and movement for profound change. Especially when trauma and dissociation are involved, not only a body-related but also a transpersonal resource is needed, which we can build up through the meditation techniques of yoga.

To my life path: In my youth, I first studied comparative religion and philosophy (and also did aerobics and dance), later completed psychology and various psychotherapy courses (IBP, psychological psychotherapy with Prof. Grawe) and finally came to yoga over 20 years ago, which for me integrated everything – body, mind, intellect, emotion and philosophy – and whose techniques I soon incorporated into my therapeutic work.

I am a federally accredited psychotherapist FSP, certified yoga teacher AYA/SYV/EYU and have been working in my own psychotherapeutic practice for over 27 years. Today my main activity is the management of the training institute for YoPT in Zurich, the further development of this fascinating method and the teaching of the training participants who would like to learn YoPT.

Studies and training:
  • 1982-1988 Studied Comparative Religion, Jewish Studies and Philosophy at the University of Lucerne, lic. phil. I.
  • 1992-1998 Second degree in clinical psychology and psychopathology at the University of Zurich, lic.phil. I.
  • 1992-1998 Training in body psychotherapy at the IBP Institute for Integrative Body Psychotherapy in Winterthur with Dr. med. Fischer, Jack Rosenberg and Beverly Kitaen-Morse.
  • 1998-2004 Further training at the University of Bern with Prof. Grawe in psychological psychotherapy with a cognitive-behavioural and interpersonal focus.
  • 1998-1999 Assistant to Prof. Boothe at the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Zurich.
  • 1998-2001 Delegated psychotherapy with Dr. Marco Zoller, Zurich.
  • 2001 Opening of the group practice Steinwies in Zurich. Delegation by Dr Mario Gut and independent practice.
  • 2014 until today: Head of the Institute for YoPT. Teaching of the yearly training in YoPT.
Further psychotherapeutic training:
  • Lifespan-Integration at Peggy Pace
  • Ego-states Therapy
  • EMI
  • Brainspotting
  • PEP at Dr. Michael Bohne
  • TRE
Training in bodywork and yoga training:
  • 1986 SAFS training as an instructor in aerobics and stretching.
  • Teaching group classes since 1987.
  • 1991 and 1992 two-time Swiss Champion in Aerobics, participation in the World Championship in Japan/Tokyo.
  • 2001 started on the path of Hatha Yoga.
  • 2009 Training as yoga instructor according to the standard of the American Yoga Alliance.
  • Further training in yoga therapy with Doug Keller.
  • Advanced training in Hatha Yoga with Stephen Thomas.
  • Advanced training with Michael Hamilton.
  • Training with Gregor Maehle, Australia.
  • Annual further training in yoga therapy, yoga philosophy and meditation.
  • Practice of mindfulness meditation (Vipassana) and yoga meditation.
Development of Yoga-Psychotherapy YoPT®:
  • 2010 YoPT® for small groups of patients.
  • 2012 YoPT® for the individual setting.
  • 2014 Further development of YoPT®: PART ONE – Yoga tools for psychotherapists.
  • 2015 Development of PART TWO – ego-state work with yoga tools.
  • 2016 YoPT® workshops
  • 2018 YoPT® PART THREE
  • 2022 YoPTYoPT® PART FOUR – Trauma work with yoga tools (incorporating all previous PARTS of YoPT®): Trauma-YoPT®.
More info about me and my work as a psychotherapist at miriampopper.com

Hello, welcome and namasté!

I am Miriam Popper, founder and developer of the Yoga-based Trauma-Psychotherapy (YoPT®).

My credo: In my experience, body, mind and soul are different aspects of the same reality, which we have to heal in an integrative way to get the best and long lasting results. 

In our times, most of our clients suffer from early or recent trauma, from experiences which could not be fully integrated and resolved. Yoga-based Trauma-Psychotherapie YoPT has the goal to use the hugh knowledge of yoga to overcome psychological trauma and suffering.

Yogic bodywork and yogic meditation (what I call “Hypno-Yoga”)  can be combined with the findings of modern psychotherapy research to built a foundation for deep trauma-work, which helps far more than just talking on the rational level alone.

What the ancient Hatha yogis knew long ago is now also being discovered in psychotherapy research: evolutionarily older areas of our brain cannot be changed by talking – it takes activation and calming, mobilisation and relaxation, breath and movement for profound change. Besides the body oriented tools, yoga offers as well a “transpersonal” approach, what is especially helpful if trauma and dissociation are involved. “Transpersonal” resources are needed to overcome horrible loss, pain, fear and terror, which can be built up through the meditation techniques of yoga.

To my life path: In my youth, I first studied comparative religion and philosophy (and also did aerobics and dance), later completed psychology and various psychotherapy courses (IBP, psychological psychotherapy with Prof. Grawe) and finally came to yoga over 20 years ago, which for me integrated everything – body, mind, intellect, emotion and philosophy – and whose techniques I soon incorporated into my therapeutic work.

I am a federally accredited psychotherapist FSP, certified yoga teacher AYA/SYV/EYU and have been working in my own psychotherapeutic practice for over 27 years. Today my main activity is the management of the training institute for YoPT in Zurich, the further development of this fascinating method and the teaching of the training participants who would like to learn YoPT.

Studies and training:
  • 1982-1988 Studied Comparative Religion, Jewish Studies and Philosophy at the University of Lucerne, lic. phil. I.
  • 1992-1998 Second degree in clinical psychology and psychopathology at the University of Zurich, lic.phil. I.
  • 1992-1998 Training in body psychotherapy at the IBP Institute for Integrative Body Psychotherapy in Winterthur with Dr. med. Fischer, Jack Rosenberg and Beverly Kitaen-Morse.
  • 1998-2004 Further training at the University of Bern with Prof. Grawe in psychological psychotherapy with a cognitive-behavioural and interpersonal focus.
  • 1998-1999 Assistant to Prof. Boothe at the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Zurich.
  • 1998-2001 Delegated psychotherapy with Dr. Marco Zoller, Zurich.
  • 2001 Opening of the group practice Steinwies in Zurich. Delegation by Dr Mario Gut and independent practice.
  • 2014 until today: Head of the Institute for YoPT. Teaching of the yearly training in YoPT.
Further psychotherapeutic training:
  • Lifespan-Integration at Peggy Pace
  • Ego-states Therapy
  • EMI / EMDR
  • Brainspotting
  • PEP at Dr. Michael Bohne
  • TRE (David Berceli)
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Trauma-Therapy 
Training in bodywork and yoga training:
  • 1986 SAFS training as an instructor in aerobics and stretching.
  • Teaching group classes since 1987.
  • 1991 and 1992 two-time Swiss Champion in Aerobics, participation in the World Championship in Japan/Tokyo.
  • 2001 started on the path of Hatha Yoga.
  • 2009 Training as yoga instructor according to the standard of the American Yoga Alliance.
  • Further training in yoga therapy with Doug Keller.
  • Advanced training in Hatha Yoga with Stephen Thomas.
  • Advanced training with Michael Hamilton.
  • Training with Gregor Maehle, Australia.
  • Annual further training in yoga therapy, yoga philosophy and meditation.
  • Practice of mindfulness meditation (Vipassana) and yoga meditation.
Development of Yoga-Psychotherapy YoPT®:
  • 2010 YoPT® for small groups of patients.
  • 2012 YoPT® for the individual setting.
  • 2014 Further development of YoPT®: PART ONE – Yoga tools for psychotherapists.
  • 2015 Development of PART TWO – ego-state work with yoga tools.
  • 2016 YoPT® workshops
  • 2018 YoPT® PART THREE
  • 2022 YoPTYoPT® PART FOUR – Trauma work with yoga tools (incorporating all previous PARTS of YoPT®): Trauma-YoPT®.
  • 2023 Presentation of the YoPT at the Lindauer Psychotherapie Wochen
More info about me and my work as a psychotherapist at miriampopper.co