Presence Therapy Institute

About This Business

The Presence Therapy Institute is a mental wellness practice based in Ajax, Ontario, centred on group-based presence care rather than conventional talk therapy. Its approach works at the level of the nervous system: participants learn to notice thoughts as involuntary conditioned events and return to direct sensory experience before acting, with the shared stillness of the group acting as the method. Session doorways include NADA ear acupuncture, subtle sensation awareness exercises and quiet sitting, and there is no pressure to share or perform. In-person groups run weekly at the Ajax Harwood Clinic at 88 Harwood Ave South, with most sessions covered by OHIP, and a Thursday midday Subtle Sensation Awareness session is offered online via Zoom. The institute also holds presence sessions in community settings as a form of public mental health, at no cost and with no belief system required. The site's FAQ notes that no referral or appointment is needed for the ear-acupuncture groups, which run ten times a week, and that sessions are open to everyone across Durham Region and the GTA, not only patients of the clinic. People attend for support with anxiety, sleep difficulty, low mood, stress and a general sense of overwhelm. The institute is connected with the NADA Canada Institute and partner clinics, and describes its model as supporting individuals, teams and communities across Canada. Crisis resources for callers in distress are signposted on the site.