Helping Your Ancient Brain Thrive in a Modern World
Dr Matt Slavin, Clinical Psychologist
Your mind isn’t broken, it’s beautifully ancient
For 300,000 years, your brain has had one job: survival.
It evolved in landscapes shaped by danger and safety, tribe and belonging, movement and rest.
Fast forward to today, and that same ancient machinery is navigating emails, deadlines, performance pressure, constant stimulation, and modern uncertainty.
No wonder so many people feel overwhelmed, reactive, burnt out, or disconnected.
I’m Dr Matt Slavin, a Clinical Psychologist, and I don’t believe your mind is broken.
I believe it’s doing its best to make sense of a world it was never designed for.
My work is about helping people understand how ancient instincts shape modern lives - whether that shows up as anxiety, trauma, burnout, loss of focus, or pressure to perform - and learning how to work with the nervous system rather than against it.
Through therapy and EMDR, performance psychology, leadership and team work, I help individuals, athletes, and organisations build the understanding and tools needed to live, connect, and perform in ways that truly matter to them.
Trusted By
My Services
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1:1 Psychology for Adults & Teens
Evidence-based psychological therapy to understand your inner world, shift old patterns, and feel more grounded in who you are.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess difficult memories, automatic reactions, and the beliefs formed around them, allowing old patterns to loosen so new, healthier responses can take their place.
Psychological Assessments
Comprehensive, formulation-led assessments that map your emotional patterns, strengths, needs, and pathways forward.
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Performance & Leadership Coaching
Performance psychology for leaders, founders, and professionals who need clarity, confidence, and sustainable performance.
Mental Advantage Workshops & Keynotes
Science-backed sessions that help teams understand their stress, strengthen culture, and perform without burning out.
Mental Advantage Course
An 8-module psychological training system that upgrades how people think, focus, and lead under pressure, with structured tools, community support, and licensing options for founders, leaders, and teams.
Organisational Consulting & Team Culture Development
Deep-dive analysis and psychological insight to help teams build healthier, more connected, resilient cultures.
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Retreats
Immersive weekends that combine nature, psychology, and reflection for deep restoration and insight.
Nature Therapy
Outdoor sessions that use movement, nature, and the senses to support clarity and regulation.
Nature Immersion Days for Teams & Groups
Experiential, outdoor-based programmes that build connection, creativity, and collective resilience.
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EcoSensory Therapy Training
Accredited training in nature-based therapeutic practice for clinicians, educators, and wellbeing practitioners.
Professional Workshops & CPD
Trauma-informed, evidence-based workshops designed to build emotional, relational, and psychological skill.
Conference Speaking & Teaching
Talks that blend neuroscience, ancient psychology, and human stories, making complex ideas clear, practical, and engaging.
Clinical Supervision
Reflective, grounded supervision for psychologists, therapists, leaders, and wellbeing professionals.
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Articles, Essays & The Newsletter
Long-form writing exploring ancient brains, modern lives, stress, connection, and the work of being human.
Podcasts & Interviews
Conversations about psychology, leadership, burnout, trauma, and resilience.
Richard & Balls
Beautifully crafted clothing with a dash of mischief that gets men talking.
The Four Pillars of My Work
These four pillars are the organising principles that run through everything I do, from therapy and EMDR, to leadership work, to retreats, to performance consulting. Together they reflect how humans actually function: biologically, relationally, psychologically, and ecologically.
Follow my journey.
