it *will* shift if you shine some light on it and it will really shift if you do that in the presence of a caring witness.
here is what working with me is like.
Together we will explore…
what’s not working which we may call a pattern or a way of being. Throughout life, we repeat these ways of being, that’s just human nature. Next step, we try to understand why that way of being took root and then – even if it’s not serving you now – we are going to appreciate its original job because it had a good reason to develop. We will then consider trying to make that strategy more flexible because you’re in therapy because it’s causing more harm than good.
Along the way…
we’ll explore your childhood and life experiences, your hopes and dreams, your fears and how they grip you, the way your body feels as we talk, and the way it feels to be with me sharing so vulnerably. I’ll bring you back to what seems to be the most emotionally potent stuff – sometimes the stuff you avoid – because it will shift if you shine some light on it, and it will really shift if you do that in the presence of a caring witness.
More of what it will look like.
Photo by Henry Be
Sometimes I’ll suggest a breathing exercise or we’ll find a way to resource so that going to the hard places feels bearable. A lot of times you’ll hear me validate your feelings because your reactions are totally normal to a harmful environment and an unhealthy world. Less frequently, we’ll make action plans or assign you homework.
The theory of change I believe in is that coming together week after week and doing what I’ve described is what creates lasting transformation in you. This takes time.