THE PROCESS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapy is a process of discovery that supports the natural unfolding of the Self towards balance, growth, and individuation. It is a generative journey that creates a lasting and sustaining connection with our authentic Self and helps us live a fuller and more connected life - one that brings body, mind, and soul into harmony with our deeper nature and the world around us.
WORKING TOGETHER
…ONLY IN DARKNESS, CAN WE SEE THE STARS… ( MLK)
I am a licensed psychotherapist and Jungian analyst who has been practicing for over 15 years.
In my practice, I work primarily with adults in individual psychotherapy. My goal is to provide a vital space where you can regain an authentic connection with yourself and learn to move toward a natural state of psychological balance and wholeness.
I specialize in a wide range of issues including :
depression
anxiety
relationship issues
trauma, PTSD
chronic pain, autoimmune disorders
substance abuse
job stress or transition
grief and loss
long and short-term therapy
My approach to the process of psychotherapy is very interactive and is based on the integration of a number of different treatment modalities : Jungian Analysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Mind-Body Integration.
My main clinical approach is the Jungian model which seeks to support the unfolding of the individual by working in depth with symbolic material, the unconscious, and values the person’s own inner resources.
I also provide support with mind-body integration practices such as somatic experiencing, self directed neuroplasticity, and meditation when needed.
One way of viewing the process of psychotherapy is as a transformational journey undertaken within the safe matrix of a restorative relationship which helps bring the traveller home to himself or herself.
The collaborative relationship between therapist and client stands, in my view, at the center of the work and is the most important factor to a positive therapeutic outcome. Indeed it is this alliance that most supports the transformation of old patterns of behaviors into healthier modes of being . It is also what potentially inspires the psyche to renew itself in the deepest and most elemental layers of existence.
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” C.G. Jung
In our work, the focus of sessions may derive from a number of sources :
The exploration of daily life, current relationships, memories of the past, feelings and thoughts in response to such experiences, dreams, fantasies, physical sensations, or other spontaneous forms of expression. While we may focus at times on understanding your history and examine how childhood events affect the current course of your life, we may also work on identifying vital hidden potentials that have remained unconscious and unavailable to use.
Understanding how the echoes of the past resonate and shape our lives give us new choices and opportunities. Indeed, it helps reveal where we might have lost touch with the foundations of our nature and where we need help reclaiming parts of ourselves that have been silenced.
In the end, this process of self discovery helps us live a richer and more meaningful life, one that is based on self knowledge, compassion, conscious choices, inner strength and play.
“A life where we can fully grow and become who we are”.
Therapy sessions are usually once a week, though more often if desired. At the moment, I offer both phone and video sessions
JUNGIAN ANALYSIS
Jungian analysis, a method pioneered by the Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung (1875-1961) is the psychotherapeutic process of re-establishing a healthy balance between the conscious and unconscious parts of our personality as we strive towards wholeness, not perfection. It explores the deep unconscious as it is revealed in dreams, imagination, creativity. Its goal is to develop understanding and acceptance of who we truly are, and to help the ego or center of consciousness be of service to the sacred part of ourself called the Self. It is a psychic pilgrimage that supports a return to a more sacred way of living by reconnecting us with our true place in Nature.
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings”.
Wendell Berry
MIND-BODY PSYCHOTHERAPY
Mind-Body Psychotherapy is a holistic approach to well-being based on the latest findings in neuroscience and integrative health that takes into account all aspects of an individual – physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.
It is an approach that teaches evidence-based self-care techniques that have shown to be highly effective in creating change both in thought, behavior patterns, self regulation, attention, and facilitate a sense of grounded and unified presence. A powerful adjunct to psychotherapy, it seeks to heal the source of the issues rather than just the symptoms. It focuses on how thoughts and emotions impact our physical health and how physical health influences thoughts, emotions, and our sense of who we are.
It is beneficial for :
increasing relaxation, soothing the central nervous system, and reversing the negative effects of stress
healing symptoms of PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fears, phobias
dealing with addictions
helping to heal complex chronic conditions including autoimmune conditions, high blood presure, anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc.
coping with grief, anger, guilt, shame, resentment, forgiveness and unacknowledged feelings
developing strength, balance & flexibility in body and mind
identifying and changing negative thought patterns, perceptions & behaviors