My Approach to Helping
What typically brings one to seek a therapist is a crisis of some kind, whether it be personal, spiritual, or professional. And of course, there is therapeutic value in acquiring support and guidance in a safe and confidential way. However, therapy can offer so much more than learning healthy coping mechanisms, improving communication skills, and gaining a deeper understanding of oneself. It is my personal belief that our deepest desires come from a yearning for individual wholeness, a form of consciousness that comes from the depths of our psyche; a process which is completely unique for each individual. The only way to expand consciousness is by exploring our unconscious world and the best and really the only way to do that is through dream work. Psyche intends for us to expand consciousness, to bring to fruition our fullest self, and the only method it has to communicate with us is through symbols. Understanding the meaning of the specific symbols the psyche has provided to you in dreams is the core of my work. It is through the insights gained from interpreting the symbol of the dream that we can embark on a journey that Carl Gustav Jung named the individuation process. So, despite what initially brings you to my practice should you decide, it is a privilege to be entrusted with the personal and private inner workings of your individual psyche. This work is sacred, and it is my promise to provide a safe space for your unconscious content to unfold and reveal the gift of individual consciousness to your higher Self.
More Info About My Practice
I am one of a few therapists trained in a special form of therapy, IRT (integrative regulation therapy). which is a neurobiological-based scaffolding for emotional regulation and attachment. Though this can be applied throughout the lifespan, the core of my work is with families of infants, 0-5 years of age. The work can start during the last trimester of pregnancy. Please visit my website for more information.
How My Own Struggles Made Me a Better Therapist
It is through my individual work with my own analyst that made me want to become a Jungian Analyst-in-training and include it within the breadth of my professional experience. My own process of individuation has changed my life and given me a sense of wholeness that I could not have achieved had I not entered into analysis years ago. Another personal belief of mine is that despite professional education and training, there is no better classroom than lived experience. Over the past decades, in addition to my professional work with clients, I have also raised a family, lost family members, cared for elderly parents, and face my own years ahead as an aging adult, to name a few. All of these various experiences have affected me in a deep and profound way and has deepened my work through empathic understanding and a soulful presence.
What I Say to People Concerned about the Therapy Process
To some, the mere mention of working with unconscious contents creates anxiety and resistance. Experience has revealed that this comes from a fear that what will be revealed will validate our deepest fears and insecurities about ourselves. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Though, yes, it is true that we all carry dark contents, what Jung referred to as our shadow material. But, by bringing our shadow material to consciousness, it can no longer act upon us in an unconscious fashion.