Suffering: the challenge of being
Life can be difficult and is often painful. What we don’t want comes to us in the form of uninvited change and what we long for or are deeply invested in may shift in unwanted ways. Life transitions of any kind challenge the familiar foundations of our world view and invite us to grow and integrate our experience through each stage of our lifespan.
Whole-hearted effort: practice makes us human
There is nothing wrong with you, and you may want to make a few improvements (paraphrasing Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi). In psychotherapy we can practice with our whole self, however complicated, confusing, wounded or hopeless that self may feel at times. In therapy everything is welcome: shame, sorrow, joy, bewilderment, grief, uncertainty. The dark and the light are both vital elements of our resilience and well-being.
Cultivating compassion: making the unconscious conscious
Each of us is unique: from emotions to bodies to brains, every person experiences the world through the singular lens of their singular subjectivity. We have been profoundly shaped by the body, culture, class and family system in which we were introduced to the world and first learned about love, safety, boundaries and connection with others. By uncovering and exploring these formative and largely unconscious relational patterns, psychotherapy is a place where compassion for oneself can open up new choices, energy and meaning.
