Paulo Coelho has said, “Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be
able to talk to your heart.” There is truth in these words, fears often
drown out the cries and passions of our heart. Our world can become very
small when fear rules it. I believe that therapy can be a place to discover
who a person is and a place where an individual’s world expands. More often
than not life requires us to walk alongside another person in that journey
until the path becomes clear. Therapy is not just for those who are
seriously struggling, but often it is for those who have lost their way,
lost themselves, or who simply find that their world has become too small.
Whatever difficulty you are facing, it doesn't hurt to get help. Contrary to some
concerns, therapy does not foster dependence. That is not the final goal. The goal
is actually to help you find a place where you do not need therapy. The difficulties we face, be it loss
or sadness, are often made worse by the idea that I should be able to get
through this on my own or I shouldn't feel this way. The reality is that
you do feel that way. If you imagine your struggle as fifty pounds of
weight on your back, being hard on yourself for struggling is like adding
another fifty pounds of weight. You actually make your struggle worse. We
all need help from time to time and we all have areas of our life that need
growth and healing.
We live in a society filled with self-help books where there is a strong push to
solve life's problems ourselves. The problem is that science has finally confirmed what ancient wisdom has
consistently been stating- we don't heal in isolation. Neuroscientists have actually discovered that isolation is toxic to
the brain. One study examined canaries and how they learned their songs from
their parents. They decided to record the songs and play them for the young
canaries, but the canaries could not learn the songs. The only way they could
learn was from a live canary. The actual science behind this is rather detailed,
but the final outcome is that there are many things that we cannot learn without
being in the presence of others. Entering into a counseling relationship can be
a life changing experience that cannot be duplicated through a book or
personal willpower.
able to talk to your heart.” There is truth in these words, fears often
drown out the cries and passions of our heart. Our world can become very
small when fear rules it. I believe that therapy can be a place to discover
who a person is and a place where an individual’s world expands. More often
than not life requires us to walk alongside another person in that journey
until the path becomes clear. Therapy is not just for those who are
seriously struggling, but often it is for those who have lost their way,
lost themselves, or who simply find that their world has become too small.
Whatever difficulty you are facing, it doesn't hurt to get help. Contrary to some
concerns, therapy does not foster dependence. That is not the final goal. The goal
is actually to help you find a place where you do not need therapy. The difficulties we face, be it loss
or sadness, are often made worse by the idea that I should be able to get
through this on my own or I shouldn't feel this way. The reality is that
you do feel that way. If you imagine your struggle as fifty pounds of
weight on your back, being hard on yourself for struggling is like adding
another fifty pounds of weight. You actually make your struggle worse. We
all need help from time to time and we all have areas of our life that need
growth and healing.
We live in a society filled with self-help books where there is a strong push to
solve life's problems ourselves. The problem is that science has finally confirmed what ancient wisdom has
consistently been stating- we don't heal in isolation. Neuroscientists have actually discovered that isolation is toxic to
the brain. One study examined canaries and how they learned their songs from
their parents. They decided to record the songs and play them for the young
canaries, but the canaries could not learn the songs. The only way they could
learn was from a live canary. The actual science behind this is rather detailed,
but the final outcome is that there are many things that we cannot learn without
being in the presence of others. Entering into a counseling relationship can be
a life changing experience that cannot be duplicated through a book or
personal willpower.