We Understand…
Sometimes the stresses of family life, work obligations, finances and the like pile up until we buckle under the pressure. In other cases, feelings of dissatisfaction, malaise, and even a loss of the will to engage life can come out of nowhere and turn our lives upside down, jeopardizing our health, relationships and livelihood. Maybe you’ve lost all interest in the things that once fulfilled you. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by all the seemingly inescapable demands on your time and energy. It may seem like everything you say, do, think, feel or even who and what you are is profoundly wrong. You may even feel so defeated and depleted that there seems to be no relief this side of the grave.
Listen to me carefully: you are NOT alone! I’ve experienced these same feelings myself, and been honored to hold space for others who have known this pain. I know it hurts. I know it feels hopeless. I know how desperately you may want to give up. I also know that this is not permanent!
Our Approach…
The first step to finding lasting healing is to recognize (with help) that, underneath everything that seems so broken, there is an essential YOU that is undeniably whole. We begin by peeling back the layers of hurt and old beliefs, getting in touch with and strengthening your connection with this essential self. By focusing our attention on this “guiding star,” we can leave the wake of our boat behind us and stop sailing in circles. This doesn’t mean that the waves, and even the storms, won’t come, but with the right tools we can hold a steady course through them.
The traditional approach to healing has long been to view pain as a pathology, or something wrong. So when we have a headache, we take an aspirin. Sometimes, though, the headache is a gentle reminder not to spend so much time squinting at a computer screen (take it from a former IT professional). Depression is often a call to let go of the old and step into the new. We wouldn’t diagnose a snake with skin disease when it sheds its outer layer, nor would we accuse a baby chick of having anger issues when it smashes its tiny world in order to burst forth into the open air. In some cases, depression is simply the cocoon stage between the caterpillar we once were and the breathtaking butterfly we are becoming. Step two of the healing process is to stop beating yourself up for “being broken” and begin to embrace what it represents: a new and more fulfilling existence!