In any given moment,
we have two options:
to step forward into growth
or to step back into safety.
– Abraham Maslow
In Person Therapy for Southern California Residents.
Alongside the pain you may be feeling, whether mild in its impact or monumental and ever present, you’ll also often have an inner knowing, an intuitive sense, that this pain does not need to continue indefinitely. You can process, integrate, or let go of it, if only you knew how.
It may happen slowly or it may take place rapidly, but transformation out of a persistent state of anxiety, depression, or frequent relationship tensions is not only possible, it’s likely if you put in the time and effort necessary.
To put it in story form, I’m going to use an example from my years of working with clients. This is a loose composite of several different clients I worked with for an extended period of time (for patient confidentiality purposes).
From Fearful to Courageous
A single woman in her mid-thirties I’ll call Emma came to see me for the first time looking pale and fatigued.
She was continually anxious and was not sleeping well at all. She felt like she didn’t know how to live her life without feeling on edge, at the end of her rope.
She was scared something would happen to her because of the toll this anxiety was taking on her. Maybe she’d lose her job, or maybe she wouldn’t ever find the primary relationship she longed for, or maybe her autoimmune disorder would flare up again.
Emma’s performance at work was suffering, and fear ruled her mind whenever she interacted with her boss.
She felt lost. She didn’t know where she began and others ended. It was all mixed up in her mind, and the state of her health mimicked this reality.
Emma committed to seeing me for therapy on a regular basis, and we began to untangle the knots that occupied her mind and body.
Eventually Emma’s body started to respond to the work we were doing together. As she learned to set boundaries and practice self-care, she felt less tense during the day. In time, she began having a few nights a week of better sleep.
She no longer felt the need to rely on an emergency dose of anti-anxiety medication because those emergencies diminished to the point of nonexistence.
Her appetite increased. Her face started to brighten up. Her cheeks became flushed with a rosy hue.
Emma’s boss didn’t intimidate her anymore, and she wasn’t procrastinating with work projects and responsibilities. In fact, she took on new projects and excelled at them.
By the end of our time together, Emma had enrolled in an educational program that was a wonderful fit for her…one that would lead her to the career of her she had been dreaming about for years. She wore clothes and makeup that matched how vibrant she felt inside, a beauty which she now understood radiated from her more fulfilled inner state. She cried less frequently during therapy, since she had brought to light and assimilated what had been hidden within her. Both of us noticed she was also smiling more during our therapy sessions.
Emma had let out her demons, so to speak—the secrets that were kept dormant, and haunted her, especially when she was alone. They were brought into the light within the safety and security of each therapy hour we engaged in together. Facing her fears helped her tap into a reservoir of courage she didn’t know she had, allowing her to rise up and move more confidently through anything that comes her way.
What the Journey Asks of You
The kind of commitment Emma showed was not just to therapy, it was to herself.
She had committed to the transformation process and was patient and courageous enough to endure the challenges and then experience the triumphs.
Transformation such as this is not rare or uncommon. It is entirely possible to go from a state of seemingly intolerable pain to one to increased resiliency and awareness, allowing you to move with greater ease through interpersonal conflicts, challenges, and emotional turbulence that may arise in the future.
The therapeutic process asks for a willingness to commit to your own growth, and I am here to be your guide and fellow traveler. We can make this journey together, with all of the twists and turns, ups and downs that may present themselves as therapy progresses.
If you long for change—for relief from pain, for increased fulfillment—then take the first step toward your own transformation and contact me using the contact form (click on the Contact tab above). I’m here to serve your growth!
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