The Process of Healing: Reflections from a Marin Therapist
Growth. Transformation. Change. Evolution. Healing. These words run through my mind regularly. I’m perpetually fascinated by these phenomena and their processes. As a Marin therapist who takes a holistic approach to our work, I get this question often – how do I change X, Y, Z? What are the steps? I have found that therapy is more than the process of gaining insight and understanding into what ails you, and then following specific steps to reach your goal. Therapy is a process of healing. That process is often mysterious and elusive with a level of depth that takes time to reach. That said, I enjoy exploring the process and coming up with steps uniquely targeted to your intentions.
It’s challenging to pinpoint what exactly creates change whether psychological, emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual. Often it comes down to a number of factors coming together. These include but aren’t limited to the level of safety you experience in our therapeutic relationship, the strength of your circle of support, phase of life, access to resources, biological and ancestral history, physical health and stress levels, and most of all your readiness and commitment to doing the work.
Often what triggers our need for support and healing is a major change that occurs in our lives. A relationship ending or beginning, a change in employment status, the loss of a loved one, moving homes, pregnancy and parenthood, infertility, or premarital conflict. Other times it’s a rise in symptoms like anxiety, depression, or conflicts and patterns in relationships. While difficult, these are opportunities and invitations for our growth and healing.
Healing doesn’t mean we need to fix something wrong with us. Healing is a return to our wholeness just as we are.
To take it one step further, I invite you to consider that wholeness isn’t filling the holes of our past wounding and smoothing over the symptoms that manifest. Healing is a return to wholeness, even in the presence of those holes and scars. There is no fixing or getting rid of here. There is an embracing. Wrapping them up in our own love, compassion, and self-regard. That very embrace that occurs in therapy and yourself, is what brings about wholeness. This can be challenging, but it is something that can be learned and practiced. That is a healing in itself.
Symptoms and/or events in our lives that throw us off course and out of wholeness are showing us where we need to look within, what parts of ourselves need tending to. When this is done in the presence of your own self, your supportive relationships, your self-care practices, or your therapy – change, healing, progress, growth, transformation, evolution can occur.
The first step is always awareness, recognition, and mindfulness. Noticing there is discord whether it’s a panic attack, lethargy, or relational conflict. That is often what brings us to take the next step of reaching out for support. Book a free consultation so we can explore your needs and see if we’re a good fit to support your growth.
Warmly,
Elana