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Philosophy
My Psychotherapy Philosophy:
I am a psychotherapist by profession and
always thought of myself as a traveler in life. I believe that my work
reflects my personal perspective as it allows me to journey with other
people into aspects of their universe. This exploration is a journey,
aimed at creating a safe and healing sense of connection between the
therapist and the client. It is the holding feeling created by this
connection that allows our clients to venture towards dislodging and
re-structuring deep-rooted places of hurt and suffering in their
lives.
While most Western psychological theories
emphasize movement towards separation and autonomy, and underscore the
importance of neutrality and objectivity in the therapy relationship,
my theoretical beliefs are rooted both within a
relational/cross-cultural psychotherapy framework and a Buddhist's
view of human nature as inherently healthy and interconnected. Therapy
fosters an unveiling of our need for healthy connections and can
foster a sense of interconnection, a progression towards a sense of
being a part of the human collective. I also believe that not only the
goals of therapy but also the process of therapy should be shared with
our clients, so that they become active participants in the healing
process.
Many come to therapy because they experience a
profound sense of alienation from themselves and others. Often, even
though engaged in many activities or surrounded by many people,
individuals struggle in relationships and in finding a deep sense of
intimacy and meaning in their lives.
What inevitably brings individuals to therapy
is a sense of suffering, whether this is caused by external or
internal factors. They come because they feel they are missing or have
lost something so vital to their wellbeing. This sense of loss and
this longing for recovery, reconciliation or resolution are at the
core of our experience of trauma as well as the source of our
motivation for change.
I understand the word "trauma” as referring to
both interpersonal violence as well as losses such as those caused by
death, abandonment or illness. Trauma can occur in the subtleties of
relationships, creating small but significant tears in our selves.
Trauma always involves a disconnection: from another human being, from
a previous sense of self, from the body.
In my work, I seek to understand, reframe and
resolve such trauma. I am interested in understanding what motivates
people to change, what helps create meaning in life, how we cope and
deal and even thrive amidst the suffering of our human experience.
My background includes training in theories of
attachment, relational and cross-cultural therapy, and extensive
training in neuropsychology and the interplay of emotion and
cognition. In addition, I have been practicing insight oriented
mindfulness for many years and bring to the therapy work meditative
tools to work with emotions as they are expressed in the body.
Therapy moves from achieving an understanding and emotional insight
into one's situation and history to working with changing behaviors
and mental attitudes to eventually addressing mastering our emotions
by working with their manifestations in the body. At the same time, I
am interested in fostering each person's strengths and capacity for
resilience. Healing always involves a re-connecting and a
re-integration of one's emotional, spiritual, physical and social
dimensions of life.
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National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology