Hello. Welcome to the section I call "The Journey". I post this poem by Mary Oliver as it seems to exemplify much of the therapeutic process. Also, please continue on to the section below which may give you an idea if therapy is for you at the place where you are with your life these days....



"The Journey"

(by Mary Oliver)

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.

But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.




"The Therapeutic Journey"

Okay, so there are things that aren't going so well in your life, and you are having some difficulty making sense of them... maybe you are beginning to see some patterns in your life, or maybe it just seems like a chaotic mess. You've asked some of your friends for assistance, maybe you've read some books and articles, and that has helped, but there's still that gnawing sense that you're still not where you want to be with your self or your life.

Maybe you know some people who've improved the quality of their life with professional assistance? You might be wondering if seeking professional assistance could be beneficial to you. Congratulations! That can be a very exciting place, and maybe a bit scary too...

I've often been asked about readiness for therapy. It's a helpful question and being willing to ask yourself that question shows curiosity on your part. So, are you ready?

Can I tolerate looking at some aspects and patterns of my life with the intention to not only understand them better, but also to discover how they came to be my issues, where they stem from? Can I increase my capacity to tolerate uncomfortable feelings? Can I tolerate showing myself more and more over time to this other person? Or, will I skip out when the going gets rough, when I find out some stuff about myself that I don't like to see and acknowledge is really mine? Don't I have any worthwhile qualities? How can I be "okay" but also need to change?!?

As I see it, and have experienced it, engaging in the therapeutic process takes courage and willingness to discover things that may not be so pleasant to see. A part of therapy also includes remembering your qualities and resources that can be allies. It is a balancing act...

It helps to have, or create, attitudes of self-curiosity, a willingness to observe, to witness, to note. Therapy is work-- emotional work, mental work. It is common to feel exhausted after a session, and if you do, know that you have worked hard in the session. It usually helps to journal, or do something expressive like artwork or dancing, right after sessions, so that you capture some of the immediacy of the session,insights and awarenesses you have come to. And, journaling often between sessions helps to follow up on the threads you are becoming aware of in yourself, to maintain the continuity between sessions, to show you your patterns, tendencies, concerns, issues.

Fear comes in at times, of course... Explore what it is about as often as you can, rather than pushing it aside or allowing it to stop you in your tracks. For many, there is nothing as exciting as this inner journey, to know oneself that intimately. To know deeply who you really are and where you have been takes effort, time, inclination, and great courage. Welcome to the journey!