Natural Counseling

I call the work I do Natural Counseling because it is based on holistic principles. This involves several important tools, one of which is Mindfulness.  Mindfulness is both an experience and an awareness of experience. We are always experiencing. That is what it means to be alive. We are not however always aware of what we are experiencing. Often we are not paying attention. Did I notice my breakfast this morning? Was I aware of my frustration and stress as I was rushing to get to an appointment or was I thinking about a million other things at the same time?

For those who are interested, I work with you to develop the ability to be more present, to develop patience and comfort with yourself so you can slow down and pay attention to your experience! This allows us to notice, accept, even create new experiences that are healing. 

Another tool I include is the body. Long-standing patterns or issues from the past are often hidden in the body, in gestures or places of tension or pain. In therapy we focus in on these sensations and begin to understand their significance. 

Many of our core issues come from early childhood experiences of stress and suffering. As children we make strategic decisions or develop beliefs to get through those hard times,  just trying to find a way to make sense of things or get by. Those decisions and beliefs create a hidden lens through which we view the world. As adults we may be acting from those beliefs without realizing it. The funny thing is, those strategies worked for us at the time they were made, but don't really serve us anymore as adults. By gently bringing this core material to our awareness, these past formative experiences can be healed and you can find new nourishment and support. It is our natural inclination to heal these wounds, it's not magic, and it's not only for a few. It is truly an organic aspect of being human. The Natural Counselor's role is to facilitate and support this powerful and organic process.