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Some thoughts on contact and selfhood…

When someone comes to counseling it’s because they want something to change. I believe change happens by trying to be who we are rather than trying to be different.

As a contemporary relational Gestalt therapist, I show up as who I really am and invite contact with you. Contact happens at that moment when you really feel another person, when you feel the immediacy of what’s happening right here, right now, between us. Contact is relational, energetic, ripe, juicy, rich, expansive, and full of potential. This experience is a healer and teacher because at the moment of contact we actually feel more of ourselves in the contrast of really feeling another.

I’ll be there with you to make contact with those parts of you that are hiding, hurt, marginalized, fearful, ashamed, anxious, angry, sad, and confused. Together we can work towards self-awareness, self-acceptance, and whole-self expression and embodiment.

…and some notes on awareness.

Awareness is a full body experience; a stick-to-your-ribs knowing that stays with you. From ancient spiritual practices to quantum mechanics, we know the act of witnessing something has a direct impact on what you’re witnessing. Simply put, once you see it you can’t unsee it.

Awareness is different than insight, which is limited primarily to your thoughts, and sometimes trying to grab onto thoughts is like trying to grab onto fog. In therapy, we will work towards moments of full-body experiencing of what’s happening for you here right now, and with this awareness you’ll be able to recognize more choices you have available to you to live life richly and authentically.

Think about an optical illusion where if you look at it long enough a different figure emerges from the one you originally saw – this radical perspective shift is available to you at any point if you are present enough to see it.