To be free is to feel connected to an experience of wellbeing that cannot be eroded by challenging life circumstances. In Buddhism, living fully within this wellbeing is called enlightenment. Our work together is about helping you move toward this freedom; the freedom to remain aware of wellbeing no matter what is happening in your life.
Clients often come to me saying, “I should be like this, but I am like that; my life should look like X and it looks like Y.” To stretch away from what is, judging it, trying to fix or change it is to suffer. Falling out of the mind and into being brings relief from suffering. We may still experience pain, but we move away from suffering.
When scary stories about life fill our minds, we live in uncomfortable sensations; we may try to escape from these sensations by engaging in unhelpful behaviors, such as overeating, excessive work or exercise, unsafe sexual activity, and addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Moving awareness into the body, resting our attention on this, here, now, we begin to notice our inherent wellbeing, which is an experience of deep self-acceptance and self-love. With this awareness, insidious patterns begin to shift and change.
As I listen, I will help you notice the thoughts and behaviors distracting you from experiencing your wellbeing. Together we will discover ways you can stay in the present, tracking sensation, noticing it as it rises and falls like waves, even when it is painful. Staying present will help you notice your inner wisdom, a knowing that you can trust and follow.
No one outside of you knows what is best for you. Connected to your inner wisdom, you are the best guide. If the therapy is helpful, it will connect you to your magnificent inner teacher.