Talk Therapy

Kathryn J. Raths, LLC photo

I have written many articles about the here-and-now, present-moment living, and mindfulness; all of these concepts involve owning one's realities. I’ve also written many articles about accountability, acceptance, and surrender, which opens the door to the reality of our worlds.

Today’s article offers a rundown of the cause and effect of how someone’s world can come to feel out of control and how counseling can go deep into the root of this chaos and strategically realign with living the truth of one’s reality.

When we suppress as a form of avoidance or blatantly ignore parts of our lives because we can’t face this truth (i.e., repression), it only causes things to snowball, but at this point, our rational thought has already shut down. And, some individuals just cope in a world of chaos, it becomes their normal and they go about living an unfulfilling life; this energizes the chaos.

It takes a courageous person to walk the path of recovery. To let someone into the nooks and crannies of his or her life, offering their experiences, even the darkest ones, in order to reflect and dissect where false beliefs and thoughts have come from and how they’ve been energized. Imagine sharing your mistaken choices with a stranger. Pretty scary, huh?

But, engaging a healthier you is worth perhaps a bit of embarrassment and discomfort because once the darkness is aired, a heavy burden is relieved. It sheds light on the darkness. In counseling, you are participating in a safe and nonjudgmental space; it’s a place that honors authenticity. It’s a partnering relationship that requires you to show up with a will to address the darkness and motivation to embrace positive change. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say again, “You are your best investment worthy of any work required to surface your best self.”

Have you ever been in counseling? How was your experience? I’m curious. Leave me a note.