Psychotherapy is a process through which you are enabled and supported to work through many layers of your life to help you find peace and happiness.  You may seek therapy to resolve issues stemming from major life loss or transitions, grief, trauma, serious health threats, early life trauma or abuse, depression, anxiety, conflict resolution, marital issues, family of origin issues, empty nest changes, or any host of issues that are part of life.

Spirituality is a deep personal search for meaning and purpose in life beyond the physical world.  Recognizing that the whole person exists in body, mind and spirit, spiritually integrated psychotherapy helps one to create an experiential connection with the Divine presence within their life, and the lives of others.

Spiritually integrated psychotherapy moves beyond book knowledge and facts about God, into a personal experience and knowing of God.  Spiritually integrated psychotherapy helps one to move beyond “right/wrong”, “black/white”, “I’m right/you’re wrong” thinking into a greater awareness and integration that goes beyond contradictory aspects of real life.

Moving beyond a fact based knowing of God into a personal experience of God in our lives is no small feat when it comes to relational living.  Whether as a marital partner, a parent, friend, in-law, sibling, co-worker, or other meaningful relationship, moving beyond “right/wrong”, “black/white” responses is pivotal to relationships.

Releasing the “small self”, the ego-driven self that is often driven by a sense of power and control into the “True Self” grounded in God is part of the spiritual journey.  Awakening to spirituality involves a sense of transcendence as one grows into new understanding of God, self and others.

The role of spirituality in psychotherapy is to help one awaken to one’s spiritual self.  In this way, one truly feels aligned in Oneness with God, their Creator, and all others.  Spiritual psychotherapy supports your growing spiritual hunger to find out more about who you truly are, where God is in your life, and how working together with God’s presence in your life can help you to become more peaceful and fulfilled.

Spiritual psychotherapy acknowledges and supports one’s search for purpose and meaningful existence beyond the small self into the authentic True Self.  It is the Spirit in each one of us that allows our True Self to flourish and become whole. It is the Spirit in each one of us that helps us to grow beyond our wounds into more of who we are meant to be.

As we grow and change, often peeling back layers that have insulated and obscured our True Self for much of our lives, we are emboldened by the Spirit within to become who we truly are.  Who we are and feel called to become more of, may be at variance with who we were told to be in our younger lives.

As a long- time therapist, I have truly come to understand Tielhard de Chardin’s words “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” 

Our life journey leads and awakens us to find our True Selves in God’s love without pretense or pretext for who we are, or for others may need for us to be.

As we continue to awaken spiritually, we may recognize that we have been existing, rather than growing and thriving into more of who we are.  We may become aware that we have shut down in times of fear, loss, or painful emotions.  Having been conditioned to dread and fear our dark emotions, we have avoided them “as if” they would devour us.

Yet it is precisely in the space of painful, dark emotions that amazing grace and growth are accessible.  Beyond those painful feelings is wisdom-filled energy connected to God’s light and God’s love. God’s light and love are inside each one of us, waiting and desiring to be accessed and expanded.  In facing our feelings of fear, trauma, loss, and grief, we learn so much more about ourselves and who we truly are in God’s love.  God’s love guides us to wholeness we have never known before.  In accessing our inner wisdom and strength we learn so much more about our True Self.

We have all experienced crossroads in our lives, times that have felt hopeless and beyond healing.   We may have wondered where God is in our lives.  My hope and prayer for you is that if you are in a space dimmed with darkness, you will reach out.  Together we will take steps to help you find God’s light and love within you.