Let's talk about . . . 

Do you wake up tired most days with a feeling of dread about the day ahead? Do you feel drained even when you know you got enough sleep? Do you lie awake at night, unable to get to sleep because you don’t want to do it all over again tomorrow? Have you forgotten when the last time you genuinely enjoyed an activity was? Have you stopped creative endeavors? Has the joy gone out of your life? Are you sad, irritable or just feel like you don’t care? Do you feel unheard to the point that you have stopped trying to get others to listen. These could be signs of burnout. You could be burned out from a job that feels meaningless to you or you could be burned out from taking care of others and not replenishing your own self. We get burned out in life when we keep repeating the same patterns that drain the life out of us. It’s like your life is a leaky bucket that is never refilled.  We will work to find out what patterns are draining you and find ways for you to mend and fill your bucket to bring back vibrant life and energy to you.

Have the sudden changes in your life caused you to feel in a tizzy? Do you feel stressed every day because you can no longer predict what is going to happen? Changes in life such as a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, loss of a job, retirement, illness and more can cause great upheaval in life. Everything you knew is turned upside down and you are left feeling unsure, anxious and like you are carrying a new weight on your shoulders. I can work with you to help you process the changes that have happened as we look for, respite, new balance, and new opportunities in your life.

Do you sacrifice your own needs for the needs of others? Do you only feel alive when you are helping someone else? Can you remember the last time you did something nice for yourself? Is your self-worth dependent on others thinking well of you? Do you take on more than you can handle because you can’t say “no?”  Do you try to keep the peace in relationships no matter the cost to yourself? Do you do things you don’t want to because you want to keep others happy? These are some of the signs of codependence. I can work with you to discover the source of the codependence and in the formation of new patterns of behavior that feel more life affirming for you.

Have you ever had feelings of deep shame or guilt well up in you when you are triggered by something in the present that reminds you of an upsetting event from the past? In this life, most people have baggage from the past. No one is perfect and no one gets through life unscathed. Feelings of shame or guilt can be quite difficult to overcome because they cut so deep. You may try so hard to be perfect so no one will correct you or find fault with what you say or do but somehow you still get triggered when a past event or action is brought up or remembered. You may have a conversation going on in your head that feels overwhelming. The “trying to be perfect” part of you says “After all I’ve done, she still remembers me for that one thing.” Another part of you says  “you are a bad person” because of the remembered event.  Another part of you says “I need a drink” in order to distract you from the emotional pain of shame or guilt. In our work together, we will get acquainted with your exiled child parts who feel pain, shame, fear or trauma, your manager parts who may be trying to appear perfect to prevent you feeling distress and your firefighter parts that work to distract you from the feelings of distress by means of alcohol, drug use, self-harm, compulsive shopping, restricted eating or something else that is not beneficial but helps you feel better in the moment. This work is based on the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model created by Richard Schwartz.

Do you have a burning desire to find a greater purpose in your life? Do you feel you have been living your life in someone else’s shoes and now you are ready to find out who YOU are? Do you have unfulfilled desires that are begging to be given greater attention? In this work together we will use a branch of psychology called “Positive Psychology” to unearth what will bring greater joy to your life. It’s time to face the day with hope, anticipation, peace and joy.

Have you had an experience that does not seem to match any known scientific explanation? Do you hesitate to talk about it because of fear of not being believed? Did the experience leave you questioning your life as you have known it up until now? Does your life involve a search for a deeper understanding of the nature of reality? Are you seeking to attain higher levels of consciousness and a heightened state of awareness? I create a safe space in which to process your experiences and to voice what you may not have been able to speak of before.