Individual 
psychotherapy

Do you find yourself frustrated or sad about the state of your life or an aspect of it? Wishing you weren’t so anxious, depressed, distracted, angry, lonely or stuck?  We are the way we are for good reason. The following is my take on it. The environment we are born into began to shape us from day one. We feel the impact of the family, neighborhood, school, peer group, country, etc., that we were raised in. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. In addition, differences in the condition and operation of one's body and brain—such as health status, abilities, limitations, etc., also contribute to who we become as adults. Our past is always with us. For some, this is usually comforting. For others, it’s typically frightening. When fear, anxiety, anger or depression rule our lives, it’s possible that these emotions and reactions were formed long ago as a way to protect us from what felt overwhelming, including notable neglect by our caregivers. However you were affected by the environment you grew up in and by your brain and body, here’s a word I find important and hopeful: adaptation. 

 

No one has grown up without some level of adversity. We adapted to our environment in the best way we could back then. And now, those ways may not be serving us. If we freeze up, shut down, flee, fight or automatically react with familiar behaviors that aren’t useful, chances are we’re responding to the past. Not to what’s real for us now. To clarify, when someone is presently living in a threatening and dangerous environment or situation, the survival responses of fight, flight, freeze and collapse are adaptive and needed. 

 

Individual psychotherapy can help you become familiar with the reactions and automatic behavioral patterns that are rooted in your past and are no longer serving a useful function. I can provide guidance for your efforts to adapt to your present-day life—to recognize and gradually reduce reactivity to past realities. Whether there’s a clear history of trauma or not, I’ve found that attention paid to such reactions and patterns has greatly supported my work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship struggles and other mental health and behavioral concerns. In addition to providing tools and practices for improving emotion and nervous system regulation, I can help you create clear ways to work toward your therapy goals. I also find that the therapy relationship itself is a rich source of information and a space for potential learning and client growth. It’s something I also tune into and may refer to in session when I believe it could be illuminating and fruitful for your therapy.