A personal trainer for the mind

Gone are the days when you lay on the couch and talked about the first thing that came to your mind while the analyst or god like figure infrequently gave pronouncements which were called insight.  30 years ago I went to a Jungian analyst who wrote down my dreams and told me I had a fear of success.   No, I didn’t, I was in an impossible job situation and the minute I quit I felt much better.

Today’s therapy is a relationship between two people.  A therapist is no longer a blank screen but a collaborator. A personal trainer for the mind. You’re doing the heavy lifting.  You remain the expert on your life, your thoughts, your feelings.   The therapist is only the expert on the process of therapy. 

A personal trainer helps you to reach your physical peak, a therapist helps you to experience life more fully.

Isn’t your mental well-being as important as your physical health?

What are the benefits of mental well-being?

- Reduced stress and anxiety,

- a decrease in negative thoughts and self-sabotaging behaviors,

- improved relationships,

- increased capacity for intimacy and

- increased self confidence.

To accomplish these things you’re going to have to work your muscles. It will involve effort on your part and active participation in the therapy process.   And just like with weight lifting, where the muscle building takes place the day after you train, the real progress in therapy happens between sessions.  A client asked me “Am I supposed to be thinking about our conversation all week between sessions.”  Yes!  That’s when growth happens.

While you’re doing the work, it’s helpful to have a fitness expert by your side to help you set goals, show you how to achieve them, and cheer you along the way.

So if you would like to strengthen your emotional core, consider a consultation, a fitness assessment if you will, to determine if your emotional well-being is as toned and buff as you would like it to be