Some people have asked me why I would become a therapist. The answer actually might be relevant to you, so I thought I’d write about it. Basically, I became a therapist because I’m selfish. For one, I wanted to have a job that I liked (since I’ve had many that I didn’t like). I got into the “deeper questions” many years ago, and it eventually became evident that that’s all that was really important to me; everything else was just extra. I thought, “how can I earn my keep talking about this?” The only options I could think of were university professor or therapist. When I did my homework and got realistic, going back for a two-year masters was the only choice. So here I am.
The other reason that’s equally as selfish is that I wanted to learn peace. I really, really, really wanted inner peace. So I started to teach it. And I love the results! Whoa… I’ve learned so much in the last 15 months that it’s truly ridiculous. And this is just the beginning! The stuff that I’m teaching works, as my clients confirm as well as me. And since I say the same things over and over, it makes it harder and harder for me to be dysfunctional in my own life (I still find ways, though, but it’s no big deal now). This wonderful stuff about letting go, letting feelings just be feelings, and not listening to the voice in the head is becoming more and more engrained. I love it.
The best part of my job is seeing this transformation take place in others. I had two sessions on a recent day that blew me away. I’ll write about those more and more in the future. These people really are getting it, and they’re knowing they’re on the right path because stressful and painful things are happening in their lives that are having less of an effect on them. These are things that would’ve made them more upset before. Now they’re able to let feelings flow through them while remaining centered and just handling the situation without blowing up. I’m very grateful to be able to share this. And it’s always about doing inner work first. Amazing…
I’m also seeing some clients let go to the point that their lives seem to be scripted (in a good, flowing way). Synchronicities start to happen so that things unfold in much better, faster ways than they could’ve ever planned had they been the one “controlling” things. They’ve handed over that control, which was really an illusion of control, and life starts to flow. It’s downright dramatic sometimes. After one recent client left, I was literally jumping for joy in my office and high-fiving the air. It was so funny. And it’s nothing special about me – please don’t think I’m bragging on myself. I’m pretty humbled by all of this. It’s the power of this work, this two-pronged approach that focuses on feelings and thoughts. It simplifies life so much. The third prong, of course, is spirituality, which will become more and more prominent in my work as times goes on. But for now, we’ve been able to reduce messy lives down to what’s happening, how we react (feelings), and what we believe and tell ourselves (thoughts). And the result is more and more peace!
So that’s why I became a therapist – because I’m selfish. Sometime in the future, I’ll write about how I don’t really listen to people bitch. In the meantime, happy practicing! And remember that we’re practicing all the time – either A Clean Mind or an unclean mind (and I’m not talking about “dirty thoughts” – let’s stop kidding ourselves and admit that most of those are normal). If you’re practicing anyway, you might as well start practicing something that lets you be at peace more and more of the time. As always, let me know if I can help.