About my Philosophy and Orientation

I provide both short and long term therapy, and believe in the value of both, depending on the person, situation and circumstances, and desired outcomes of treatment. At times, people may seek out short-term therapy to reassess priorities and goals, examine one specific area in life, or address a contained difficulty or concern. Many people also benefit from long-term therapy to explore and have a deeper understanding of themselves, their patterns of thoughts and behaviors, and relationships with themselves or the external world.

 

In all therapeutic settings, I consider myself an eclectic therapist, meaning that I may incorporate various orientations and techniques as appropriate and constructive. However, I fundamentally approach therapy from the science-based lens of Experiential Therapy, which encourages deep connection with an experience, memory, or emotion. Reflection, exploration, and engagement happens from the immersive position of that experience. 

 

Experiential Therapy entails a shift from engaging “with” to engaging “within” an experience, emotion, or memory. Often, cognitive language provides protection and distance that leads to attempts to counteract “symptoms,” labeling and treating the “irrational” through a rational-based method. Instead, Experiential theories seek deeper understanding of the utility of behaviors and alter the internal experience of self to naturally dissolve the need to engage in the target behaviors.  The process of experiential therapy is strongly connected with the area of the brain associated with implicit (or emotional) memories and learning, which generally guide instinctive behaviors and patterns, interpretations and expectations of the world and other people, and understanding of the self. 

 

Because these deep emotional beliefs about the world (called schemas) are learned and stored in implicit memory, by bringing these schemas into awareness in therapy through the depth of experiential therapy, there is the ability to open up the neural connections that hold these beliefs, explore them, and update the original learning with new information in a manner consistent with implicit learning. When implicit beliefs evolve, the symptoms (thoughts, behaviors, patterns) that were motivated by the schema no longer feel the urgency to protect in their usual methods, and experiences of current reality can happen with more awareness and choice. 

 

Experiential therapies include various methods of gaining access to the neural pathways that hold these beliefs and unlocking and shifting them through deep experiences in session. Various theories may be used differently to support tailored treatment and achieve desired outcomes. However, common threads include a deep appreciation for the self and self-knowledge, belief in human capacity and drive towards growth and healing, and fostering self-leadership and healthy internal attachment.

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I am interested in the “irrational” thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that arise, as well as the stories and fantasies that the mind creates. These provide insight into internal schemas and relationships with the self and external world, including attempts to enact hopes, avoid fears, and fulfill needs. I believe in the significance of spontaneous associations of the mind, which allows my work to be authentic and mutually instinctive. 

 

I trust in the process of therapy, the ability of corrective emotional experiences to rewire the mind, and development of deeper self-knowledge and autonomy to create transformational growth.