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i prefer the term "soul spa".
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Therapy can sound hot and heavy, emotional and intense and for the self soothers out there "who can handle it on their own"- out of reach. I want you to recognize that therapy doesn't have to be a painful undertaking- I prefer to think of it as a potential for awakening. I often joke with my clients that coming to therapy is like coming to a spa for their souls. Thing is, there is a lot of truth in that joke.
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People who have worked with me often comment that they feel they have accessed different dimensions of themselves in a way they didn't know possible. They often express feeling lighter, understood, validated and cared for in a way that they aren't used to. They also express feeling better prepared to handle life's challenges and see things from new perspectives.
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In our work together, I promise to do my best to understand you, so you feel safe and validated. If there is something I don’t understand, I will ask you about it. And if I don’t ask, and you feel it is important for me to know, I ask that you tell me. My commitment to you is be present, inclusive, empathetic, and compassionate. I believe that we are all intimately connected as people and that if you choose to work with me, there's a good reason for it.
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Sending my love,
Christina
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SOME FRAMEWORKS FOR THERAPY THAT I USE:
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Attachment Work
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Deeper connection, meaning, and passion in adult relationships do not need to be out of reach. By working to heal early attachment wounds or disruptions, we can learn how our unconscious wounds may prevent us from accessing real intimacy. When we do this, we will be more likely to communicate more effectively, build trust, and increase intimacy.
Attachment wounds across the lifespan may hurt our ability to give and receive love in healthy ways resulting in an “insecure attachment style”.
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Our wounds can be healed through processing, feeling our feelings, and re-framing old stories that don't work anymore to open up new ways of thinking, being, and loving.
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Attachment work can help to:
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· Identify how attachment patterns may play out in relationships.
· Understand your predominant attachment style.
· Resolve fixed attachment patterns.
· Feel secure to give and receive love in healthy ways.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based approach that involves paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and reframing them to shift towards a new perspective. Using this therapy, Christina helps you to notice the thoughts that aren't working for you and helps you to work with your thoughts to cultivate a new awareness and experience.
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CBT is rooted in adjusting unhelpful thinking. Recognizing that the body's anxious or negative experiences are due to a series of life experiences and cognitive experiences, sometimes we need to step back from the system and attend to the experience and how we can change it. Some fears are very functional and adaptive however. It is important to work with the symptoms to help you move through your unhelpful thinking and onto something realistic, workable, and helpful.
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In my opinion, thoughts are not the root of the problem- usually the thoughts are symptom based. They often arise because of internal regulation systems that may not be working anymore. Our minds need to make sense of our physical experiences--sometimes anxious or negative thoughts are just trying to do that-- trying to make sense of our experiences. CBT helps to shift into a new, more productive way of making sense that feels better for our whole selves.
Mindfulness
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Mindfulness is a great tool for paying better attention. Many times we forget the little things that happen for us-cue the way our clothes feel, how the air smells, or how we feel physically in a given moment. Mindfulness' goal is to help people start to experience each moment more fully from a non-judgemental perspective. In noticing the present moment without judgement, we learn to see more clearly.
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In therapy, I will often use mindfulness to help you come into the present moment to more thoroughly recognize the experiences you are having. I enjoy using this tool as it is something that you can do anywhere, anytime to give yourself a mini-break.
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People who practice mindfulness regularly report greater joy and decreased anxiety and depression symptoms. From my own practice, it helps me to feel grounded, stable, and present for myself and for those I love and work with.
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Want more?
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If you would like to hear about more techniques I use or ones that may fit into your situation, please feel free to book a consultation call with me.