People often believe that seeing a therapist involves getting advice, receiving input about shortcomings or even an acknowledgement that they're crazy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Good therapists all know that human beings gain their own insight into themselves by being surrounded by a climate of deep compassion and skillful engagement that allows an individual to "unfold unto their own wisdom". As therapists, we bear witness to this exploration, this healing process. What emerges in you as you read this story of a different kind of explorer?
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UNTETHERED SPIRITS
Dr. Stanley headed off into the jungles of Africa, exploring unknown territories and desperately searching for Dr. Livingstone. Supported by 200 local natives transporting all of his gear, he fell into a relentless pace, refusing to slow down or rest. At one point, he realized he was only accompanied by his guide, that the natives helping him had disappeared. "Where are the men?" he asked. The guide flatly answered, "they have stopped several miles back ... they refuse to move until their souls can catch up. They cannot continue hollow."
I too, can get ahead of myself. During days or weeks that I focus too heavily on accomplishing, juggling electronic devices, and outdistancing integral energies of my being, I feel productive, yet hollow. I leave parts of me behind. The tether between me and my deeper guides is stretched so thin that subtle anxiety becomes my sojourner. Maybe that is what anxiousness is really about - a signal to myself that I have outdistanced my soul.
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Let's all remind one another this month - family, friends, co-workers - to be careful in our busy lives of becoming too untethered. Let's pause and breathe back into deeper reservoirs of who we are at our core, centered in the simple values that matter. 'Til next month - Steve
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