PHILOSOPHY
Transpersonal integrative psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a process of understanding and becoming more fully who you really are. It is a process of change, where old views or forms of yourself are broken down and you discover more of your innate potential. You become re-formed, more aligned to your true nature. In psychotherapy this is sometimes referred to as the True Self, which can be an elusive concept to grasp.
Your Ego is a mental construct which becomes defined in your early years as you come into contact with the world and others around us. It is built up from your relationships with your parents, siblings, family, peers and wider world. It is also shaped by your genetics, family history, gender and sexuality, as well as culture, race and religion.
Transpersonal psychotherapy views the Self as more than the worldly ego, also including access to a Higher Self. Translated literally, transpersonal means beyond or across (trans) the personal; it transcends the personal but also includes it. Psychotherapy means to attend to (therapia) the soul (psyche). Transpersonal integrative psychotherapy seeks to include all aspects of the Self, from body, mind to spirit. It recognises that we do not simply exist as isolated individuals, but are also connected to others and to all life. It includes a multitude of different approaches which the psychotherapist draws upon, dependent on their own personal strengths, affinities, training and experience.
As a transpersonal integrative counsellor and psychotherapist I believe each person needs to be recognised for the individual that they are, and therefore my approach is tailored to the specific individual's needs. It is the relationship between therapist and client that is key to facilitating change and healing. It is therefore important to establish a good trusting relationship first and foremost, out of which the necessary transformation will follow. Psychotherapy requires a commitment from you, initially to me but ultimately to your Self.
Transformative change is an organic process. It can be directed, but it cannot be hurried. It is usually therefore not possible to say how many sessions will be needed. Since life (and our Self as part of life) is an ever evolving process, there is also potentially no end point. You can simply use the space and the relationship to unfold and develop more of your innate potential. At any point, however, you can decide that you feel sufficiently better to manage independently, perhaps when what originally brought you to therapy is no longer a problem.