Do you dread the holidays because of social gatherings? Does the thought of another holiday party fill you with dread? Do you have constant nagging thoughts of what others are thinking of you?

Therapy addresses the emotional, psychological, relational, and spiritual well-being of the individual.  Let’s be honest. The patchwork of our existence whether it involves relationships, jobs, children, social issues or whatever, there’s bound to be stress, anxiety, depression, grief, problem solving, trauma, and the list goes on where the help of a therapist is needed.

The pandemic did a lot more than just bring awareness to the medical community, but it also caused light to shine on the mental health community.

Therapy is a safe place to discuss your emotions

There is a stigma with mental health

We reparent ourselves into learning that our inner voice is correct, that our emotions are valid, that the expression of our sadness, fear or anger are not weakness, that we are worthy by holding space for ourselves and creating compassion. We can become the parents we did not have or the parents we needed and wanted.

How dare I compare Star Wars to Harry Potter, you may say. Well let’s chat and look at the movies from a purely factual perspective. We have young orphan boys, raised by family members who know their inherent power but suppress any inkling of them expressing said power.

We will speak, however, about generational trauma. Now let us talk, heart to heart. Think of the times when we thought that we were not enough, not smart enough, not athletic enough, not pretty enough, not strong enough, not flexible enough.

As kids, we often viewed our parents or parental figures as demi-gods; we idolized them thinking they could do no wrong yet in reality, our parents were complicated flawed individuals who made mistakes and likely hurt us at one point or another.

So, when we talk about "changing the volume" of the different competing voices in your head, it's really about which ones you place your focus on. Easier said than done when the critical voice has been so loud for so long and you don't even know what the compassionate one sounds like. Next week, we'll be talking about how to find that more gentle and kind voice within and what life can look like once you start listening to it!

Throughout our lives, our brains are bombarded with constant sensory input and messages and we do our best to categorize them in meaningful ways.