Depth Psychology
RECLAIM YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH self
My background and the base of my work is in Archetypal, or, Depth Psychology. Before I went to graduate school, I found the work of James Hillman. Dr. Hillman was a Jungian analyst. He and other collegues coined the term Archetypal Psychology partly as a way to make contemporary contributions to the work of C.G Jung. For the past thirty years, I have been practicing psychotherapy from this perspective. This way of working includes the soul and the primacy of its needs, desires, and struggles. I listen in a way that is broad enough to include the ordinary affairs of our lives, such as decision making and clarity of choice, as well as the deeper soul questions such as "What is my deepest longing", and "How can I come to know and speak my own truth?"
The results of this broad and deep way of listening feels comforting and inclusive to clients. They make discoveries about themselves, their relationships and life directions, that they may not have previously known. People who work with me find that they feel more alive and empowered by uncovering their own passions and joys, and learning to believe in themselves. In sorting out what is true and resonant with people, they come to seperate culturally conditioned voices from their own unique knowing. The results are trust, stabiity, clarity, knowing, and truth.
Art Therapy
INNER REFLECTION
As an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, I was a photography major. It was the first time that I acknowledged that I was an artist. At the same time, I was active in a dream group. I had been interested in psychology for quite awhile, as well as art. When I learned about art therapy, I realized that I found my exact calling.
Art therapy has been called the reflective arm of art. In other words, what is different about art therapy as opposed to art training, is that you can reflect upon your artwork. You can dialogue with your creations, you can write about them, and you can learn from your images. Art making itself is an ancient form of expression. Sometimes, we don't have the words, and can't find the meaning of what troubles us. The act of art making itself is a therapeutic act. We release stored energy, we can become calm and satisfied all within the making process itself. We don't have to be trained artists in order to express ourselves. We just need encouragement, support, and a little courage.
Trauma and Resolution
RESTORE BALANCE
I call my practice psycho-spiritual, as there are similarities between psychotherapy and spiritual practice. What they both have in common is emphasizing the importance of paying attention, slowing down, knowing your truth, and pausing to either sit in silence, or to listen more carefully to yourself from the inside.
For people that have experienced traumatic events, it is especially important to learn how to regulate the nervous system; to come to a state of grounding and deep breathing, in order to know what calm feels like. I teach the skills that allow and encourage this to happen.