I was lost and felt that my life had become quite meaningless. In working with Susan I’ve rediscovered myself and I wake every day now with a renewed sense of purpose and (if you’ll pardon the pun) Joy. Joy S
Life & experience…
Consciousness
My Counselling experience has been gained both professionally and personally, which has fostered in me, a deep curiosity about this encounter we call being human. To be fully human is to become conscious of and remain open to the totality of human experience, in all of its personal and collective, mundane, everyday and transcendent manifestations. Hope and despair, joy and sorrow, love and pain; all are authentic and indeed inevitable human experiences.
Becoming
To open up fully may seem counter-intuitive (eg: if experiencing intensely ‘negative’ emotions) however I believe that we are always seeking, consciously or otherwise, to integrate our subjective lived experiences. The process of life itself may be thought of as a recurring cycle of experiencing > assimilating > experiencing. Viewed this way we are perhaps more accurately described, always and in all ways, as humans becoming.
Love & Joy
As with many of us, my journey has included a number of difficult and disorienting or ‘wounding’ experiences, which resulted in me feeling displaced, disconnected and even closed to new encounters at various times. Over time however, through family support, love and friendships, work, study, therapy and reflecting on the deeper meaning of my own unique experiences, my story also now includes many joyful life-affirming chapters.
Meaning
Throughout my life, I have come to understand that even in the midst of my most difficult challenges I was always striving to evolve as a human being. This idea of ‘health as expanding consciousness’ (Newman, 1986) is the process of becoming more of oneself, of finding much greater meaning in life, and of reaching new dimensions of connectedness with other people and with the world around us.
Growth
Roberto Assagioli’s (1910) vision entitled ‘Psychosynthesis’ is a beautifully articulated biopsy- chospiritual model of health and well-being and a theoretical model I resonate with strongly. Envisaged by Assagioli as a true ‘synthesis’, practitioners may draw upon any of a wealth of concepts and techniques, which are recognised as adaptive, available to all and supportive in the service of human healing and growth.
Hope
Psychosynthesis is a psychology of hope which posits that our deepest or most integral sense of Self includes both the uniquely personal and the transpersonal. Psychosynthesis, based on seven core concepts, stresses the importance of the human ‘impulse towards wholeness’ and of the longing and striving for a more authentic and truer experience of Self. If you’re interested in learning more about the ‘psychology with a soul’, I recommend the following websites.
Links
Psychosynthesis: A Foundational Bridge
http://www.psychosynthesis.org/
http://aap-psychosynthesis.org/
Services – Life Matters
To discuss your specific needs in more detail or to make an appointment please contact me. Phone: 0421 716 742 Email: lm@counsellingholistic.com.au
