As I was soaking up all of this new found information, I was introduced to many science-based approaches for psychology and therapy with different perspectives. That was riveting to me, so I started researching scholarly articles on some of these theories and how they proved to help people. This was also humorous. Seriously, I never thought in a million years that you would ever catch me interested in doing research.
Just so you know, I was so NOT a school or study person at all. In fact, I was this cool down-to-earth, hip chic from NYC with a rock-n-roll flare. I was the creative type, loved to dance, be center stage, and actually longed to be a mom. The last thing I would think about is going back to school, let alone graduating with Distinction. And hello, here I am.
Then something changed in me, my kids were getting older and more self-sufficient and I knew it was time to create more meaning FOR ME outside of my family world.
I learned about Psychodynamic theory and the unconscious mind. I became passionate and focused on learning and how we are all impacted by our thoughts and feelings and how we engage with them. It fascinated me way more than anything else because it had substance, something I felt the need for more of in my life. I finally felt this was the ‘enough’ I had been looking for.
I began learning about other ways to heal the mind, through different classes, workshops, and training events including holistic ones. During that period I came across Polyvagal Theory, Somatic Experiencing and Sound Healing Therapy –that for me, encapsulated the idea of what we think, what we feel and what we experienced in the past, are all stored memories in our body.
That is when it all connected for me. It was this AHA moment, that moment of clarity when I was able to tie all the pieces I had been learning together–body, mind, heart, & spirit. It was then that I realized how I wanted my practice to be. How I would help others. I understood how we are all unique. Unique challenges. Unique experiences. Unique desires. I wanted my therapy practice to focus on unique individual needs and strategies through both science-based and holistic healing.
Mind, body, spirit & heart.