My Goal as a Therapist: Integration
If you asked me to sum up my goal as a therapist in one word it would be integration.
While the specifics of this look different from client to client, here are common ways this comes up in my work.
we integrate the physical, tangible effects emotions have on your body into the naming of your emotions
we integrate the full spectrum of emotions into your emotional naming
we integrate the root cause and formation of your defense mechanisms into our present-day understanding of your defense mechanisms
we integrate fragmented parts of self into a whole (childhood wounds can sometimes cause a fragmented “younger sense” to have a strong presence within the “adult self”, this presents like regression when most severe)
we integrate new therapeutic learning into your past experiences (this is a primary step in the whole self-integration from above)
we integrate the body’s survival response systems (fight, flight, freeze) into our understanding of why you did what you did in traumatic experiences
we integrate your past experiences into a cohesive narrative of self
we integrate an understanding of your narrative into recurring interpersonal interactions
It is through this integration, the combining of fragmented parts to make a whole, that you get to experience the grounded freedom in knowing and being able to sit with all of you. It’s no easy feat, but its rewards are boundless. If starting therapy has been on your mind, I encourage you to take the leap, immense discovery and integration is awaiting you.
