I am working in a career I love. Yes, it can be stressful. I may experience a sleepless night on occasion - and it is well worth the effort. My work is helping others in the same way that I’ve benefited from Psychotherapy. I’ve had the luxury of a few years “on the couch” with this same, very special form of attention paid to me, the sort of attention that is a guided way inward. I’ve learned that there is a whole language inside the fertile field of the mind. Very different from the linear logic I learned in school, it encompasses a depth and breadth which includes feelings, intuition, wisdom, and love in it. A term was recently coined for it: emotional intelligence, a brilliance anyone can cultivate.

Similar to the relationship between the Shaolin master and his pupil, the therapist helps the patient go inside oneself with guidance, developing the courage of a warrior to find their inner wisdom, power, and strength, and making the depression or anxiety one is experiencing meaningful, alive and useful. Our symptoms, say Freud, Jung and other psychological geniuses of the past, are here for a purpose whose meaning is not always clear to us. The well-trained therapist has the skill to shed light upon these often very dark, painful feelings and experiences without judgment.

In a kind yet truthful atmosphere, we explore together the issues that give you the most trouble and uncover ways to rethink their meaning or purpose. We gently face the conflicts inside and hopefully, outside. We look at options for renewal, and you come up with the change you need to make. Sometimes, in this setting, the changes just happen.

I hope you will join me in this commitment to the wonders of yourself. It isn’t always easy, nor should it be. The best things are often hard to achieve and take a while to accomplish, if they are to be worth it. The biggest investment in this life is you. If you are functioning well, those around you will function even better, and like the drop in a calm pool, your peace spreads in waves to everyone and everything you touch.


Stephen J. Abraham