Therapy
I help people overcome trauma, challenge unconscious beliefs, clarify their values, and take meaningful action for positive change. Common themes include navigating the challenges of being in a relationship with a partner with mental illness, midlife issues, men's issues, depression, anxiety, career issues, and spiritual concerns. ​​
Example
A Typical Session
A typical session might start out with a discussion about your concerns of the day or a topic you bring to the session. Then we might deepen into a discussion about how these concerns relate to a formative experience, such as a trauma or a parental attachment, or a common pattern in your life. We might explore an archetypal story, myth, or character that illuminates to this patten. We’ll talk about what this means to you in relation to your sense of self and your personal values. Then the question is what to do with this new insight. We might talk about actions to take in your life, or we might explore an embodiment or mindfulness practice to release an emotional charge around the situation during the session. ​​
Overview
Therapeutic Modality
My therapeutic modality is Existential-Depth Psychotherapy, a blend of two perspectives that form the foundations of most modern psychotherapy and cut to the root of what it means to be human in the modern world.
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Depth psychology is based primarily on the analytical psychology of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. It focuses on the large forces at work in the psyche, especially related to trauma, early childhood attachment, and other formative experiences. Archetypes are important for this type of work because we unconsciously tend to follow common patterns of story or identity that guide our actions in unseen ways. Awareness of these archetypes allows greater freedom to make more conscious choices.
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Existential Psychology focuses on meaning, personal values, authenticity, personal responsibility, and taking conscious action. It's based on the work of authors such as Victor Frankl, Carl Rogers, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Satre, Soren Kierkegaard, and Paul Tillich. All modern psychotherapeutic approaches that emphasize values, authenticity, and action stem from Existential Psychology.
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In addition to these foundational modalities, I use holistic approaches, such as somatic, or embodied, practices and mindfulness. Mindfulness and somatic interventions have found new applications in modern psychology but have their roots in Eastern spiritual practices. ​
Focus Area
Mental Illness in Relationships
People in relationships with partners living with mental illness face unique challenges. The most common include how they can best be a supporting and loving partner, to what degree they are responsible for the care of their partner, their personal definition of equitability in the relationship, and at what point their partner’s behaviors become intolerable. These questions can take time to sort out. They usually start with issues of emotional support and relationship quality, but they can progress into impacts on family and social support systems, financial concerns, legal difficulties, or even physical harm. It’s usually helpful to start with some effective tools and techniques to improve the relationship. Couples’ therapy, both partners’ individual therapy, medications, lifestyle changes, and other interventions may need time to be effective. I help individuals work through this process from their own side of the relationship—to care for their partners and themselves in a loving, compassionate, and sustainable way.
Focus Area
Men’s Issues
Without exception, the men I work with all want to be the best versions of themselves. This often means being a supportive romantic partner, achieving and maintaining career success, being a good leader, being a good lover, clarifying personal values, and understanding their motivations, desires, and fears so they can live more conscious, intentional, and effective lives. Many of the men I work with are also deeply interested in their own sense of spirituality, discovering how to better live in alignment with a deeper sense of purpose and meaning, and exploring the possibilities of transformative experiences and practices. Men have particular ways of expressing emotions that aren’t always obvious on the surface, but are nonetheless true and deeply felt. It’s helpful to have a therapist who recognizes this type of emotional expression that is particular to men and can work with men’s emotions on their own terms.
Focus Area
Midlife
Midlife can bring a host of major life changes. People may begin reevaluating their relationships, considering career changes, experience changes in relationships with maturing children, grapple with changes in their physical health, mental health, or sexuality, or taking a serious inventory of themselves, their sense of authenticity, individuality, their values, and their relationship to spirituality. There is often a feeling of urgency around these issues because of a new realization of fleeting youth and mortality. The psychology of Carl Jung is particularly valuable in this area because midlife was a particular focus of his work. I apply Jungian techniques to help people navigate this critical phase of life and to live their best lives during midlife and beyond.
Focus Area
Depression
I support people suffering from depression to help them make it through these extraordinarily difficult times and help them get back to fulfilling functioning in their lives. Major depression and depressive moods can not only be challenging, in the worst cases they can be life-threatening. I work with people on emotional, psychological, social, physical, and spiritual levels to work through difficult periods of depression. This is an area where I have personal, as well as professional, experience, and I have some tools I can share to help you get through it. I can be an exceptionally empathetic and effective partner in dealing with this particular type of experience.
Focus Area
Anxiety
Anxiety can have many psychological associations, such as traumatic or formative experiences. Exploring those is valuable, but the most effective day-to-day interventions typically involve regulating the nervous system in the moment. Techniques such as mindfulness practices and physical activities can be effective interventions. I work with people to uncover the causes of their anxiety, but more immediately, I help people with tools for managing anxiety in the moment, so it interferes less with their daily function and enjoyment of life.
Focus Area
Bipolar Disorder
Psychiatric medication is a key component for many people managing bipolar disorder. I help people with the psychological side of the disorder. The typical experience of bipolar disorder isn’t a “mood” like feeling happy or sad, but more as a fluid and fluctuating state of being that includes greater intensity than the average person's baseline state. For many people, the bipolar experience includes a mix of symptoms that are classically considered manic or depressive, rather than following a stereotypical, up-or-down polarity. Their experience might include phenomena that are difficult to describe to others or understand themselves. Experiences might be intense, vivid, or overwhelming. I help people understand, live, and thrive with their particular expression of bipolar disorder. I provide a space where the psychological content that accompanies intense states of being can be supported and expressed.
Focus Area
Substance Use
Recovery from substance use is like a hard sprint followed by a long hike. The initial stages of weening your physiology and daily habits from a substance, like alcohol, are usually the most intense, especially regarding cravings. Thankfully, this period usually passes fairly quickly, but it’s necessary to do some personal work to remain sober and thrive. I work with people on the challenges of getting and staying sober. Therapy once a week won’t get people there on its own. For people recovering from substance use, I strongly recommend attending a 12 Step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or Alanon as the foundation for your recovery process. These programs are easily accessible, they provide a supportive community, and they're free. I support people in their recovery process with a deeper level of individual support that 12 Step groups can’t provide.
Focus Area
Transcendent and Exceptional Experiences
Much of my PhD work and work as a writer and editor is focused on transcendent and exceptional experiences, such as spiritual awakenings, energetic experiences, near death experiences, psychedelic experiences, psychic experiences, extraterrestrial encounters, and transformative sexual experiences. In fact, my own path toward becoming a helping professional was marked by a number of such experiences. I help people integrate and manage these experiences to find their own personal meaning and path with the insight and knowledge they have gained from them. For people who are interested, I can support them on their paths toward seeking out such experiences.
Focus Area
Spirituality, Spiritual Crisis, Existential Crisis, Crisis of Faith
People I work with frequently grapple with questions of "ultimate concern," as Paul Tillich put it. Usually this looks like clarifying a personal experience or belief system around spirituality, a sense of purpose and meaning in life, or one's place in the world. This can be an uplifting, hopeful, or joyful process, but standing in one's authentic truth isn't always joy and bliss. There can be periods of hopelessness and even crisis. Traumatic or profound experiences can upend one's view of the world and themselves. A personal crisis may shatter one's previously held spiritual beliefs. These times need particular attention and care. I help people to get in touch with their questions of ultimate concern and navigate their path toward personal truth.
My work in this area does not follow ​any particular religious perspective. My approach is existential, interfaith, and participatory, meaning that it honors a diversity of perspectives, including atheism, and I consider one's perspective and path to be highly individualized.
Focus Area
Dream Analysis
Dream analysis can be a powerful and meaningful supplement to the therapeutic process because it uncovers content that the conscious mind may not be able to fully access. Dreamwork can provide fascinating insights about the workings of your mind, but more importantly, it can be a deeply emotional process that reveals truths about oneself. For people who remember or track their dreams and are open to the work, I primarily use dream analysis techniques from Depth Psychology and the work of Car Jung, but I'm versed in others, and I will sometimes employ them when applicable. Dream analysis is optional for clients who are interested.