Therapy

Feeling lost, anxious, demoralized, overwhelmed, or depressed are what often bring us to therapy. These symptoms can be viewed as the psychological equivalents of fever, that is, nonspecific responses to a vast array of underlying causes. They may be related to the trauma and loss we have experienced over the course of our lives, distortions in our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world, or the existential limits and tragedies we find ourselves bound by.

I believe that psychotherapy is not simply about suppressing or coping with such symptoms, although developing skills, strategies, or techniques to live healthier and more content lives is usually part of the process. Instead, therapy is fundamentally about creating a safe context to explore our inner worlds, process unresolved emotions, mourn losses, reflect upon ingrained beliefs, and make changes in our lives to live in accordance with our core values.

Therapy thus involves a dual process: facing and processing our emotional strife, and expanding our self-narrative through questioning and revising outmoded beliefs. When we are able to accept the truth of our lives with openness, including past hurts, regrets, and the inherent limits of existence, we are freed to create authentic and thus meaningful lives. This pursuit of meaning is also the foundation of self-transcendence, or spirituality–an inseparable and essential aspect of mental health and well being.

Although I work with clients facing a variety of challenges, I tend to specialize in:

Existential concerns (e.g., meaning in life, identity, purpose, limitations, mortality)
Trauma (e.g., the wounds and tragedies we have sustained in life)
Loss and grief (e.g., bereavement, loss of functioning, loss of identity, etc.)
Psychedelic-assisted therapy and psychedelic integration
Life-stage transitions and adjustment issues (e.g., retirement, divorce, career issues, relationships, etc.)
Cancer and chronic illness (patients and family members)
Psychological and spiritual growth (e.g., individuation, self-transcendence)
Men's mental health