What does it mean to engage in your personal growth?

What is it like to have an awake and loving life?
How do we know what are our real responsibilities?

Without conscious engagement and asking yourself fundamental questions,
the constant pursuit towards happiness and contentment in life can remain elusive.

“Psychotherapy and liberation are completed in the moment when shame and guilt collapse, when the organism is no longer compelled to defend itself for being an organism, and when the individual is ready to own his unconscious behaviour.”

Alan Watts (Philosopher, Writer, Orator) 1915 – 1973

I feel it is a necessity, and a privilege, to engage in Personal Development.

To truly honour the gift of having a life we all need to engage in Psychological and Spiritual expansion. In a safe therapeutic relationship and environment we can become curious enough to get behind the sense of shame, guilt and fear we all individually, and collectively, share.

To investigate why, we as a species, became convinced we are entitled to only positive experiences at all times. We tend to equate well-being with having positive experiences only, forgetting that negativity grows us as well. I feel it is an important learning process to include all experiences and feelings as beacons toward wholeness.

• To understand why we became confused and afraid to deal with the betrayals in life.
• To honestly consider why anything is happening to us (you)  and how it is personally impacting your life is vital material to engage with.
• To enlist our courage and maturity in these matters of heart, spirit and life on earth is what opens the door to the true contentment we all sense it is possible, yet do not how to connect with.

How can it be done?

• To answer our own existential questions, individually by examining our own history,
• Learning what is stored in our bodies and psyches,
• Personal development in devoting our intelligence and kindness to what arises within us in relation to each aspect of our lives.

There are many ways offered in the market today to look at oneself.

From simplistically believing your thoughts alone are responsible for all that happens in your life, to the media’s frivolous ideas of how to know yourself and be happy, there are hundreds of notions readily available today.

Everything pertinent to the depths of one’s own life enquiries can be googled or discussed over a drink. People you meet at a social gathering will have deep advice to dispense. It seems that most people have an approach and a theory on psychological issues, life difficulties, and how to go beyond it all.  This is certainly a way to diminish the pressure that is being felt from the inside. However true personal development goes beyond chatting about our issues or someone else’s or pursing a quick answer in a book.

Thankfully, the fusion of Eastern philosophies and the most recent scientific based psychological approaches, can provide us with the support necessary to get to know ourselves at the deepest levels.

While personal growth work is serious, it elicits our playful parts as well, requiring of us both a full commitment to stay curious, as well as a willingness to stay connected to skilful supports.

Can we do it alone?

We are fortunate to live in an age where so much ancient wisdom, as well as research based psychological interventions to healing, are now being interwoven. Healing our painful sense of loneliness and our entrenched perception of separation needs skilful and stable support from people who are engaged in their own psycho-spiritual uncovering and awakening.

As we follow the path towards our true nature, which is highly individual and unique, the dissolution of the myths we carry is inevitable. It is a fascinating journey and yet it can be confusing at times.

There are a few reasons why it is nearly impossible to engage in this pursuit without external support, or only reading books or self-reflection. One of the reasons is that we all have an inbuilt management system which functions to protect us from any further pain. These are parts within us, inner voices, which only allow certain information to come to light. We can go around in circles listening to our inner protectors’ advice and patching up some quick and similar solutions year after year. Life after life. To appoint a supportive system, with a trusted professional therapist, or a spiritual mentor with skilful means to support you to get behind those protective mechanisms is truly needed.

To fully unpack the underlying motives of behaviours and convictions which no longer serve us is one of the most important activities we can engage in life.

• Every area of your life will be impacted: physical health, emotional wellbeing, productive and creative activities, as well as all relationships with yourself and others.
• All that is within you and around you will benefit from your dedication to dive IN and enjoy the discovery of the true nature of your unique Self.

To read more about the type of personal development support I offer to my clients and students, please read the pages on Internal Family System, Mindfulness,  Private Online Sessions and Residential Retreats.