I was interested in Counselling and Psychotherapy from a young age. I remember a teacher at school asked me to Council a fellow student after the death of his mother. For some reason he was willing to talk to me when others had been unable to get through to him.
This was my first sense of finding something that I’m naturally good at and that I enjoyed.
I was interested in the mind and in Psychology and did a diploma in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy when I left school.
I started seeing clients in my early 20’s but very quickly realised that I wasn’t old enough or wise enough and I didn’t have enough life experience. Additionally, I had my own issues I needed to work through - I wasn’t ready to continue seeing clients.
I also suffered from some health problems, which became more serious, and I was thrown into my own long term journey of self healing and discovery.
During this time, I experienced many different types and structures of therapy, both mainstream and complementary. I kept on learning and studying and a large part of my own development was coming to realise that my health issues needed support on multiple layers.
It’s so trite to talk about body, mind and spirit, however, I struggled to make sense of the different pulls between science and spirituality. I was drawn to Eastern Energy treatments and to Western Psychology and I struggled to reconcile the rational and creative aspects of myself.
In my thirties I experienced a quantum shift in my understanding of how these different realms of existence fit together in an integrated whole. In large part this was due to the Integral Theory of Ken Wilber. I studied his work in depth and continued my spiritual practices.
I came to understand the importance of integral living, working on all different dimensions of our self, relationships, environment and life in order to allow our true Self to flourish.
My own healing journey showed me the importance of an integral approach to healing and the importance of finding the right therapist for you. If you’ve seen other therapists who haven’t been able to help you with your needs, you might try seeing an Integral Catalyst to help you understand who you truly are and make the changes you want in your life.