29/11/2024
A client came to me after unsatisfying therapy.
Her therapist had tried to reframe her unhappy stepmum experiences COGNITIVELY, without helping her process all the underlying emotions. She did not feel validated, seen or understood. She was not supported in an effective grieving process.
The message she heard was "be grateful for the family you have".
Gratitude is a beautiful thing, but "should"-ing a client can leave them in even more despair.
Disappointment and despair is what people often need support walking with. Also regret: "I wish I hadn't joined a blended family".
Offering purely cognitive reframes without sufficiently addressing the client's emotional/somatic processes (or complexity of situation), has some clients receiving this message:
"I need to hurry up and get rid of this emotion"
"My emotion is bad"
"There's something wrong with me when I can't reframe easily"
"It's hopeless, no one understands, no one can help" đ
When clients are habitually dissociated from their emotions, accessing safety to feel & unravel those emotions can be a process.
What I find useful is to help clients:
- connect new/deeper dots into their inner reactions and ways of relating, getting into their own reflection
- come to their own reframe when they sense a new possibility
- access different emotional states and noticing how their relationship to the problem changes
- notice their somatic discomfort - and where we can work on rebuilding new relational capacities
My clients leave with more awareness of "the gap", and an understanding on how to keep working with it.
With an increased sense of agency, we can feel more hopeful and able to face our challenges, make tough decisions.
We can become more sturdy in our leadership.
This is not fluff or some shiny promise, just a reality that all human beings including me are faced with this growth work.
The client above worked with me for 3 months said a year later, "I'm doing really well and seeming to be balancing our challenging dynamics. Thanks for all your help".
Next year, I'm raising my prices because I need to, in order to still homeschool our neurodivergent kids.
I currently have a special 6 session pack for $1000AUD. You can lock in this special rate before 25 December 2024.
Single 1 hour zoom sessions before end of year are $200AUD (inc GST).
Many people put off the decision to get support even if they say "I have these problems and I know I should". It can feel like a big step, and it's common to experience resistance (and for stepmums, fear that we will be "shamed").
Sometimes we need to take a leap of faith. The work takes courage.