I view therapeutic techniques like a tree. The more evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are the limbs and leaves of a tree -- the behaviors and thoughts we can see and trim and, without maintenance, can grow to be quite an overwhelming situation again.
The underground roots of the tree are where the more impactful change can occur -- deeper work that is hard to capture in any given scientific study. It’s where the work can get rich and messy. If there is a shift at the roots, there is a more permanent shift in the whole system.
A tree is set within any given environment that keeps it nourished, safe, and expressive or decaying. Therapy can be like two trees linking roots or signaling to communicate to one another in a healthy, boundaried and nourishing way. In therapy, we generally see the leaves and limbs quickly over time without realizing how much information is being communicated from the roots.
As you can see, I use metaphors/analogies and images in my work. Many times, especially when dealing with the more complex layers of the human experience, we can not capture experiences easily through words, rationalizations or linear explanations. Images and metaphors can get closer to the heart of a more complex process. An image can be a message to or from our right brain, the area that negative relational experiences or trauma can shut down, that allows new information to enter our left brain and be known differently.
I’m transparent about the therapeutic process and find it important that you experience therapy as a place of refuge. For those that grew up in a family or societal system where inner decaying occurred, it’s important that you feel safe in the “system of therapy.” I am no wizard with a wand (I wish), just a fellow human with many tools and understanding about the human brain and body, ready to offer what is needed at any given moment based on what brought you to therapy. At times, we will hit new terrain and will figure out what the hell is going on together. It’s the courage of clients exploring new terrain and the trust and patience of clinicians in that exploration that most informs the field of psychology and the ‘truths’ of the human experience.