Noetica
5455 152nd St, Unit 216 V3S 5A5 Surrey, BC, Canada

Sometimes having a bad day or feeling a rush of emotions can be discouraging and some clients feel this could be a sign that they are sliding backwards in their progress. The therapeutic process isn't so much about eliminating emotions, but rather, being able to mindfully recognize them, experience them without judgement, and choose a response to them. Sometimes our culture or family systems have raised us to be emotionally avoidant, which can lead to a very diminished capac...ity to be present with our emotions and to build the capacity to trust that if we are present with them, processing can occur, and the intensity will lessen. Avoidance of our emotional experience causes memories or significant events to be come stuck or frozen... in many cases leading to anxiety or depression. Emotions are one of several ways that we are neurobiologically wired to experience ourselves and the world. They are very valid and important sources of information. I like to reframe "negative" emotions as heavy emotions. Emotions like overwhelm, sadness, anger, guilt, etc aren't inherently bad for you. If you picture your emotional landscape like a garden, and you notice some wilting (perhaps depressed mood?) or are fried from the sun (perhaps panic attacks?), this is a helpful clue to recognize that you may have gone too long without self-care. Acknowledging without judgment, accepting your emotional experience, and allowing yourself to feel it will also cultivate the openness to respond to your emotions in a meaningful and healthy way. Emotions are faithful guides which can give us clues that we may have left our path, and therapy can help with developing that capacity to listen and respond. #therapyisforeveryone #emotion #psychoeducation #counselling #counsellor #therapy #psychotherapy #therapist #heal #healing #growth #spokenintherapy #relationship #encounter #meaning #purpose #fulfillment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #existential #existentialist #existentialtherapy #existentialpsychotherapy #somatictherapy #aedp #eft #existentialanalysis #sensorimotorpsychotherapy #embodiment #embodied #reclamation #therapywithchelsea

I’ve introduced her before, but this is Maisie the boxer. She’s a #therapydog who assists in my sessions from time to time, not because she’s behaviourally perfect - most definitely not - but because she has a nervous system that tends to run on the anxious side . This makes her a fantastic aid in showing clients that a) your nervous system is wicked powerful, b) you can still have a good life with a brain that tends to run anxious, and c) there is a TON you can do to suppor...t your own unique nervous system. If you’re familiar with the #windowoftolerance, it’s essentially a map of our nervous system arousal based on #polyvagaltheory. Thanks to evolution, we have highly developed nervous system responses which are ready to react in an instant if we need help or are under threat. If you look at the WOT, the aim is to be cruising midline within the window which enables us to socially engage, enjoy, play, and be mindful. But thanks to our amazing biology - we can go hyper into fight or flight or hypo into freeze and shutdown as survival strategies. Maisie’s baseline tends to be along the upper edge of the window, and it sure doesn’t take much to pop her over her threshold into an anxiety response. Where do you think your baseline is? When you’re at home, school/work, doing something you love, or in a large group of people or with a close friend? With so much research and clinical development backing somatic approaches to therapy and evolutionary developmental psychology, we can learn a lot from our pets and other animals in terms of the kinds of things that impact our own WOT, as well as strategies for being able to regulate our own thresholds and widen our window’s capacity. Stay tuned for more tips from Maisie, with upcoming posts about how to down regulate and up regulate your own nervous system. #sensorimotorpsychotherapy #somaticexperiencing #somatichealing #somatictherapy #animalassistedtherapy #therapydog #boxer #boxersofinstagram #boxerdog #boxergram #counsellor #counselling #therapy #therapist #psychotherapy #trauma #traumainformed #anxiety #depressionhelp #nervoussystem #evolutionarybiology

Therapy isn't about fixing yourself, it's about becoming authentically you so that you can give your own "yes" to the life that you live. Learning about mental health and coping strategies are important; they can help diminish suffering in the short term. The process of learning how to dialogue with yourself and those around you in an emotionally attuned and relationally responsible way, is what creates the space for long term healing and change. #therapyisforeveryone #couns...elling #counsellor #therapy #psychotherapy #therapist #heal #healing #growth #spokenintherapy #relationship #encounter #meaning #purpose #fulfillment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #existential #existentialist #existentialtherapy #existentialpsychotherapy #somatictherapy #aedp #eft #existentialanalysis #sensorimotorpsychotherapy #embodiment #embodied #reclamation #therapywithchelsea See more

What do I mean when I say that therapy is for everyone? Counselling isn't just for "mental illness"; in fact, I prefer not to see clients through a lens of mental health/illness, due to stigmatization. Research and clinical lived experience accounts inform us that human beings are positively oriented towards growth, and that as persons, we can expect our psyche and nervous systems to respond and react to our experiences. There is nothing innately wrong or inherently broken i...n a person. This is what the term "Noetic" in my practice name means, as coined by Viktor Frankl - that there will always fundamentally remain a part of a person's being that cannot become sick/ill. So why do we have problems then? Why do we act out or react when we don't mean to? How come we struggle to find meaning and reach our own goals for self-actualization? We are shaped by our experiences. There are many, many factors that can affect a person's ability to be self-aware, to be relationally attuned to others, and to endure and overcome adversity. Some of these include: - Privilege - Family of origin - Attachment from attuned caregivers - Socioeconomic status - Sexual orientation - Race - Genetics - Trauma & Abuse - Adverse childhood experiences - Ability - Education - Relationships I have had the honour of walking alongside clients as they seek to heal themselves. The folks with histories of pain and hurt I wish I could erase, are some of the most inspiring people that I know. We are changed by our experiences; we can be harmed by them, and we can also be healed through emotionally-corrective experiences in a safe and open space shared with an attuned, caring other. This is therapy, and it's for everyone. #therapyisforeveryone #counselling #counsellor #therapy #psychotherapy #therapist #heal #healing #growth #selfactualize #relationship #encounter #meaning #purpose #fulfillment #existential #existentialist #existentialtherapy #existentialpsychotherapy #somatictherapy #aedp #eft #existentialanalysis #sensorimotorpsychotherapy #embodiment #embodied #reclamation #therapywithchelsea