A
quote from a movie I saw "God's only requirement is that you let others
know they are not alone." How simple. How profound. How easy. How
difficult when we don't know it ourselves...how healing to know it
ourselves, because we let others know.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Life Learning
When I was in graduate school, getting my PhD, I read a study that found that college students could be as beneficial to clients as could people with Masters and PhDs, no matter what type of field of therapy studied. At first, I was pretty disheartened, even a little pissed-off. After all, I was spending 10 years of my life gaining the wisdom to help others.
Then I realized, it in not the theories, the techniques, or the letters behind my name that help others in their path through life; It is the willingness to walk my own path, feel my own pain, and joy, that helps me sit with others. I learned (and am learning) to be with myself, whatever I am experiencing, so I can be with others, so they are not alone.
These wise words from Jeff Brown www.lifewithoutacentre.com reminded me of what I began to get a glimmer of in grad school.
BUDDHAS NEXT DOOR
Some of the greatest therapists and healers I've ever known have no diplomas, no qualifications, no letters after their names. They have written no books, and you won't find them being interviewed on TV chat shows. But they are so effortlessly compassionate, able to listen deeply without prejudice, willing to hold the most intense energies in their unshakeable presence. With their loving attention, the unacceptable can move into a space of acceptance, traumatic material can re-emerge without shame, the darkness can come into the light, be felt fully and integrated in a space of safety and kinship, without fear. They are as comfortable with silence as they are with the most heart-breaking personal stories. There is no sense of "I am the expert with all the answers", no image of themselves as the great saviours of mankind or enlightened gurus. These unknown, undiscovered Buddhas are the therapists and teachers of the future, humanity's hope, and they may not even know it.
Then I realized, it in not the theories, the techniques, or the letters behind my name that help others in their path through life; It is the willingness to walk my own path, feel my own pain, and joy, that helps me sit with others. I learned (and am learning) to be with myself, whatever I am experiencing, so I can be with others, so they are not alone.
These wise words from Jeff Brown www.lifewithoutacentre.com reminded me of what I began to get a glimmer of in grad school.
BUDDHAS NEXT DOOR
Some of the greatest therapists and healers I've ever known have no diplomas, no qualifications, no letters after their names. They have written no books, and you won't find them being interviewed on TV chat shows. But they are so effortlessly compassionate, able to listen deeply without prejudice, willing to hold the most intense energies in their unshakeable presence. With their loving attention, the unacceptable can move into a space of acceptance, traumatic material can re-emerge without shame, the darkness can come into the light, be felt fully and integrated in a space of safety and kinship, without fear. They are as comfortable with silence as they are with the most heart-breaking personal stories. There is no sense of "I am the expert with all the answers", no image of themselves as the great saviours of mankind or enlightened gurus. These unknown, undiscovered Buddhas are the therapists and teachers of the future, humanity's hope, and they may not even know it.
- Jeff Foster
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Deep Strength of Listening
Sitting with others when they are in pain, when there is nothing to be done except give them love, can sometimes feel overwhelming. I am getting a deeper understanding of the strength it takes to hold one's center and allow another to feel, and know their self better. Bless the parents, teachers, therapists, and friends who can hold this space. It is a gift, and it is powerful.
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