Lasting Change, Not Temporary Relief
People talk about changing themselves, whether just some minor aspect, perhaps a habit, annoying trait, or particular behaviour, or even revamping their entire personality and approach to living.
But most people who care enough to actually make the effort to change, do so without a proper appreciation of how to actually go about properly doing this.
Wanting to change is a good thing, it’s just not at all easy.
One of the complications that arises is that we have become grossly confused with the proper understanding of what change is about.
At one level, change seems rather easy.
When people want change in their life because it doesn’t feel right, they often take vacations, drink alcohol or take drugs, seek new relationships, or try any one of a number of different avenues in an effort to create differences with the ultimate goal of making themselves feel better.
This is not surprising, and factually speaking, creates changes. Each of these activities, or combinations of them, not only change how I think and feel about myself, they also usually create differences in how I feel about the people I am with, and how I perceive the world I live in.
Occasionally, these (self-coping) actions provide periodic relief from pain and distress. But often they only prolong the problem or the pain, and occasionally, make the situation worse.
Furthermore, these are the easy ways, the superficial ways. They are made available to us through the society in which we live should we choose them. Furthermore, whether we realize it or not, we choose these options because one way or another, we are actually encouraged to use them, by the society in which we live. Most people at one point or another have tried them.
The type of change process I am referring to involves much more than a mood alteration, or finding momentary relief.
I am not talking about change by putting something into my body, or looking to the outside world or someone else to solve my problem.
My primary interest and therapeutic approach is with changing the fundamental nature of our “self”. It is directed towards and concerned with the process of our emotional and psychological development, maturation, and evolution.
More than this, it is also an approach designed to effect change so as to potentially become a positive and constructive force for others and for the world around us.
Problematically for many, there is nothing easy about this process. Every person I see has their own unique challenges and tasks. But there certainly is a path, and this level of change is absolutely possible.
Contact me if you are interested in finding out more.