A personal message to our service users from all of the therapists at Alethea:
Our initial journey of personal awareness and growth isn’t always one we’ve planned. It tends to find us rather than the other way around. It just becomes the “right” time. Whether that’s through a crisis situation, or that we’re exhausted from living our lives in a way that is not effective anymore, we end up seeking support. We want a more peaceful, effective and easier life. In this world, pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Going to therapy doesn’t mean we won’t struggle again, it just means we’ll be better equipped to handle it when we do.
So, we end up in a therapy room. And for anyone who does, we commend you. As therapists, we’ve all been there too, and as therapists, we are committed throughout our lives to continued internal exploration and growth of self. We know it takes courage to face the things we’ve been avoiding. It’s half the battle when we recognize that we need support, that we just can’t do it alone anymore. In fact, that’s probably the biggest obstacle we needed to overcome and you’ve overcome it by just showing up.
Therapy has changed hugely through the years. It’s now thankfully viewed as a part of someone’s support structure in their lives. The therapist is not someone viewed as an “expert” on your life, and is rather a trusted companion to support you in reaching understanding of the deeper and hidden parts of self. We’re committed at Alethea to been a part of that change. Allowing ourselves to receive professional support through talk therapies and self development as we move through life has become as normal a part of our self-care plan as looking after our physical health, and it’s great to see therapy been normalized. All any of us need is a space to be heard and seen. A place where we can grow in our own awareness of self.
From that place of understanding, we become our own internal therapist. We learn to look at who we are and how we formed, why we respond in our world as we do, and to face our fears and anxieties. We discover what we need to do to meet our own needs and create the life we desire. We begin to take personal responsibility for every aspect of self. We empower ourselves by becoming the victor of our own life. We grow in awareness of self and become the best version of ourselves. We find our personal power. We learn to function in our world in healthy interdependent relationships with good boundaries. It’s an ongoing journey of self discovery. Once we become aware we cannot become unaware again. We wake up to the possibility of ourselves.
For anyone who’s used our services throughout 2019, we encourage you to look at what you’ve overcome by having the courage to seek support and self learning, because that’s what therapy is. A place of support. A place of self enquiry. A place where you find another who’s walking life’s journey of self exploration and growth themselves, to support you on yours. Look at how you’ve expanded yourself as a result of investigating inwards? You’ve been a part of making your world a better place. Everyone benefits. You’re a part of the ripple effect that our contentment, compassion, and understanding brings to our world. You’ve made our journey throughout 2019 a richer one through your presence. Thank you for inviting us to walk on your journey alongside you.
We’ve lost too many people who made the choice to leave this earth. Had they reached out, would that be different? We can’t know for sure, but our hearts are with those families and loved ones who have lost someone and are left with those haunting questions. Please don’t carry that alone. We all have a part in doing what we can to tackle the issues of suicide in our culture. Highlighting the message that it’s ok not to be ok, and that it’s perfectly normal and healthy to seek therapeutic support, is a step in the right direction. Through your courage and honesty you’re a huge part of what we’re attempting to do in normalizing therapy and removing the stigma around seeking support. Thank you so much for that.
We wish you all a Christmas where all around you get to experience the best version of you. We have no doubt that all around your table will benefit from your personal journey of self inquiry and growth. We commend you for your courage to look deeper. And we thank you deeply for allowing us to share that with you. We look forward to our continued journey together through 2020. A new year, a new decade, a new YOU, filled with possibilities.
