In the coming weeks, I am going to identify different verbs that are associated with the counseling process and share why I think that they are crucial to the counseling process. This week is healing.
Coming to counseling can be hard, and a really broken season of life. After all, not many people like to look at broken and strenuous parts of their life, work, relationships, or past… if anything we all want to get past all that negative stuff and get on with the happy and whole parts of life.
Healing is a word that has a lot of connotation that includes being perfect, whole, complete and this couldn’t be further from the reality of what true healing looks like.
Healing in the process of counseling involves pain and sober focus on experiences, feelings, needs, attachment injuries, and our ways of dealing with an imperfect world.
Healing in counseling is not something that I as the counselor give away. I wish that I could. But healing is facilitated. Healing is found. Healing is fought for in our minds, hearts, relationships amidst the imperfect world that we live within.
Coming to counseling to heal is great motivation. But if all that counseling is, is the pursuit of healing, then you will not find it.
Healing will come when you focus on your experiences, feelings, needs, safety as it relates to your broken and strenuous parts of their life, work, relationships, or past. Healing comes from you partnering with yourself in the experiences that other people have betrayed or hurt you. Healing will come by someone else witnessing your pain and finding ways you can soothe and feel comfort amidst the pain experience with you.
Healing is a communal act. Perhaps that is why we have mirroring neurons in our brains. Mirror neurons are what make us tear up when we see a loved one tear, or smile when someone else smiles at us; we reciprocate what we experience from others.
So if you have only experienced pain and loneliness, coming to counseling will facilitate healing through you being known by another living person. If you have problems that you have never shared with someone, counseling will facilitate healing. If you have traumas… if you have a broken heart… if you feel like a failure… if you want to find a better tomorrow… if you are overwhelmed…
These are the areas that counseling will focus on. The focus is not on tomorrow being better because tomorrow will be better as you experience micro healing today. The healing that is experienced today will be refreshing for you.
Next week we will look at refreshment as a part of the counseling process.
Too Long/Didn’t Read: Healing comes through relationships and conversations; healing does not come at the end destination of getting through a bad season or bad relationship or problem.
©Grayson Wallen 2021. All Rights Reserved. Terms & Conditions Apply.
Disclaimer: Grayson’s credentials are noted in the footer below. This blog post is not intended to replace therapy or counseling services. While this post may represent psychoeducational content that brings clarity or helps you personally, Grayson encourages you to process your findings and concerns with your mental health counselor and/or other trusted people in your life. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the content of this post, or want to start counseling please contact Grayson directly.
About the links in this post: The links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that Grayson may receive a commission based on you using the link that Grayson gives you. As an Amazon Associate Grayson can earn from qualifying purchases and costs you nothing.
One Last Note: The content of this post is Grayson's work unless otherwise noted/cited. The content of this blog post is not representative of the opinions of Grayson’s past or present places of employment, partners, board members, employees, contractors, or Grayson's Supervisor(s).