Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is "Spiritual Emergency?"

  • Spiritual Emergency is a transformational crisis that can cause a person to become over-whelmed by the experiences of non-ordinary states of consciousness. These states can sometimes be accompanied by confusion, pre-occupation and distancing of loved ones, to the point it may become hard to function in daily life. These experiences can be triggered by spiritual practices like yoga and meditation, or other factors like near–death experience, fasting, trauma, grief, recreational drugs, the global crisis or even one’s natural gifts of intuition, etc.

    The symptoms of this crisis can resemble the same symptoms of mental illness, which is why it is often misdiagnosed. This is not to say that medications used in mental health are an inappropriate option, if the person chooses that. Medication during an acute phase can sometimes be very helpful, as long as you define the lowest amount that's effective.

    A trained spiritual emergency coach can be a great compliment to any treatment plan of traditional medical care. I can help with techniques and teaching that will empower my client to move through the different phases of a crisis more smoothly and to the deeper learning from the experience.

    I believe that we humans are deeply spiritual beings in a constant state of evolving. Sometimes evolution gets messy and requires time, safety and patience as the butterfly wrestles it’s way out of the cocoon. People often emerge from the crisis much stronger, wiser and more open, often able to discover their life’s true path and follow it. I am here to help you to understand your process and honor it.

• What is the "Hearing Voices Movement?"

  • The Hearing Voices Movement (HVM) originating in the Ukraine, is a form of treatment for schizophrenia. Through investigation, we get to the heart of the deeper message of the voices. The deeper message often shows the path to healing. I will teach you ways to begin to take a more powerful position with the voices. Shifting the power can change the overall relationship to something more positive and supportive. I will work with you as you learn to integrate the voices into your life in a healthier way.

    The HVM form of treatment is a human based, holistic approach to helping someone recover more fully when dealing with non-ordinary states of consciousness. I believe schizophrenia can be both a medical, as well as a psychological affliction. This type of treatment has shown to be successful regardless of whether the client is on antipsychotic medication or not. HVM normalizes symptoms by showing how they speak of the psychic wound that has often triggered the voices to begin with. It’s an approach that sees the voices as meaningful messages that speak to the fundamental beliefs held by the person who hears them. I have found that sometimes the angriest and most hurtful voices require the most compassion, when getting to the bottom of their messages.

    Normalizing my clients feelings and symptoms through psycho-education, serves to elucidate what they are experiencing. Greater understanding helps to lessen the fear they are experiencing by showing the order that lies under the chaos of the experience.

• How do I know if I really need therapy?

  • It’s a little different for everyone. Some signs that you might need some help from a professional are when the way you feel begins to negatively impact your sleep, your job, appetite, relationships with friends and loved ones, or your decision-making abilities. If you find that you feel “blue” a lot, or that things just aren’t getting better or even that things seem hopeless – these are also pretty strong indicators that it’s time to seek out a trained professional to help.

• Why shouldn’t I try to just work through this on my own?

  • It’s easy to put off seeking out help for something that’s negatively impacting the way we feel. In fact, the decision to get help can actually be extremely difficult for many people. Often times we dismiss feelings of anxiety, emotional pain, relationship stress, or depression as “just life” – even to the point of encountering real difficulty in normal day-to-day functioning. Deciding to take responsibility for your mental wellbeing and is an empowering first step. It takes courage, but it puts you back in control of your feelings and wellbeing. Even this small action step of reaching out can have a surprisingly positive effect on your outlook!

• What does professional therapy provide?

  • Professional counseling gives you an opportunity to share, but also to gain new understanding and perspective. Life can be hard at times, and difficult circumstances are sometimes beyond our control, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Therapy helps you set achievable goals, and begin to make lasting changes to help you reach them. Through getting to the root of the issues and learning techniques for changing your unhealthy behaviors, you’re equipped to both regain control and practice healthy patterns for long-lasting improvement.

• What happens in a therapy session?

  • Since the needs and goals of every client are different, therapy sessions vary in format and approach. Sometimes clients come with an agenda or specific things they’d like to talk about. Other times, people have a success story, an emotion that’s bothering them, or just a vague feeling or thought they can’t shake. Sessions progress based on the needs of the client at the time, but active participation and collaboration is important. In addition to in-session discussion and activities, I might encourage an outside activity or assignment that we discuss later (like reading a book, or keeping a journal). Ultimately, the goal is to identify the areas where change or help is needed, set realistic objectives, and to equip you with resources and strategies for both near-term and long-term success.

• Do I have to share things I don’t want to?

  • Certain topics or stories can be difficult to share, and that’s normal and OK. You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to, or that makes you uncomfortable. It’s important to build a trusting relationship between therapist and client, but our sessions always progress at a pace that you feel ready for.

• How long does it take?

  • Because therapy is tailored to a specific person, and the goals and challenges that person is facing, there’s no pre-defined period of time for on-going therapy sessions. Sometimes incredible progress is made in mere minutes, but it’s not uncommon for therapy to span several sessions over a period of weeks or months. Individual sessions are generally about 50 minutes in length.

• Are therapy sessions confidential?

  • Yes. Your privacy is important to me, and you can trust that our sessions, as well as any of your personal information, is always held in the strictest of confidence. Additionally, anything you transmit over my website is highly secure, and stored data is HIPAA-compliant.

    Confidential information disclosed in private therapy sessions is legally protected. However, there are some exceptions to this, including instances of suspected child or elder abuse, or when a client presents a serious danger of violence toward himself or herself or another person. If you’d like to learn more about our ethical standards and privileged communication exceptions, please read the forms on my Privacy and Confidentiality page.

• What if I need to cancel my appointment?

  • Cancellations must be communicated by phone, email or text, no less than 24 hours in advance of the beginning of the session. Sessions missed with less notice will be charged at the full rate, except for emergencies.