Exchanging words...

"Exchanging words is the essence of psychotherapy." Nor HallWhen I meet with a new patient, I always have a slight anxiety before this new person arrives -- anxiety and also anticipation Will we "click"? What new doors will open through this person and our work -- because this process changes both of us, though not to the same degree. So there is that tingle of the new and unknown as I answer the door or respond to the call on Skype. And then, once in my office, we sit down and I ask, as i always do, "What brings you here today?" and we begin.It is a curious process, therapy is. I have no visible tools. No questionnaires. No workbooks. No pills or potions. I bring with me over 35 years of sitting and listening in the same way plus my own life experience and a lot of reading. The journey is never the same with any two people. Which is why I never get tired of it, never weary of starting again with "What brings you here today".When psychotherapy works, it is not magic. I go about my business, and I know how to attend to my work. I observe. I listen. I take in. I accept the person as he or she chooses to present in my office, with as little or as much as they disclose. I attempt to the best of my ability to bracket my own issues and unfinished business, my own insecurities, trusting myself to the moment and the occasion of our meeting.Then, I describe what I am observing and experiencing in the presence of this unique person who has come for help. It is a signal of transcendence...
Source: Jung At Heart - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: blogs