After years of practicing as an outpatient psychotherapist, I felt that something was missing from the work I was doing. Though I had a thriving practice, many of my clients had been with me for 10 or 15 years and they still had many of the same problems they came to therapy for help with. Clients graduated from therapy but often returned. Though there is nothing wrong with checking in with your therapist from time to time throughout your life, I observed that the original problem continued for my clients much as it had in the beginning. People felt better while in therapy, but their results dropped off after stopping therapy. What would it take so that people could resolve symptoms and problems and live a happy and productive life after therapy?
I still see examples of this problem today when I meet people who have been in therapy for 20+ years. In their opinion, they have the “best therapist ever”, but when the therapist moves away or retires, they are unable to function. They learned to be better with the support of therapy, but they did not heal the wound such that they could now provide for themselves the wisdom, compassion, strength and support they previously received from therapy. How could people access their inner wisdom and strength and be able to continue to provide that for themselves after therapy?
I have had the benefit of being a therapy client myself over many years. Being a client myself has given me additional perspective as I know for myself how hard I worked to get better in therapy. I gave it all that I had, and found to my great frustration, that many of my difficulties remained. As a therapist, noting the lack of lasting change with my clients and with myself, I began to doubt my profession and to doubt myself as a clinician. From the outside, my practice looked great. I enjoyed my clients and they loved me. I was busy and doing well. But deep inside I knew something important was missing. If I could be suffering the same problems after so many years in therapy, while loving and admiring my therapists, how would it be different for my clients? I knew I wanted and needed something more.
When I learned of ISTDP, I realized what had been missing. This work provides the pathway to a freedom and independence that was not available to me or to my clients previously. ISTDP helps you connect to your own strength, wisdom, and love such that symptoms improve, relationships improve, and you continue to grow and improve after ending a course of therapy. This is a return to love and never having to be alone with a problem again because you have finally come home to yourself. It is my lifelong desire that you too will connect with what is possible for yourself, your clients, and the future of therapy through the support and solutions offered through Mindful ISTDP.
