I always ask my clients at the end of each session, “what was most helpful for you today?” Here are the top three things they appreciate the most. The first is unpacking the way they felt bothered. There is a sense of relief and clarity when they begin to name all components of this previously nebulous thing. Instead of having this distress or unease floating around behind the scenes, they now understand what it is, where it came from, why it’s here, and what to do to move through it. Many times they also complete the session with a game plan they feel confident in. The second is seeing how the place they feel stuck or triggered is connected to a childhood relationship they thought they had gotten past or forgiven. And they probably have forgiven and no longer hold a grudge, but that doesn’t mean they are not still affected by the pattern and neurological pathway created at the time. Seeing the connection is often the first big shift towards healing because that behavior now makes sense. It doesn’t feel like it is controlling them behind the scenes. And while what is connecting it may not be fully resolved yet, they finally understand there is nothing wrong with them because they can see how the unwanted behavior or feeling came to be and why it keeps showing up. The third is when a deep pattern resolves, and an experience like “My mom took care of me, and I know she must have loved me, but I’ve never felt loved by her”, becomes “although my mom was still who she was, I finally feel the love she did have for me.” Another example would be, “I finally feel that I can trust myself, and say what is true for me.” There is nothing I love more about this work, than being able to witness these transformations in my clients whom I have come to care so deeply about. And I look forward to being able to witness this with many more. Hopefully some of those will be you. Till then…