Is Therapy Enough?

Rachael & Tajah sitting outside with their instruments.

A call to helping professionals out there - where can you take a step towards community building?

In this episode, Tajah and Rachael explore how helping professionals can begin to contemplate the ways in which individual therapy spaces aren’t enough for our current paradigm of collective suffering. Listen in and practice along side of them. Their deep invitation and challenge for us all is to get curious to engage outside of the norm as helping professionals, while staying rooted in our embodiment.

Summary of the episode:

• 1:1 therapy - is this enough and/or does this perpetuate harm?

• There is no such thing as a blank slate as a therapist. We always exist in the context that surrounds us. Including in sessions with clients.

• We all exists within the systems that surround us, including systemic oppression & marginalization.

• Systems contribute to and a lot of times actually create trauma for individuals.

• Can counselors really stay silent in the current political landscape?

• How do we stay in relationship across differences? Differences that include political views.

• Increasing our tolerance for discomfort and learning to stay with our bodies throughout this process.

• We have choice & can bring intentionality to staying in relationships with presence.

• If systems are causing suffering and I (as therapist) am only focusing on 1:1 therapy - is this contributing to the very need for therapy?

• Longing for more. What else is there to support our healing in this country? How as helping professionals do we turn towards our collective community?

• Moving from a paradigm of pathologization of the individual & instead looking towards what isn't working in our immediate surroundings and bringing our offerings there.

• Polarization of beliefs are bringing us away from embodied relationships!

• The desire to be of service - where can we effect change in small ways in our community? What are the small ways I can be in control and effect my life and those around me?

• What is the way YOU are of service? What do you want to be of service TO?

• Community gets to look different for everyone! What does cultivating community look like for you?

• To lean into the messiness of community building. How do we bring our therapeutic skills into building connections that will be imperfect?

• We have a need to take a step towards building community and culture - how do we find which step we each get to take if we choose?

• Living in the unknown. When we don't know what the next step is, how can you come back to your body to let the experience and emotion move through you to find your seed of curiosity.