One of the greatest gifts that we have to offer is our heart. When we bring ourselves to the world, we are not only bringing the skills that we have learned; we are bringing our whole selves. This is our strength as healers. But it can also lead to becoming depleted, discouraged, and burnt out. As therapists, getting support is an act of love to ourselves and to those we serve.
Photo by Ian Brownlee
If we aren’t careful (and even sometimes when we are), the sensitivity and attunement that allows us to connect with our clients, can lead to compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout.
Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling angry for no clear reason
Having trouble winding down or taking a break
Feeling like the world is darker than it used to be
Feeling worried about your clients when you’re not at work
Having trouble sleeping / having nightmares
“Catching” clients’ emotions
Most of the therapists I’ve worked with struggle with feeling like they should be able to handle it all. They feel like they’re not enough.
The reality is that the work you do is hard. The wise don’t go it alone.
It’s not just at work, though
Being a sensitive and attuned person affects our personal lives, too.
Maybe it shows up as valuing other people’s opinions or needs over your own. Maybe it’s hard to have relationships that feel mutual; you’re always the one helping or supporting a partner or friend. It’s hard not to take things personally.
Wherever it’s showing up, I can help you connect with your gifts in a way that is empowering and grounded.
How I can help
In my experience, somatic therapy is ideal for therapists because it gets us out of our heads and into our bodies. Here, healing can happen on a deeper level. We’re experts at the mind, but so often at the expense of our own heart. Talk therapy can’t quite address that.
When we’re with clients, we aren’t just using our mind, but also our body and our nervous system. Whether or not we realize it, our own nervous system is attuning to theirs, and this can have a huge impact on us, rippling out into our lives in ways that we may not even realize.
Somatic therapy gives space for our system to come down, to remember what it means to feel safe, whole, and nourished. Art and ecotherapy support this process too, by connecting us with innate, non-verbal resources and insights.
Attuning to our mind-body allows us to connect more deeply with our heart, which is a profound well of nourishment and wisdom.