I was recommended Natalie by a friend after experiencing troubles in my relationship, having struggled internally since having my first child a year and a half previously. I’d had therapy in the past and knew the importance of having a good rapport with your therapist, so I was quite anxious going into my consultation. I liked Natalie immediately however, and found it particularly refreshing speaking to a woman around my own age. I soon felt comfortable being myself and opening up honestly; I sensed Natalie appreciated my eccentricities, and I never felt judged.
As therapy progressed, many things started to unravel in my personal life, while I was simultaneously working through my internal world with my therapist. Having my weekly therapy session was the anchor I needed to hold things together and organise my thoughts, and to be really held and heard was invaluable. And while I felt that she cared a great deal about my wellbeing, she was always extremely professional. My therapist strikes a really good balance of giving you space to work things out yourself and presenting you with her own observations when a nudge is needed. She is also unafraid to challenge you, which I think is vital in a therapist.
When I started therapy with my therapist, I thought I knew what was ‘wrong’ and even how it would play out. I thought it was a relatively simple issue and that my therapist would simply help guide me to the finish line. I was wrong. We delved a lot deeper than I was expecting, and I had some genuinely profound revelations along the way. In this sense, therapy was much more of an undertaking than I was anticipating, but it was beyond helpful in shining a light on negative patterns I’d been rehashing my whole life – patterns I thought I’d already identified and worked through!
By the time I decided to stop my regular sessions, I was in almost the opposite position I’d expected to be in after therapy, but it was where I needed to be. I felt lighter, more enlightened, closer to my partner and generally more joyful. I am not ‘cured’ of my melancholic tendencies and propensity to overthink, but I now have the tools and knowledge to bring me back down to earth when my mind is running away. Looking back, I feel I may have ended sessions a little prematurely, but I suppose there will always be more work to be done! A part of me also wishes my partner and I had attended therapy as a couple, but in that case, I may not have been able to go on such an in-depth personal journey.
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