Spiritual Counseling and Meditation

Are you experiencing dissatisfaction with or a sense of emptiness in you life, but can’t quite put your finger on where it stems from. Do you feel that something significant is lacking in your everyday experience, struggle with an ongoing a sense of inadequacy or wonder why feelings of fulfillment are always fleeting? Perhaps you’ve sought therapy, but want to explore the human condition and your experience along a more spiritual avenue. Or maybe you’re still suffering after years in traditional therapy and want to perceive and hopefully relieve suffering in different, deeper ways. It may be that you’re seeking a more intrinsic connection to the energetic oneness of the universe so you can make sense of what “reality” is, develop a spiritual practice and truly feel like and live as your authentic self. Essentially, do you want to feel whole, complete and connected no matter what is going on in your life?

Constantly feeling incomplete or like something significant is missing from your life can create ongoing feelings of frustration, loneliness or unease. You might have tried varying therapies and different healing avenues in an attempt to make sense of your human experience and find relief, but still find yourself suffering and in a place of discontent. Or, it might be that your life is going well, but you innately know that there is a deeper and more connected way of living and experiencing relationships with others, yourself and the bigger world. You might be seeking spiritual guidance, a new perspective and meditation practices that can help you better manage life’s inevitable difficulties and live with more flexibility, fluidity and contentment.

Relieving Suffering

Unlike traditional Western therapy, Eastern spiritual disciplines are not concerned with the improvement of the personal self. Rather, these doctrines understand the Western conception of the “self” or “individual” as one with beliefs rooted in free will and volition to be the root cause of suffering. Eastern teachings assert that this autonomous individual self is also illusionary, and that it is the universal life energy—and not the individual thinker or doer—that is the source of all thinking and acting. Within the free, dynamic and ever changing flow of universal source energy, nothing the apparent individual self did or can ever do could have been any different in that particular moment in time, yet that apparent individual self has mistakenly assumed itself to be the source of its life direction and accomplishment and, insomuch, continues to suffer.

This nonduality perspective is the underpinning of my form of spiritual counseling and takes a very different approach to healing and growth than traditional Western therapy. In therapy, much of the work is centered around developing the individual, fortifying his or her strengths and helping one heal and maximize potential through enhancing one’s sense of empowerment and will and choice. In spiritual counseling, however, we learn that will and choice are an illusion. The goal becomes not to connect with personal identity, but rather to tap into fundamental, universal identity and realize that there is a non-personal, spontaneous flow of life that you are not separate from. Insomuch, the individual is an expression of the universal, creative energetic force and not in control of his or her actions. And, in adopting this perspective, one is able to develop a deeper sense of connection to everything, let go of guilt, shame and blame, and, therefore, relieve suffering.

Whether you are seeking a therapeutic experience, a spiritual path or both, I can help. With the support, guidance and instruction of an experienced spiritual counselor and skilled therapist, you can explore your human experience, connect to something bigger and deeper than yourself and feel more centered, balanced and alive.

Spiritual Counseling Can Provide You With Deep Understanding, New Perspectives And A Freeing Path Forward

Through various spiritual explorations and considerations, I can help you look at the everyday experience of life through new eyes. Through this exploration, you can begin to realize that life is just happening and that you’re not doing anything to make it happen. Just as blood moves through your body and breath flows into your lungs, there is an inexplicable energy that connects us all and guides our human experience.

If the ideas presented in initial spiritual therapy sessions feel esoteric, we can work backward and in detailed examination until you come to the understanding that what happened and is happening couldn’t have and can’t happen any other way. As you begin to understand that there is no “you” doing anything, it becomes natural to let go of the guilt, shame, blame, regret and discontentment that have kept you feeling stuck, in pain or experiencing a sense of emptiness or lack in your life. You can stop blaming yourself for things of the past and, rather, use your newfound insight to break down situations on a deep level. You can realize that what happened occurred because life chose to express itself in that particular way at that particular time.

Nondualism is the foundation for this work, and I understand this spiritual perspective isn’t for everyone. I believe that there are many spiritual paths, and if you are just becoming interested in spirituality, we can use mindfulness, meditation and/or other less abstruse approaches to serve as a gateway into this deeper work. In conjunction with spiritual counseling, we can also draw from traditional therapy approaches, which can help you navigate the specific challenges and relationship issues that inevitably come up as you move through life. Together, we can find and explore a path that resonates with you as you embark upon a spiritual, healing and energetic journey.

If you are open and ready to clearly and consciously examine your experience, spiritual counseling can help you tap into the inexplicable source energy of life. Rather than fight against the natural flow of energy, you can accept life as it is and understand that change happens all the time. Feelings of struggle, failure and anxiety can be alleviated and replaced with intrinsic feelings of freedom, fullness and ease. It is possible to connect with the oneness of it all, feel more deeply connected to yourself, others and the greater world and develop a new, more fluid and flexible way of experiencing your life.

If no one is responsible or accountable for any action taken, wouldn’t we be living in chaos?

Energetically and innately, most of us are not expressed in ways that are meant to do harm. Rather, this animating universal life force expresses through most people in a benign and humane way. Even without the fear or constraint of punishment, most people would not and do not act harmfully. And, for those who do, there is a natural response to avoid or protect ourselves from them. Although even those good at heart inevitably and often unconsciously may do things to hurt others, there is then an energetic wave of remorse and compassion. Insomuch, because most people are innately good, the world is not entirely chaotic. Rather, it is simply a flow of creative source energy that is always generating, moving and changing.

Does accepting a nondual perspective as my reality mean that I essentially have no control over my life?

Once you realize that there is no “you” doing anything, you’ll also come to realize that there is no individual control. But, you’ll also realize that there is no “you” at the whim of things or who could possibly be a victim. There’s just the creative flow of energy being expressed as you and everyone else.

How will I or can I know that spiritual therapy is the right path for me?

In an initial session, I can present the premise of nonduality therapy and spiritual counseling to you, and you can see if it resonates with you. If it feels too esoteric or you feel an aversion to it, we can explore other approaches to therapy, healing and personal and spiritual growth. Alternatively, if you feel intrigued, you’ll know that you are ready for this work. And, individual therapy and spiritual counseling can be done in tandem with each other, with sessions tailored to best address and support your needs and goals in the present moment.