"On this sacred path of radical acceptance, rather than striving for perfection,

we discover how to love ourselves into wholeness." 
— Tara Brach

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I discovered psychotherapy and meditation through the intimacy of being with my own pain, suffering and dissatisfaction. These experiences took form as depression, anxiety, obsessions and compulsions, heartbreak, grief, loss and sexual trauma. All of this unfolding within the confines of a colonial, capitalist and patriarchal society. Throughout my life I had also struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with myself and others; I had difficulty in setting boundaries, communicating my needs, and recognising my own emotional triggers. Having tried many different means and modalities, I decided that I wanted to approach my own healing in a radical way. I wanted to know how I could spend the rest of my life with myself, and I wanted that to encompass joy, authentic connection, courage, compassion and an open heart.

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Psychotherapy and meditation are practices of illumination through which we can reveal ourselves. My own experiences of these practices has revealed the multiplicity and dimensionality of my internal world. An innumerable sum of parts interacting with one another in complex and captivating ways, seeking balance, harmony, belonging and connection.

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I discovered that my internal system does not exist in isolation, rather it exists within a network of systems around me. I saw my interconnectedness with nature and other people; all of us delicately dependent upon one another. I also realised that life unfurls as a continual stream of cause and effect from which I am never separated. My present actions plant the karmic seeds for future conditions. I and all other beings, interwoven with the precision and mystery of life’s force.

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I found through my meditation practice a place that I could return to in times of activation and overwhelm. A place of curiosity and calm. It's from here that emotions could express themselves without judgement, clarity and perspective could arise, and compassion for my parts could flourish. Meditation inspired me to greet the obstacles on my path as teachers and my practice gifted me the insight to tend to my healing in a radically compassionate, loving and forgiving way. It steadily transformed, and continues to transform my life. I also recognise the power of this practice for honest interrogation of our conditioning and belief systems, and I believe this has the potential to open hearts and minds. 

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Psychotherapy and meditation are processes of relationality where we begin to make curious and kind connections and relationships with our body, emotions, and environment. These practices are invaluable tools for understanding ourselves more deeply, which in doing so will also be of great benefit to all.

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I resonate with the idea that life is all about being in relationship — with ourselves, others and the world around us. It's therefore important to investigate the nature of our relating and this begins with an exploration of how we relate to ourselves. Cultivating a curious and compassionate relationship with ourselves is the pathway to healing. This is a practice of becoming intimate with our own energy, understanding and valuing our multiplicity, accepting what we notice within, and appreciating the ways we’ve learnt to survive in the world. Through cultivating a friendship with ourselves we learn how to regulate our nervous system, we strengthen the connection between our body and mind, and we transform our relationships with others.

I believe everyone contains within them an intrinsic goodness; a centre where we are naturally generous, open and loving. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that, “we are the sky; everything else is just the weather” —Pema Chödrön.