This is a long read, so settle down, take your time and soak in it. But, if you’d rather just talk to me, you can contact me here.
Perhaps, it’s something as fundamental yet intangible as Peace or Happiness or Love or Personal Power.
Or it might be Freedom – Freedom from Guilt or Shame or Anxiety or Fear or an Addiction or from your current overwhelming (or underwhelming) circumstances such as an unfulfilling career or relationship.
Life is just not what you had hoped it would be. Or, put another way,
‘This is not how I imagined my life would be’.
Perhaps you’re facing a life-threatening health condition and are feeling scared. Terrified, more likely.
Or you might have reached a point where you’re beginning to question the very purpose of your life.
‘Is this what life is about? Being born, getting an education, having a family and a successful career, doing a bit of humanitarian work when I can before I get old and die. Is that what Life is about?’
Perhaps you feel you’ve settled for less. You gave up on your dreams too soon and now feel it’s too late.
Or perhaps you never really had a dream of your own and did what was expected of you and are questioning whether you’re being selfish and irresponsible for wanting to do something you really want, for yourself.
In my mentoring and counselling, I have heard the lament of deep concerns, longings, heartaches and questions such as these many, many times, questions that may not always be explicitly articulated but that can be heard, if you listen carefully enough, within the stories that people tell of themselves, of others and of this greater, all-consuming thing called life.
I listen.
I listen long and deep.
I listen to what is spoken as well as what is not spoken.
I listen with a heart that has experienced similar things and with a mind that has struggled with them.
I listen with the confidence, compassion and profound empathy of someone who knows the value of, and respects the need to, look deeply into her own concerns, longings, heartaches and questions and beyond them.
I listen as someone who continues to gain insight from these deep explorations, discovering, as I do, the peace, joy, power, love, acceptance and compassion that naturally arise from that deep, truth-place within me that remains untouched by suffering.
And I listen with the ability and commitment to help my clients also gain insight into their own concerns, longings, heartaches and questions and discover within themselves that truth-place of peace, joy, power, freedom, love and compassion that they so deeply desire.
I’m not a doctor or a psychiatrist or a religious. I’m not a highly credentialed academic either although I have been involved in research and academic work as a high school and tertiary teacher as well as a research student in the field of cognitive and educational psychology.
With that, I have continued to study and use therapeutic practices, models and theories which complement my mentoring and counselling practice and which itself is grounded in meditation and mindfulness practice.
In this way, I bring knowledge of deep Ego-based work into the full spectrum exploration of the transpersonal field of Self-Awareness.
In my work, I seek to help people reach into that transpersonal truth-place of what is unenhanceably, incorruptibly and indestructibly great and good within them.
I seek to help them peacefully and powerfully navigate their suffering and the setbacks and disillusionment of struggle that preoccupy and frustrate them so that they are free and empowered to live the lives they rightly believe they deserve – lives with greater joy, peace, power, confidence, acceptance, love, freedom and a deep and enduring sense of meaning and purpose.
And all the while, I continue to experience the profound and practical benefits of meditation and the ongoing, moment-to-moment practice of mindfulness.
I also teach the principles and techniques of Mindfulness and Meditation and guide individuals and groups in the practice in personal and professional settings.
My journey
I’ve experienced great suffering in my life including childhood trauma, depression, the breakdown of a marriage and its flow-on effects on our children and on myself, homelessness and chronic financial insecurity.
I struggled through all of these eventually realizing that, while suffering is what it means to be human, struggle is something that we are conditioned into. Resistance, rejection, denial, judgment of self and others, projection, unforgiveness and so on are all part of this struggle.
Yet, when we let go of all of that struggle, when we entertain the possibility that some of our deepest, most cherished beliefs actually disempower us and when we consider the possibility that we could be friends with our suffering, things start to change.
And so I have done and I have l survived and become that much stronger, that much more peaceful, that much more compassionate, that much more accepting of myself and others and happier and freer than I have ever been.
Does that mean that I no longer experience suffering? Or that I no longer get sucked into the vortex of struggle? No. Not at all. But I am so much quicker at catching myself spiraling into that dizzy, destructive dance of struggle and I am able to notice and watch that struggle and redirect my attention and energy into something more productive, more joyous, more empowering, for I have learned, and am constantly being reminded, that while suffering is a normal part of our human experience, struggling is something I have great choice over.
Yes, it is a great and liberating lesson that we must all learn, one way or another, sooner or later – that struggling can and must be released.
Yet, tragically, it is our conditioned or learned response to suffering which, as Buddha said, is the nature of the human condition.
Suffering is the outcome of the perceived existential split or separation of the Ego-occupied state of consciousness from the Ego-free state of consciousness (our God/Love/Buddha nature).
So, although suffering experienced within the linearity of time is the human condition, struggle is not.
Suffering then, is a necessary condition for our growth, our awakening and our reclamation of the power, peace and freedom that is our birthright, miraculously reuniting us with the truth of who we are!
But while it is a necessary condition, it is by no means a sufficient condition for our growth. Embracing suffering by relinquishing struggle, by accepting that the Ego which is the cause of suffering cannot also be its solution is the other necessary condition.
I don’t believe in whitewashing or euphamizing suffering. It is there to be loathed, avoided, feared and cursed, which incidentally, are the scorching flames of our struggle.
After that, when we are finally ready to give up our struggle, gratefully and utterly spent, we accept that suffering is there to be experienced with radical freedom, uncovering the wounds that are so desperately and chronically in need of healing, of returning to wholeness, revealing to us that which has never left us, not for one second – our natural peace, joy, love, limitlessness, power and possibility.
Am I all done? Absolutely not. Who is? We are all awakening to the truth and beauty of who we are and what it means to be human. And sometimes that can be painful, even for those of us who have been doing the deep, inner wok.
But, one thing’s for sure. It does get easier. A heck of a lot actually. If it didn’t, why would any of us bother?
Why work with me?
If you choose to work with me, I will help you access that truth-place of deep inner wisdom that you already possess and to trust it to guide you in your unique circumstances and life journey.
I will share with you the skills that I have developed in connecting with and maintaining the natural peace, power and stability that all of us possess no matter what is happening in the world inside our skin and outside it.
These skills draw on Neurolinguistic Programming, Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, Psychodynamic Interventions, Mindfulness practices and an underlying approach that honors the Self as whole, limitless and ever-evolving.
While suffering is a normal part of our human experience, struggling is something we have great choice over.
I will explore with you your beliefs, expectations, fears and desires – those that you are conscious of as well as those that are hidden in the subconscious – helping you discern their usefulness or otherwise and showing you how to replace them where necessary, or alternatively, to be authentically empowered by them.
I will offer you the respect, compassion and sacred space that I would expect from someone I choose to invite into my inner world and put my trust in.
There is vulnerability here which demands the utmost care and respect. And I will honor you as the true expert of your own life.
I have no solutions for you but I have the expertise to help you find your own. Ultimately, that’s the only kind of ‘problem-solving’ that works.
Who are the people I work with?
People who are seriously and sincerely seeking change. People who are finally willing to admit that change must happen or else. People who are willing to do what it takes to make change happen. People who realize that while they might be able to do this alone, it would probably make their journey easier and quicker (and more fun) to get the help of someone with experience, understanding and the knowledge and skills to help them.
Duration
My work with you cannot be scheduled according to the usual timelines of our society.
You are a unique individual and your needs and the pace at which you journey most effectively is not something that either of us can determine in advance.
We will have to be open, attentive and always responsive.
But as a guide, know that this kind of work cannot be rushed. It is not a quick-fix especially once you begin to see that there’s nothing to be ‘fixed’, which in itself is a huge realization.
Our work is best done over months, not weeks or days. It involves slow, deep emotional, psychological and spiritual excavating with profound and joyous discoveries as well as occasionally painful and deeply discomforting realizations (Ah, but the liberation, oh the liberation…!)
At the very least, I would ask you to commit to a minimum of 6 weeks.
How will we connect?
In person. Or by phone or Skype. You can get started here.
How much will it cost you?
I work according to this principle:
Therefore, I invite you to reciprocate (if you wish) with whatever payment you feel comfortable with. I am serious about this. As I tell all my clients, if you choose to give me money, give it willingly and joyously. Anything less will only tarnish the beautiful relationship you and I have.
Have any questions?
Please feel free to contact me here. I am happy to explore with you how I might be able to help you.
Final thoughts
I love what I do. To engage with another human being in such a personal and profound way is deeply satisfying and mutually rewarding.
If you’ve read this far and are curious to find out more, I encourage you to get in touch. There’s absolutely no obligation on either side and we’ll soon be able to determine if we’re suited to each other 🙂
I look forward to hearing from you.
In love, truth, peace and bliss
Lucy
MENTORING
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