Discover your Inner Strength with Collective Light

Depression and anxiety feel like ultimate problems to solve. When we suffer, we wisht to eradicate that suffering. Depression and anxiety are "whole body" states - they don't just affect our emotions and thoughts; they live in our bodies and affect how we move, they can influence the thousands of choices we make day in and day out, and if we aren't careful, we may end up with more suffering on our plates. Depression and anxiety can be debilitating, rob you of your sense of self, and disconnect you from making or keeping meaningful connections with others. You may have all these ideas about your potential - who you could be, future fulfillment - but an inability to free yourself up to move and live how you deeply desire. 

In my practice, depression and anxiety are not treated as the problem per say, but as signals that the mind has not been able to work out the problems with day-to-day living that people regularly encounter.  Depression and anxiety are often solutions the mind creates or succumbs to, given the stories we tell ourselves about how to live and how to be in the world in order to be okay with ourselves - or how we think we ought to be in order for others to be okay with us. 

I have successfully worked with persistent and lifelong depression, single episode and recurrent major depressive disorder, perfectionism, adjustment to major life changes, social anxiety, and significant general anxiety.  I have also worked with individuals through major life transitions, such as career changes or burn out, divorce, aging, death of a loved one, and empty nesting - all of which can naturally have depressive and anxious qualities, grief, and intense discomfort related to identity reformation. You deserve a safe, collaborative, non-judgmental space to process your experiences, make meaning, define yourself and your values, and intentionally make behavioral choices in line with your healing and your genuine needs and sense of self.  

A word on perfectionism. At the very heart of perfectionism is a constant need to be productive, effective, and efficient - internally and/or externally - even at times when these tools are not helpful - such as when connecting with others, when experiencing emotions, when listening to your body, when learning, and when a growth mindset is better than an achievement mindset. Often times, we've attached our sense of self and self-esteem to our ability to get things right, to achieve, and to be accepted and validated by others. In short, perfectionism is dehumanizing - you don't get to be loved and seen and heard and experienced exactly as you are. You don't get compassion unless you produce and strive. All individuals I've worked with who have suffered from this now consider themselves recovering perfectionists - or my favorite: imperfectionists. It's radically brave for those of us who were raised to believe your insides and outsides must be controlled, predictable, and "good" at all times.

Through treatment together, I'm able to help you recover - or experience for the first time - a sense of inner strength, clarity, and connection, that mobilizes you to live a life you value and opens you up to experience the positive spectrum of emotions that have been muted or missing in your day-to-day life. You'll also learn how to respond better to the patterns of thinking that get you stuck in depressive, anxious, insecure, or apathetic spirals.