Thoughts on Therapy Thursday

What is your favorite day of the week?

Mine is Thursday. For two reasons.

1. To me, Thursdays are to the weekend what Christmas Eve is to Christmas Day. They brim over with the anticipation of the weekend.
2. I don't have to make dinner. Thursdays we go out with my in-laws for "spaghettis"as my mother-in-law likes to say. Our local spaghetti hangout is a cozy, Mom & Pop Italian eatery that on the inside looks like a scene from any one of a number of mob movies. When we arrive we are greeted with hugs and kisses from the owners and staff. I'm a sucker for ritual, tradition and attention ;-)
3. I get to share some info here on my blog about therapy.

For those of you who might be new, welcome to Therapeutic Thursdays and to my faithful followers, thanks for being here!

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The relationship between a client and therapist is very intimate and personal. People trust us with their shame, sadness, fears and anxieties. Therapists are the keeper of their clients souls, at least for a period of time. We companion people while they navigate the dark, back alleys of their very selves. Pulling back the curtain of their psyches, the goal is to empower them to make whatever changes they seek.

I've always been very upfront that I've done this work myself. I'm not convinced you can sit opposite of the "couch," if you haven't lied down on it first.

In my early twenties, I began to see my dear and beloved therapist, now clinical supervisor, Dr. JM. She is my true guru.

Elizabeth Gilbert said in her blockbuster hit, Eat, Pray, Love, "Unless you were born one of those rare shimmering saints who come into life already fully actualized, you're going to need some guidance along your journey toward enlightenment. If you're lucky enough, you will find a living Guru."

I was lucky.

Gilbert defines a guru as "...a great Yogi who can actually pass a state [of enlightenment] on to others. The word guru is composed of two Sanskrit syllables. The first means, 'darkness,' the second means 'light.' Out of the darkness and into the light."

She goes on to say, "You come to your Guru, then, not only to receive lessons, as from any teacher, but to actually receive the Guru's state of grace."

This Thursday, Dr. JM gets so much print because this is precisely the relationship she and I have developed over the years. Although at no time in the past, has it reached quite the profundity it has in recent weeks. I share this with you in an effort to pass on her grace and provide some education about the beauty of therapy.

Dr JM is going blind. She was recently diagnosed with macular degeneration. Her diagnosis is devastating. When she shared the news with me, I sobbed-with her and for her.

In her literal and figurative darkest days, she has displayed a true state of grace and selflessly, passed it on.

She said to me recently, "Steph, this will be a wonderful opportunity for me to teach you about letting go. One of the reasons I am drawn to the Buddhist tradition (although she is a practicing Catholic) is because it emphasizes that suffering is simply a part of life. In meditation we learn to detach, separate ourselves from that which we cling to. In that space lies peace."

These last few weeks, I've been a bit of stage five clinger...ok, more like a stage six. I've been so aware of how delicate and uncertain life is. How powerless we really are. I hug my husband and my dogs, nieces, nephews, tightly. I call my 95 year old father, I talk to my twin sister-with the very real awareness of how precious these moments are.

I am a lucky girl no doubt. But more importantly, my hope is to spread the love. Therapy can quite possibly lead you to your own guru and more importantly- to a state of grace.

Please keep Dr. JM in your prayers.

Do you have a guru? Someone who guides you at a soul-level? I'd love to hear about it. Oh, and what is your favorite day of the week and why?

Thank you for stopping by...have wonderful, grace-filled weekends.