Change Your Story, Change Your Life
A monumental and life changing moment for me was when I discovered the book “Change Your Story, Change Your Life: Using Shamanic and Jungian Tools to Achieve Personal Transformation” by Carl Greer, PhD, PsyD. I had been in Jungian analysis for years and I'd read many of Carl Jung's books and a whole lot of Marie Louise von Franz, a woman who worked with Jung for many years. I even went to the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC when they had the first ever showing of “The Red Book,” a secretive work created by Jung (and never completed) and hidden from public eye until after his death. The book was in a glass case and a page was turned each day, so I went to see it more than once. Now I own a life-sized replica of the book as well as a smaller, portable version without illustrations. If you've never heard of it, I recommend giving it a look. I was primed to find “Change Your Story, Change Your Life.”
The basic premise of “Change Your Story” is that if you re-write the perspective you have of yourself and come to a different understanding, then you change your life. I can tell you it's true. I was angry, felt misguided, insecure and sort of all over the place. I spent a full year and over 100 pages of 12 pt font following the prompts in the book and doing the suggested actions. My mind expanded in this process and I wrote out the first ideas around opening some kind of healing center and helping other people with their health.
Following my experience with “Change Your Story,” I started going to a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. I received a lot of inspiration and benefit from Jungian analysis but it had sort of slowed to a stop for me. I was still getting stuck in some thought loops and my current therapy didn't seem to be getting me out of them. My Jungian analyst recommended someone she knew and I changed my therapeutic direction. There are many branches of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the particular perspective my therapist takes is Rational Living Therapy. The basic idea is extremely similar to the basic premise of “Change Your Story,” but more specifically pointed to the individual thoughts you have in your life – rationalize your thoughts and you change your life.
Within weeks of starting CBT I experienced significant changes in how I was understanding events in my life, I began to shift away from blame and more into a space of presence and reflection. At this point, I'm phasing out of CBT as it is a goal-oriented therapy and therefore has a kind of “graduation.” I feel I've learned the tools necessary to manage my internal life on my own.
The combination of “Change Your Story, Change Your Life” and Rational Living Therapy has been such a fulfilling experience for me. The combined world views allow for a rational and spiritual approach to life that is eye opening, relieving, and expansive. I'm so thankful.
As I've been exploring offering myself as a Coach through Twin Wolves, I have researched a few different directions and explored many options. On September 8, two days after my 41st birthday, I start my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner course with the Nutritional Therapy Association, which will last for a year and will end with me being certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. I think this is really valuable, as all the things we put into our bodies have such an impact on our feelings, health and vitality. I already have knowledge on nutrition and am a fairly strict eater most of the time, having done the same kind of intensive research that I tend towards in my life, but this will give me official certification. Additionally, I am in a self-led course through the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy association to become certified as a CBT Rational Living Therapy Life Coach, this hit me as a sudden inspiration and felt so obvious as a direction for me that I was surprised I didn't think of it sooner. As this course is self-led, I'll likely be certified sooner but I don't yet have an exact date.
I decided to offer myself as a Healing Coach now. I have a lot of valuable insight to offer because of my deep interest and fixational mind - I become extremely interested in things in a way that takes over my life and I think that quality can be of benefit to others. Already, many of you speak with me for long stretches at Twin Wolves and I offer a lot of suggestions for various directions you can take on your healing journeys, this is an opportunity to make the exchanges more official and focused.
My main interests right now are to assist in life motivation, offer support on your Lyme healing journey, teach tools to help with improving thoughts, and share nutritional principles that have assisted me. I am also very happy to simply act as a cheerleader and motivator for you to change your own story. I have already started working with clients and have received very positive feedback. My introductory rate is $50 for 1 hr sessions, the sessions can be as frequent as you like and the $50 rate will last up until I graduate from my Nutritional Therapy course next year. I love chatting with all of you and I'd love to meet more intensely to assist on your life journeys!