Let me tell you a bit about my journey and how it influenced me to become the person and therapist I am today...
Mental health struggles do not discriminate and I am no stranger to the impact. I lived a large majority of my early adult life consumed by pain. Formative experiences in development left life feeling like a never-ending uphill battle. I felt removed from any source of connection around me, didn't know how to love myself, and couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness in my life. I did not trust people and never felt like I fit in anywhere. Feeling different and unworthy subsequently caused years of struggle with my mental health. That all changed when I went on a search for meaning in this world and eventually opened my heart to God in my own healing work.
Pain, loneliness, and a curious mind sent me on a long journey of seeking answers in all the wrong places which lead me into the New Age movement. Nothing ever truly helped or quite lined up. All these paths offered me were knowledge with no change or true benefit, temporary peace, and superficial concepts that left me unsatiated and constantly searching. I had an inner knowing that there was more and it pulled at me unwaveringly. Then I unexpectedly decided to open a Bible and finally learned for myself what it meant to be in a relationship with Jesus, as well as his supernatural ability to change me from the inside out. My worldview fundamentally shifted and I gained clarity on the spiritual nature of mental illness through an existential Christian worldview.
My path lead me into the mental health field where my abundant experience and training with trauma survivors helped me understand our humanity, spirit, and psyche on a deeper level. The very essence of trauma is like losing a roadmap to your spirit (the part of us that connects with and feels God). I believe that unresolved trauma + spiritual bankruptcy is the perfect storm for mental and emotional disturbance.
I became a therapist because I've always had an intrinsic desire to help others and a genuine love for people. My passion grew as I began to understand the complexities of the human experience, particularly in relation to existential concerns and trauma. The spiritual burden of this broken world + the pain we experience here sent me on a mission to seek, learn, and serve. My own healing journey and subsequent spiritual awakening as a Born Again Christian now inspires and informs how I lead in my role as a helper, believer, and mental health advocate. I now boldly and passionately practice from an existential Christian worldview with a focus on complex traumatic injury in adults.