Todd D. Gothard, M.Div., M.Ed., LPC
Journey Together Counseling
Trauma
For many who have experienced early relational wounding, where our needs for connection and attunement were not consistently met by caregivers, there is a general feeling of disconnection and lack of aliveness.
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This pervasive feeling of disconnection is a result of having had to develop protective strategies to survive. In order for us to remain connected with our caregivers, we disconnected from ourselves. Some of us became what others wanted us to be. Many of us found ways of self soothing through food, addictive substances, work, sex, or shopping. But as we journey down the path of life, these protective strategies that once saved our lives by creating distance from our bodies and emotions, now tend to create more suffering.
Healing is really a journey of coming back into relationship with our authentic self, understanding the good intentions of our survival strategies, and healing our emotional woundedness. This healing journey is a way of offering ourselves the deep presence and attunement we longed for all our lives.
Healing
Healing is a journey into the deepest parts of who we are and how we have been impacted by the decisions we have made as well as the decisions others have made. While our past does not define us, it certainly affects the ways in which we move through life every day. While we can’t change the past, we can change the way in which we relate to it and the impact it has on us and our loved ones.
Journey
All too often, we say to ourselves, “Something’s not right” or “I feel stuck” and we try to figure it out on our own. We would rather keep our situation quiet and hidden from everyone else and fix ourselves. In reality, we benefit from having someone come alongside and serve as a mirror, if nothing more than to reflect our words back to us, to reveal to us what we may not be able to see.
As we work together, my desire is to support you to:
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Slow down and engage your heart
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Create space to explore your inner world
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Bring curiosity and kindness to the strategies you have used to survive
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Safely address old wounds and traumas that continue to impact your life
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Increase your capacity to be present with deep and sometimes difficult emotions
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Reconnect with your authentic self and who you were created to be
