Shadows of the mind. Light and darkness. Active and passive. More in our depths that we can develop and use than we know.

People usually come to psychotherapy for the first time because they are in pain, bewildered and because everything they know about problem-solving no longer works for them. Going inside their psyches seems like the last option. Even then, they do not know what to expect. At first, they want to know how long it will take to fix their lives.

This is a normal response when a person is plunged into an unrecognizable world where their well-honed talents and skills do not bring desired results. They feel angry, lost, frustrated and afraid.

This slackliner achieves stability from a developed inner sense of fluid, subtle movement to maintain sustainable balance. We need that ability now.

The eating disorder system that gave you a sense of control and protection is drastically altered during this coronavirus era.

When you have an eating disorder, you have developed ways to rely on it when your feelings are too uncomfortable to bear and when disruptions in your life feel overwhelming. That’s what an eating disorder is for. It may cause havoc in your life and prevent you from developing and moving on to a more mature and satisfying existence, but it’s there for you when you want comfort and escape from what feels like too much to experience.

View from garden couch

As of early March my private psychotherapy practice, case consultations, dream analysis and now also corona adjustment issues are all virtual appointments. I use Skype, Doxy.me and Facetime, depending on what works best at the time.

Note: Since I offer my services online now, anyone in the state of California can schedule a psychotherapy appointment.

For limited dream analysis sessions or corona adjustment support - not psychotherapy, there is no geographic limitation.

I still offer a free telephone consultation for someone considering entering my practice or working with me in another capacity. My phone number is 310-474-4165. But the best way to contact me is by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 
High drama in the world requires us to respond in the most stable and healthy way possible. Not easy, but possible.

Caronavirus news and the falling global financial markets can reignite old eating disorder feelings and behaviors. If you have been living without your eating disorder and now are shocked that it has kicked in during this time of fear and crisis you are not alone. Please remember, when crisis is upon us we need to center and think clearly. We need to take positive action to care for ourselves, externally and internally.

You will be limited if your eating disorder takes charge of your decision making. Yes, it can tap down your anxiety. But it also taps down your clarity of thought and your creativity. It stifles your perceptions of opportunity and your realistic approach to real problems both in the world and your immediate living situation. (See end of article for help resources.) 

Why is your eating disorder back?

* Sorting out the swirl of fact, belief, projection, weaknesses and strengths

Don Miguel Ruiz states four agreements between us and the world that can bring joy, satisfaction, health, good relationships and success to our lives. Stating these agreements as clearly as he does gives us the gift of facing them. When we face them, we have an opportunity to see how we do and do not bring these agreements into our lives on a regular basis. That gives us the opportunity to see what’s required to improve our lives. It’s a wonderful guide to identifying issues that can be explored and addressed in psychotherapy.

What follows are each of his agreements and the psychological issues that might be indicated in psychotherapy work when you have difficulty honoring them.

1. “Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
   

On your path to joy, be prepared for pushback. You are making time for reading, exploring, taking classes, attending seminars and concerts, writing and communicating with new people. You have disrupted the pattern of what was your ordinary day.

Others in your life may want to interrupt your set times for reading, walking, writing or visiting places in the community. You will need to defend your boundaries.

You may be the one who wants to postpone or cut short your explorations and new activities to revert to your old patterns. Moving on to your new choices is sometimes fun and sometimes frightening.

Your feelings of isolation, dullness, bewilderment, and fatigue can rise at any time. When they do, old choices rise up strong.

You may not recognize your path to joy yet. Now is your time to become a spiritual explorer in the pragmatic world.

The appearance and details of the path to joy are different for each of us, yet the pattern and method are similar.

To explore, start with these steps.

Choices exist in this world. Do you know what your choices are? Your path beckons.

First is your choice to either keep living as you are living or move toward freedom and change.

If you continue to follow your routine in a life that is unhappy, neglect your yearning and fulfill the expectations of others, you will maintain your status quo and gradually feel worse. If you can’t find your way to change, you may try to distract yourself with activities and substances or temporary and short-lived thrills.

When you emerge, you see nothing improved, and your life may have disintegrated more during your absence. If you move to free yourself, you disrupt the known system of your life. You might say that requires courage, perhaps more than you think you have.