Does the chair really make you ready?

Hello, fine women.

So, the post title -- I recently came across an old journal entry in which I'd quoted a LIOSian therapist who told me that being a therapist is like getting married: marriage prepares you for marriage and sitting in the (therapist's) chair prepares you for sitting in the chair.

Approaching 2-1/2 years of remission (April 5), with some sense of interior and exterior stability, I am, once again, feeling some excitement and curiosity about committing to this work. Something is inching me closer, beckoning me to take baby steps. I found an office, am working on a business plan, and am brainstorming about language for a possible web site. For the past few months I've been leading some lovely writing groups, which has been a great way to get my feet wet again, helping people access and play with their creativity in gentle, structured ways.

So...I'd love to hear from any of you about what it's like to see clients -- anything you want to tell me about getting your practice going, anything you'd do differently, what you love, what challenges you, how you have been able to discern and articulate your particular offering. How has sitting in the chair prepared you for sitting in the chair? Oh, and this applies to you CCO folks, too!

Stories, please! I love stories!

I'd be happy to read your stories on this blog or in e-mail (heidi_stahl@hotmail.com), or if you're closer than the snowy wilds of Alaska or the sultry wilds of Hawaii, we could chat over some kind of sustenance. Or you can call me if you want to tell me your story but writing feels like a drag, call me: 425-882-0569.

Thanks in advance for your tales of work and exploration.

With love,
Heidi

About blogs and life

Hi beautiful ladies:

As the title may suggest, I have been spending much time lately diving deep into the world of blogs. It's a whole universe out there! You can tell I have quite a bit of free time on my hands living out here in the Alaskan Bush in the middle of the winter.

Wandering through this universe has been and is a very interesting experience for me, on many levels. Back in the fall, I started a blog in Spanish. The intention behind this blog was to share my life in Alaska with my close friends and family members back in Spain. Believe me when I say that for them, Alaska is so far away that it could be on a different planet all together.

Little by little, my blog has trickled into other people's reading lists and I now receive many visits from people from all over the world (well, no, not really, no one from Asia or Australia has visited yet). This may sound odd to those of you that are lucky to have a busy social life, but in a way all these people that visit my blog and leave comments on it, have been keeping me company throughout the winter. The effort that I am making to see all the good things in my life and write about them, combined with their comments on my posts have helped me too recognize the best in me again. You know, sometimes we forget about how great we truly are :)

They have also been helping me too see parts of myself that I was not even aware of. For instance, I never thought of myself as a person that could write. Yes, I could put words together in a sentence and make sense, but I could never imagine that anyone could enjoy my writing. Lately, I have really been enjoying writing and what is more surprising, other people have been enjoying it too! So now I am shifting my definition of myself to include: "I can actually write and do a pretty good job at it!!" And that is pretty amazing for me, believe me. In case you didn't know, I always thought of myself as not being creative. Now, I no longer believe this of myself. Now, I believe that I am a very creative person. I really believe it. And this makes me happy.

Anyway, I recently decided to start translating my posts into English and creating a parallel universe for the English speaking side of my world. I figured that since I am in the process of redefining myself, I might as well bring together my two sides in a symbolic way and finally balance the Spanish and the American in me, the Ramos and the Morrison, the ying and the yang... you know...

If you feel like reading a little further and going for a ride on the "American side", you can visit my English-written blog. Mind you, the writing skills I am talking about are only in Spanish!!! :) I have a looooooooong way to go in English still! But hey, now that the door is open for re-defining myself, who knows what will come next :)

Sending warm hugs and kisses to all of you

images
miriam alive with
frozen dunes
sky lit tones pink and blue with cold
orbs slipping into wild horizons
and rocks
unknown seascapes
line shape texture soul
caught hanging
silhouettes their darkness
pulling the light closer
against ancient form older
than monuments of mankind
gratitude
your vision plunges me
into memory - remembering forward
into the faces
women raw in the moment
heart and body laughter dance and song
I thank you dear miriam
the journey you awakened
artfully
your solitude has shouted with beauty
only the quiet could see
and find time to record

lovingly, liz