And practices….what does THAT mean?

Because therapy is about repair or reconnection, change or healing, it means that you will likely need to do something different to get a different outcome. Make sense?

Practices are some of the things you can do physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually to make your life different…this is life changing work – all aspects of your life will at some point come into the act. There are temporary fixes to some situations: where one part of a structure in a building is isolated from the rest; where you see problems and solutions right *there.* Likely, other problems will surface if the foundation was at all rocky. We are like that inside, too.

If what you need is a new car to get you to your work on time, you don’t want to do therapy; you want a car dealership. If what you are experiencing is that every time you get into a close relationship, it falls apart, then it is not the new person that will “fix” this for you; likely, it is that you could use some update in a core area of yourself. It may be that you find people in your life that are not trustworthy AND now may be the time to repair the whole matter of trust.

Practices are activities that you can begin now that will help you become awake in your life. 

Pick an area from among the four (PIES) below. Then, choose something to do DAILY in that one area….keep some notes on why you picked that, and how it is for you to do (or forget todo)  that activity for a two week trial. If is easily fits into your life, pick another something to do. If it is a struggle, make some guesses about why  it is hard, keep notes, try for another two weeks. After a month, add another area from these four and keep going!

Physically,  how are you taking care of your checkups, dental included? When do you get some movement as you are able? When have you gone to or viewed a video on yoga, or Tai Chi, or Qi Gong? What is an adequate work out – and how can you tell? How is your sleep schedule? How would you know if you were “sleep deprived?” Sleep deprivation varies by age. Sleep schedules are places many of us “dig in our heels” and say we cannot change. What lets you know you are eating well? What is enough water? What is your relationship with sensuality/ touch? What form does your sexuality take?

Intellectually, how do you continue to learn? With what do you regularly challenge your beliefs about important and unimportant matters? How do you adapt to or new ideas? When do you notice your own curiosity? Loyalty can be a basis for sticking to something even when it is no longer working for your good.

Emotionally, how do you have your emotions? What brings you sadness? When do you cry? What does your anger look like? When are you happy? When do you notice that you are uncomfortable with a your feelings? What is it like to realize that they are your feelings, rising from within you? When and why do you go numb?

Spiritually, how do you connect to something beyond/ outside/deeply within you?  What are you aware of of the unseen in reality, not confined to the material world? How do you acknowledge the degree of control you have in your own life, and what amount of control do you have in the lives of others? What are there ways in which you distract, deaden, tune out, numb? There are a wide array of these tricksters – too much or too little work, sleep, food, sex, working out, anger, sadness, self-criticism, alcohol, weed, medicines and so. If you are in love with one or more of these, consider breaking it off and not going steady….