 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
ADVERTISING RATES
FEATURE ARTICLE
COMMUNITY
FAMILY
HEALTH
WELLNESS
TRAVEL
RECIPE
HOME IMPROVEMENT
GOLF
ARTISANS
ENTERTAINMENT
HOTSPOTS
HOROSCOPES
POETS PEN
FLORAL
BUSINESS
BUSINESS ASSOC
FINANCIAL REPORT
LAKEVIEW NEW GEN
COMPUTERS
SENIORS
CHIROPRACTIC
MARTIAL ARTS
TATTOOS
TAROT
|
|
| WELLNESS |
 |
| Life Support |
| ||||||
| “Life is a ceaseless enquiry into itself for its own sake. Real therapy is supporting Life. For humans, it’s the ever-present invitation and opportunity of relationship. Self-reflective awareness affords the means to ‘see’ the way in which one relates to oneself, others, the world and Life itself. Life invites continuous opportunities to explore the principle of relationship for no reason other than it’s an attribute of Life and of being alive.” One of my mentors, Dr. Stephen Sutherland, spoke these words to me about five or six years ago. I felt they described very positive ideas because if Life is an ever-present invitation and opportunity to relate, then suddenly I realized that I could learn so much about myself, others, the world and Life. Every new person brings us his/her “life-experience” and can help us discover new ways of “being” in the world if we are open to growing emotionally and psychologically. Most people have learned to walk through “Life” merely hoping to survive the experience on a daily basis. They don’t enjoy their lives because they have learned that they have no control over what happens to them. Therefore, they wait in fear of meeting the next barrier to their happiness. I believe that we were meant to enjoy our lives. However, in order to achieve this we must actively choose to be responsible for our happiness and give ourselves permission to make choices that will support our Life. On the surface this would seem like a simple idea, but unfortunately we seem to have become experts at not supporting ourselves. Therefore, the choices are often unclear and very difficult to make. An excellent way of learning how to enjoy our lives begins with finding one person or a group of people who support the option of “being alive”. We may already have a partner or a friend who relates with us in a very deep and personal way. However, if we feel that we don’t have someone available or that our close relationships are too complex and conflict ridden, then we can choose to look for a group of like-minded people with whom we can connect and receive support as we face the challenges in our lives. This is the function of support groups. In the groups which I offer, I ensure that the environment is safe, and that I, as facilitator, am responsive to the individual needs of the group members as well as to the needs of the group as a whole. It is up to me to ensure that everyone is consistently treated with unconditional respect and valued for their unique qualities, needs and ideas. In order to create a group that is cohesive, I always offer people a one hour free session so that they have an opportunity to meet me and decide if I am someone they feel they can trust. It also gives me the opportunity to assess what their needs are and how we can best meet those needs. To provide a valuable experience to my clients, I need to place people with similar issues and life experiences and similar values together. Only when I have succeeded in doing this will the group grow strong as each member bonds with the others and supports the others. When a group member validates another member’s experience, the impact for the recipient is deeply meaningful, because each member has up to five other people she can call on for support, instead of just one therapist. Instead of feeling isolated and very much alone, each member has a very special family of friends who will support her unconditionally whenever she needs. On the other hand, each member brings a unique set of ideas to the group, so that members will normally be offered a variety of choices to try. This really helps to emphasize that we do have choices as we journey through life, and we are free to give ourselves permission to choose those options which best meet our needs. For all of these reasons, I hope you will choose to give yourself the gift of “Life Support” through the unique opportunity offered by a group of your choice. By Patricia M. Butler, B.S.Sc. Member of the Personal Wellness Group Port Credit. (905) 271-0606 |
 Sign Guestbook |
 View Guestbook |
|
. |
| Visitors: 00669 |