Trying a new practitioner may stir up a lot!
Lovely ones,
When you need help, you want the person and support that matches you. Whether that is a healer, coach, therapist, doctor, or some other kind of support person, first up, there are so many choices of modalities and people out there!
It's wonderful to have options - and yet can be overwhelming at the same time.
You might undertake research, evaluating instincts, gathering advice, weighing costs.
And then when you meet the helper-healer, many parts of your personality are probably working overtime to make assessments all the way through the appointment. "What's the vibe? Do we mesh? Can they help me? Is it worth my time and money? Is this the right modality? Are they skilled?" And so on and so on.
Underneath many of these questions and analyzings is the essential "Am I safe?". Safety looks and feels different to everyone. No human is perfect, so of course, there is no guarantee of being met perfectly all the time by another. But a baseline of safety and trust is really helpful in the healing process.
Trust takes time and experience to build. So our analyzing parts are trying to get a shortcut - will this be a person that can take me far? Who can make amends if and when there is a rupture? Has this person done their own inner work? Will I be safe enough to be my must vulnerable?
I once went to a gentle chiropractor that several people had recommended to me. I loved the first appointment, it felt like a big yes in my body. Then the second appointment, she gave me a formal report - she took pictures of me, and showed me my posture and did a big explanation of all that was wrong with me and tried to sell me a big package for $1500. Single sessions were not available. I was so mad and frustrated, I started crying in her office. I felt so vulnerable - here was the help I needed and wanted, but parts of me hate packages. I felt manipulated and pressured.
It's vulnerable to need help, and to ask for help. Our culture is not good at this. The cultural norms of independence, it's weak to get sick, the perception of money as scarce and limited. All of this might lead to waiting to get help until its desperately needed.
Trusting your instincts and finding your own path of healing and growing and shining may take you off the beaten path. And it takes courage to try someone new or a new modality. And then the possibility exists that you might have to say no to them and thats a different flavor of courage. Not to mention being vulnerable with a new person.
If you're a practitioner, it is a gift to your people if you can stay open to any and all parts with an open heart, remembering that this might feel vulnerable for a new client.
If you ever decide to try a session with me, whether that's free Listening Time for 15 minutes, or a free mini session, or a regular paid session, I aim to welcome all of your parts! Whether that is guarded and suspicious parts, or parts who are desperate to be seen and get the help they need, I welcome you as you are. Any suggestion or question I ask is always a choice. You are not spending time with me to please me - so I invite you to follow your own thread of what's coming up exactly in the moment, and I invite feedback. I want to know what works for you!
What's your experience of finding and trying new practitioners?
With love for your journey,
Marta
