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Are you helping a loved-one who is ill? How do you care for yourself during this time? Red our latest blog post at: https://www.seekcounselling.ca/post/caregiving

When a loved-one becomes seriously ill, the complexity of emotions that arise cannot be simply defined, because it is such a personal journey; you will change, immediately.

Whether you turn numb, “buck-up”, or fall apart, the world does not stop just because someone we love is going down this winding path.

“The brighter the light, the darker the shadow” C.G. Jung, artwork by Sara Riches (Insta )

When you begin shadow work you get to know the mask you wear, the persona you’ve created, and the shadow selves that exist within your psyche. Read our latest blog post to learn more:

Do you wear a mask? “Persona, the mask, or image we present to the world. Designed to make a particular impression on others, while concealing our true nature.” - Carl Jung We all wear masks, whether we realize it or not. In fact, since the day we are born, we learn how to cultivate many different masks, allowing u...

Do you recognize the mask you wear and the persona you’ve created? We dive into this phenomenon in our latest blog post, as we attempt to peel back the layers and discover our truest self, Jungian style! https://www.seekcounselling.ca/post/persona

Healthy relationships do not include these actions. If a person in your life is treating you with any of these negative actions, it’s either time to have a conversation, draw a boundary, or distance yourself.

Friendship is never cruel. Friendship requires patience, kindness, support, laughter, and love! Anything outside of that is not worth your mental space.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Shadow work is a powerful aspect of self discovery and analytical work.

Shadow work allows us to recognize, accept, and appreciate our unheard voices… the parts of ourselves we deny and reject. They need expression.

Shadow work also helps us to understand and appreciate the struggles of other people. We all have these hidden selves and they come out when we are denying our truth or ignoring our imperfections.

Get out your journal! Ask them some questions: “why are you so angry”, “why are you so sad”, “why are you scolding me”, “who are you”, and “what do you want or need from me”?

See what you discover!!

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Others can walk beside you on your healing journey, but only you can heal yourself.

Not that romantic partner.
Or your child.
Or that friend.
Or even that therapist.

The healings comes from you and choices you make to love yourself.

Sometimes it’s saying “no” when you are at full capacity.

Or sleeping when you’re tired.

Being brave enough to end that toxic relationship.

Being kinder to yourself more so than anyone else!

And don’t forget to drink more water! 😉 💧

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Give yourself the personal freedom of focusing only on what you can change instead of getting lost in the unchangeable.

Let it go. Get off the hamster wheel. Focus on you.

When you focus on working on your own personal growth, you will notice life starts to shift and change. You attract different people and opportunities. You break a pattern and start new habits. You enrich your life and that is something to celebrate!

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

A racing mind can happen to anybody and it’s a symptom of anxiety. Sometimes, we can’t control our worries and this narrative plays over and over again in our mind.

You can control your thoughts by practicing a bit of mindfulness. And you don’t need to do anything too complicated! Just slow and steady deep breaths, inhaling deeply through your nose, pausing, and then exhaling through your mouth (or nose if you prefer).

Pausing and being conscious of your breath helps to slow down the spinning wheels within our minds… they often play like a movie projector, spinning worries into troublesome stories.

You deserve peace of mind; it’s healing.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏😘

SEEKing therapeutic support? Caring, compassionate, and credited counselling services available virtually or by phone, with counselling therapist Christena Copeland. Book online at: www.seekcounselling.ca

Home | SEEK Therapeutic Counselling SEEK Therapeutic Counselling is a place to explore your life, heal from your challenges, and discover your deepest purpose. As a certified counselling therapist and a person who has committed to her own therapeutic healing, I understand that this journey can be hard, but I also know it can be reward...

Sometimes, that is exactly what we need: alone time. This time allows us to rest, recuperate, reconnect to spirit, and to heal.

Especially if you are an introvert, this time will be even more critical to your overall well-being.

You deserve it.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

I’m so glad the world seems to be understanding and appreciating introversion more. I believe that many careers were stunted by introverts being passed over for extroverts. Now, I think we’re seeing the incredible value of deep thinkers and active listeners. Truly, introverts often rank highly on the emotional intelligence scale.

The next time you’re in a group meeting, pay attention to the introverts in the room—their insights are often very in tune. Plus, there is something to be said for those who don’t just speak to be heard.

Introverts, give yourself a high-five today. You rock; you’re valuable; and deserve great success.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Let yourself feel better. Let your body rest. Let your mind have a break. Stop. Breathe. Drink water. Smile. Tell yourself you are “it”—whatever “it” means!

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

There is so much I could say about this subject, because we all seem to have some sort of an Achilles heel that can lead us into a toxic relationship.

These people trigger us and we are drawn to them so we can heal unresolved pain and trauma from our childhood… or because that is all we understand as far as love and relationships are concerned.

You know the relationship I’m talking about, with that person your family and friends can’t stand yet you’re seeing hearts and stars?

Or the love bomber who whisks you off your feet and then treats you like garbage or cuts and runs?

The codependent relationship.

The pseudo-casual relationship.

The emotional and physical abuse relationship.

And so on…

You deserve more; we all do. At the very minimum, I ask you to at least see it—the pattern—that is the first step to breaking the chains.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Do it! Do it! Do it! 😂

Let those feelings out and don’t be ashamed! Notice them; validate them; appreciate them; they are you.

We push a lot of our feelings aside just to get through each day—but if we don’t give them an outlet, they build up and we can end up with a host of physical and emotional reactions.

Tap in. Heal.

And if you feel you need support in order to process those feelings, call a therapist or trusted loved-one.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

NEW BLOG POST!

Are you feeling the stirrings of midlife? Carl Jung discussed the process of individuation as the time when we begin to shed the many masks we wear in favour of connecting with our truest selves: our soul.

Does life really begin after 40? Let's explore the process of Individuation. “Life really does begin at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research.” -Carl Jung I'm not sure if Swiss Psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, Carl Jung actually said this quote, however, I kind of hope that he did. Regardless, it's been attributed to him many times and certa...

What Carl Jung coined as the “afternoon” of life: individuation, a time of profound healing and spiritual evolution.

Like a caterpillar cocooning and emerging as a butterfly, individuation usually hits around middle age and will have us questioning where we stand in our lives and what we aspire to be our purpose.

You will step back and go inward.

Holdfast, and have faith. It can create unease and distress, but the ultimate process is illuminating and awakening.

And it’s where your soul wants to take you.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

We ALL walk a fine line between mental health and mental illness, to varying degrees. So let’s remove the stigma… we’re in this together.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

When I was a young gal, I read Gary Zukav’s book “The Seat of the Soul”, which first introduced me to the concept of earth school. It changed how I perceived my existence and place in the world. It gave me hope when life slammed me with painful challenges.

Because the idea is that we, as spirits in human form, come here to learn, grow, and evolve. When we learn what we need to learn and exist in love and harmony with ourselves and others, our reincarnation stops and we spiritually ascend.

Is this true? I have no idea! But I love the idea and I’d like it to be true. The idea inspires me daily and keeps me going when I can’t wrap my brain around the meaning of it all.

So if it’s true, and we do live in an earth school, how would you exist differently? Would it change the way you see things each day?

And here are words from the author himself, Gary Zukav:

“Your soul is that part of you that existed before you were born and will continue to exist after you die. [It] is immortal. You are a powerful and creative compassionate and loving spirit that has entered the Earth school to learn lessons and to give gifts. Your personality is a tool of your soul.”

The process of grief is complex and our feelings and reactions can be painful. Nobody wants to experience the pain of loss.

But grief also serves as a great teacher, deepening our ability to feel and connect with what others are experiencing.

Beyond that, grief opens our eyes to gratitude, teaching us that all things are precious and that every moment matters.

Pause. Feel. Heal.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

SEEK Therapeutic Counselling updated their phone number.

"Embrace your grief, for there your soul will grow."
-Carl Jung

There is no way around but through. A journey as unique as grief requires expression and often support. Whether its books about grief or spirituality; journaling, talking with friends, connecting with nature, holding time to cry, or working with a therapist, there are many avenues available.

Does grief ever go away? I’m hesitant to answer this because I know it won’t be what you want to hear; quite simply “no”, grief never goes away, but we move through it and forward, but never completely away. But there is a choice to be made when it comes to experiencing grief and it’s just that: you must experienc...

You got this. This tough ride, these challenges, the mistakes, and the inevitable loss.

It is your right of passage.

If you believe we are spiritual beings experiencing a human life, you can begin to understand and appreciate the struggles.

And then, maybe, you can bear witness to your growth; your evolution; your spiritual ascension.

Otherwise, go easy. Give yourself a break. Be kind to you, the person. You deserve kindness and care.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Our shadow-selves aren’t all bad, in fact, when expressed in a healthy manner, that energy can create brilliance.

We see it in art, in the minds of the most complex humans who are able to express all aspects of themselves.

We are good. We are bad. We are dark. We are light. We are wise. We are a foolish. We are weak and we are strong. The more we deny the negative, the deeper it becomes entrenched in our psyche, and it fights to get out.

As Carl Jung said, “the brighter the light, the darker the shadow”.

So get it out there! In a healthy way, of course! 😉

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

Conventional wisdom might tell you to avoid a new relationship when you are trying to heal from past trauma or when you’re attempting to break a negative pattern of behaviour.

But sometimes, the right person and the right relationship can provide you with profound healing.

A kind, compassionate, honest, and stable partner can literally retrain your brain’s learned responses. It is possible to rewire our responses over time, lessening our triggers and teaching us to seek out those positive encounters.

And we deserve this.

Toxic relationships deepen our anxiety responses, and, over time, we forget what it feels likes to be loved and cared for in a healthy manner. Sometimes, toxic relationships become addictive.

Take back your power. Heal with love and support. And I’m that note:

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

I love John Steinbeck and I appreciate authors who create characters and storylines with relatable depth.

This quote was taken from Steinbeck’s masterpiece, “East of Eden”. If you’ve read this book, you will know that shadow-selves are brilliantly represented in all the characters, and interestingly, a pure born sociopath named Cathy is a pivotal character. It makes for a fascinating read.

Do you know your shadow-selves? The characteristics you hide and keep from others? Your rage, deception, brokenness, weaknesses, and deviance… do you recognize it? We all have it. It’s how we spend that energy that matters.

Steinbeck knew his shadow-selves because they came to life in all of his literary offerings. He wouldn’t be able to write as he did, if he didn’t bring the dark shadow content to light by putting pen to paper.

And you can do it too.

Love and support to you on your journey. 🙏💕

SEEK Therapeutic Counselling updated their website address.