Trust the process.” You hear it all the time, right? Like some white noise mumbo-jumbo that echoes in this dark, deep cave life can sometimes be. We all know, with an objective view, that the phrase is intended to offer a light at the end of the tunnel from one struggling soul to another, but gah does it feel like an endless loop of holding on for dear life.
I found myself repeating this phrase to myself as I began writing this very blog post. I felt an array of emotions, so I’d step away and come back, hoping this blip in time offered progress for this task. I had who-knows-how-many thoughts scattering about my mind that certainly didn’t help the situation. I sought high and low for inspiration, going as far as looking at old posts I’ve written for my eyes only, looking at other people’s blog posts, and scouring social media platforms. I sat with these thoughts and emotions for a while, feeling frustrated because I knew I wanted to share with you all some magical insight or bullet points for whatever topic that presented itself, but my mind was drawing a blank. It’s funny how life does this thing, ya know, where you hear “trust the process” and we’re quick to let it flow in one ear and out the other, until we hear it within the space between our ears… in our own noggin and we can’t avoid it. So here I am, trusting the process.
I’ve been working with a lot of new clients lately, and I’m noticing a lot of them don’t really know what they’re doing in therapy. There are some who start therapy and share their experiences with friends and family, oftentimes including the ole’ faithful statement: trust the process. Newcomers may have that empowerment feeling of “HECK YEAH, I’m gonna do therapy!” They show up, sit there wide eyed and bushy tailed, expecting for magic to just happen within 50 minutes. Let me tell ya… I WISH! Therapy is not a wave-a-magic-wand, share a feeling, cry a little and BOTTA BING BOTTA BOOM you’re done kind of process. It’s crying one minute, laughing the next, then being overwhelmingly angry because a bird pooped on your car RIGHT AFTER you went through the car wash. Therapy, healing, and life in general don’t assume a linear position. It’s messy. It’s heavy. It’s taking steps forward, and some backward. It’s a big ask to open up your mind, bend it a little (or a lot), and figure out a whole new way of being that aligns with who you want to be. I know, the last thing we want to hear is “tRuSt tHe PrOcEsS” because that’s scary… to walk blindly into something we know very little about.
That’s why I’m here. I’ve been where you are: questioning, hurting, having sat in my own dark and twisty headspace. I met with my therapist for the first time with a LAUNDRY LIST of thoughts, feelings, experiences and felt that same “here ya go, do something with this” kind of mindset, not knowing what to expect or what the result would be. I totally get it. I’m here for you. To walk alongside you throughout this journey of exploration, shifting, growing, and healing. I meet you where you are, right in the thick of it, maybe feeling scared and anxious or even a little excited. I come in the form of authenticity, comfort, and leaving judgment and fear outside. I invite you to come sit with me, ask me all your questions and share with me your hesitancies and hopes for the therapy process. Let me show up for you in the way you’re showing up for yourself as you step into your own story and own it. Scary? Yes. Messy? Yes. Empowering? Yes. Worth it? YES. Trust the process.
