Practitioner’s as they listen with empathetic understanding to their clients, will often access the same emotions and awaken a range of experience in themselves. Our client’s emotions are contagious!
Although we are different from our clients, we as humans have common vulnerabilities and life experiences. We all at some level have the same fears of being alone, of not being enough, of not being understood or appreciated. When we identify with a client’s predicament, we can be plunged into a bodily felt empathetic understanding, leading to a constant quest for finding answers and a continual questioning our own belief systems. This can be draining emotionally and physically.
It’s quite simply uncanny how often we attract clients to our businesses that are going through the same life issues that we are. We are changed both by our own experiences and as a result of our clients.
If this sounds familiar then it may be important to have a deeper understanding about your triggers, an increased ability to experience and contain a range of emotions, a stable of coping strategies that are both protective and nourishing, and to have a self-care regime that recognises and validates you.
Your own wellbeing is of paramount importance.
I am not just advocating a regime to ward off burnout, I am advocating a way of being which allows you to regularly take stock of your own wellbeing, and allows you to turn up the degree of vibrancy and aliveness in you, that will be a shining light to your clients.
The risk is if you don’t, then any emotions that you continually push down may later pop up with vengeance and manifest as disease or come out sideways in unhealthy coping strategies. Both will result in you being a less effective health practitioner.
Regular counselling is one path to a more vibrant and lived life. Counselling in this light can be seen as growth promoting and the ultimate in self-care. An investment in your own wellbeing.
If you would like more information about counselling, please log onto www.yourpath.co.nz or consider making an appointment to see Bronwyn Alleyne in my counselling rooms in Remuera, Auckland.
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