If you were able to look back on your life in slow motion, could you begin to pinpoint the exact moments when you made choices that changed the entire trajectory of your life? These can be the big life decisions like where to move or who your life partner is or whether or not to change your career. Choice points can also be the small daily interactions you have with your day that impact your perspective.

Have you been in the midst of trying to forgive yourself for a mistake and a friend comes along and tells you to just “let it go”?

I wish it was that easy to put down the burden and move on, but more likely, deeper healing needs to occur. Carrying around guilt and shame can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders with nowhere to lay down that load.

Signing up for therapy can be daunting to consider. Sitting across from a stranger and being willing to tell him or her about your past and pain is hardly anyone’s first choice. It can be difficult to imagine being that vulnerable, being that willing to open up and let someone else in, especially when we imagine the setting of such an intimate encounter. Often we think of a dimly lit room, devoid of personality, closed off and silent like you’re tempted to be.

What if the scene was shifted? What if instead of four walls, a desk, and a stranger, you saw trees, felt fresh air, and heard the sounds of life around you?

Think back to the process of growing up. Do you remember growing pains? Physiologically, what happens is that as our bodies stretch and grow; our joints become sore. Sometimes we might even tell our parents about that mysterious soreness, and to our surprise, they chalk it up to “growing pain”.