10 Year’s as a Psychotherapist

There are countless ways to divide a life or a day into measurable amounts - an hour, a morning, a summer, a minute. We human beings have a certain fondness for round numbers, particularly “10”. Is it because we have 10 fingers? Maybe.

In the last 10 years, my life (and career) have altered immeasurably and this month of June 2016 is a reminder to me of when it all officially started. I have been working professionally in the field of consciousness, whether it be psychotherapy, hypnosis or meditation, for a full decade this month - and I’m sure Malcolm Gladwell would have something to say about that - I know I do!

Ten years ago I dedicated myself to not only better understanding myself and my life, but to following a passion of helping people understand themselves and their lives better. Helping people to deal better with their thoughts, have more control over their feelings and respond more appropriately in their behaviour. It is also when I made a commitment to take my mediation pastimes and turn them into self-developmental disciplines.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my day (other than supervising my dog while she leads me around the park to sniff out her daily dose of nasal news) is my morning reading and writing. I’m away from home as I write this, but still keeping my routine alive and this blog entry is the evidence. While everyone back home is celebrating our Queen’s birthday, I’m using this week to further develop myself.

I’m currently enjoying a morning Earl Grey tea in the home of Judith Pennington - Awakened Mind Consciousness Trainer, International Journalist, Student of Spirituality and the leading force behind The Institute for the Awakened Mind.

The institute was founded in order to carry forward the work of humanistic psychologist and meditation guru, Anna Wise. Before her passing, Anna had worked ceaselessly to bring “The Mind Mirror” into the public eye. The Mind Mirror was invented by C.Maxwell Cade in the early 70’s and was explored in depth by Anna in her amazing book “The High Performance Mind”. It is a Brainwave EEG Biofeedback device that is actually able to monitor subtle brainwave activity reflective of various states of consciousness which it renders observable.

I’ve been training with the Mind Mirror for the past 2 years and am here in Pennsylvania completing the certification which will make me the very first Certified Awakened Mind Consciousness Trainer in Ontario and the very first Psychotherapist in Canada to be certified!

I’ve always loved gadgets, and this Mind Mirror gadget is a doozie!

The technology has been in development since 1974, and, although many people around the world train with the Mind Mirror, it seems I’m the first healthcare professional in Canada to invest the significant time and attention involved in becoming expert in its uses. Interestingly, the current software developer (Stephen Clarke) worked in the very same engineering firm, in the very same town in England that I left in 1992 when I immigrated to Canada!

Carl Jung did not believe in coincidences, and Steve and I find it fascinating that Judith now has as “technical advisors”, two men with Aerospace Engineering backgrounds, both motivated to making the technology accessible to mainstream users who could benefit from developing their consciousness. Contributing to the development of the software functionality is something very gratifying to be involved with.

In my past I’ve taught high-end computer aided design solution software to some of the most critical thinkers in the engineering field and now I’m hoping to not only help those suffering from stress and anxiety using this technology, but also to expand the consciousness of creativity, and help thinkers gain greater control over their amazing imaginations. My plan over the coming months is to incorporate Brainwave Biofeedback into my therapy and hypnosis sessions, and also into goal-oriented, solution-focused coaching programs I’ve been developing.

So, not only does June of this year represent a milestone of accomplishment for me as a therapist, it may very well be looked back on in another 10 years as being a profound moment of redefinition.

I’d really like to thank you for reading this blog post - I truly hope you will find what is coming down the pipeline interesting and useful - stay tuned and be well.

Yours, David.