INSIGHT, CHANGE, BALANCE
We’ve all heard the expression, “she’s mentally unbalanced.” Who knows for sure where that expression originated, but it does carry with it certain images or misplaced stereotypes. The truth is an event at any stage of our life can be like a tremor or an earthquake threatening to throw us off balance, or even cause our emotional world to come tumbling down. Some people are better than others at righting themselves when the foundation beneath them begins to shake. Others, perhaps because they didn’t get off on a firm footing in childhood or have experienced too many quakes in their lives, find it much harder to right themselves after each threatening experience.
Recovering one’s emotional balance after a stressful event (death of a loved one, breakup of a marriage, a traumatic life-threatening injury or disease, sexual abuse or assault, to mention a few) requires two important steps: gaining insight about ourselves and the factors that brought us to this point in our lives, and making changes based on the insight gained.
When we can achieve the insight on our own or with the help of friends and loved ones and can follow through with the changes needed to right ourselves, that’s all to the better. For some people the supports may not be there, or perhaps it’s those closest to them who contribute to their shaky foundation. For these, professional counseling is usually the best course to take.
Counseling is a collaborative process involving insight and change leading to balancing one’s life. The counselor’s role is in helping the client gain insight into what has brought her to this point in her life. Only after the client has gained the necessary insight can she begin the change process. With the support and guidance of the counselor, the client’s role is to make the changes needed to “rebalance” her life.
