![]() ![]() “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” Seneca, too, encouraged his followers to focus on controlling their inner lives when their outer lives and external circumstances were out of their sphere of control. Again this advice can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers, such as the Stoics. In addition, many therapists urge clients to change themselves when circumstances cannot be changed. The philosopher neatly captured the essence of what many therapists try to express: namely, that self-knowledge is one of our highest goals. Socrates once said that “ The unexamined life is not worth living” (cited in Schaffner, 2021, p. Some of the most famous therapists knew this well. It is a sacred privilege to become a catalyst in our clients’ transformation processes. Therapy and coaching allow us to form intimate and healing relationships with others. We, too, need reminding about the beauty and the power of our profession from time to time. Sommers-Flanagan and Sommers-Flanagan, 2018, p. “Understanding why people suffer, how they change, and how to help them live satisfying lives is a fascinating and important undertaking.” “‘Psychotherapy is a cyclical process from isolation into relationship.’ It is cyclical because the patient, in terror of existential isolation, relates deeply and meaningfully to the therapist and then, strengthened by this encounter, is led back again to a confrontation with existential isolation.” “I feel enriched when I can truly prize or care for or love another person and when I can let that feeling flow out to that person.” “In my early professional years I was asking the question, How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?” Nearly everyone who visits a therapist has a love disorder, and each has a story to tell-of love lost or denied, love twisted or betrayed, love perverted or shackled to violence.” “Psychotherapy … a profession whose mainspring is love. They are concise and memorable and can serve as powerful mantras and precious reminders of what truly matters. Great quotations crystalize knowledge and insight. ![]() A well-chosen quotation that sums up our client’s core struggles and dilemmas, allows them to be hopeful, or motivates them to continue their journeys of self-exploration can work wonders in the therapeutic process. ![]()
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