Drop the Baggage

For this full moon in Aries I heard a lot about dumping your baggage. Letting go of the past, “you can’t take it with you,” into this new future. That hit me hard. I am the sentimental type. The emotional hoarder, hard to let go, will cling to people or things years past their expiration date in my present life. I am struggling with this right now! Learning to let the past be in the past and knowing I can’t have it with me and live fully with all the gifts of future possibilities. 

Today I’m making a rather odd post, and it might come off choppy and random. Part of my “baggage” is old website copy. As someone who is currently growing and developing, in a constant change state to identify what most represents me and shedding what doesn’t, I have updated my website a lot. As in at least three total overhauls and countless iterations of how things are formatted, located, and written. In that process I’ve cut out loads of words. Words that hold meaning to me. That represent who I am and express the work I want to be doing. So in support of this process, to release the old, while valuing it’s gifts, I am putting all the things left unsaid from my website here. All the messages I want my readers to know, and more information than they may have wanted through browsing my site. Here goes!

Do you ever wonder who am I? Where is the joy in my life? What is the point in life, what is my purpose? It is time to reconnect to yourself and start living. Today we are more active and busy than ever, yet we have no time to just be. We lose touch with ourselves, our emotions, our deepest, most natural needs. Through this separation from self we grow despondent, depressed, and isolated. There is hope, you can regain your happiness and learn how to take care of yourself. We can begin to open up, share our emotions, and learn how to cope with negative feelings. Everything you need already exists inside of you ready to be discovered.

A lot of sadness comes from a lack of feelings, rather than being unable to control our feelings. In order to gain control, we must first recognize and allow our emotions to have their place. In my work my primary audience is teenagers, adults at a transition point, and women. I am most experienced with depression and suicidal ideation or existential crisis. My passion as a counselor is helping my clients access their emotions so they can process, express, and move forward in life. Our feelings are our greatest ally, they are one of our superpowers! Feelings are meant to be felt, not avoided.

Therapy is a collaborative process and no one knows you better than yourself. I can offer my pearls of wisdom and analysis, but at the end of the day the answers to all your problems lie within. We all have the answers we need inside, sometimes we just need some support and help navigating those waters. Now is the time to turn things around. It’s never too late, or too early, to get your life on track. To find a deeper meaning and purpose in your life. Listen to your heart’s calling and find your true passion. Together we can unearth your truth, passion and freedom from the symptoms that are currently holding you back.

I believe in fate and destiny and the universe bringing us all together. If you’re reading this, then life has brought us together. Most likely you are struggling in some way or know that your life could be better. Maybe you’re searching for meaning, wanting to make a change or adapting to a big change you just made. Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out and exhausted running the rat race we call life. Let me help you learn to slow down, love yourself and discover the dream life you’re so excited to start.

I was called into the mental health counseling field when I was young and my path has led me right here. I love astrology, coffee, and snuggling with my cat. The ocean is my happy place and I need regular check-ins with nature to reset. I’m an introverted homebody and I practice meditation daily. With unconditional positive regard and authentic presence we will discover what motivates you and brings you joy. 

Clients will be most successful with me when:

You are willing and ready to change

Excited to dive deep into the beliefs and feelings that are holding you back without fear

Want to analyze your thought patterns and release what is no longer serving you

Prepared to follow a clear path to accomplish your goals

Have a desire for healing in a supportive, helping atmosphere

Well there you have it! Here is my word baggage that I am going to leave behind, in this post, without regret. I won’t long or mourn for it, wondering if someday I can fit it back on my site. I won’t feel guilty I spent time and energy writing each word or wishing I could share it. I have shared it. I’ve put it out into the ethers and that is where it shall stay. Not weighing me down or getting between me and the next brilliant thing I’d like to write. Only forward now, time to welcome the new and step into the future. We’ve harvested, we’ve released, and now we’re ready for the deep work. Change is coming! Allow the remainder of this full moon energy to support you in leaving the past in the past and preparing for the future.

Introduction Letter

Dear YOU, 

I am writing to the one searching for help. The one struggling with understanding what is the point in life. Going through the motions day in and day out but wondering when their life will begin. “When will I truly be happy, when will I feel fulfilled? How do I find my purpose in life?” You, the person trying so hard to please everyone around you but feeling like you’re always coming up short. No matter how hard you try you can never convince the harshest critic inside that you are enough. 

Maybe it’s depression. Maybe you’ve been feeling this way as long as you can remember, or you really struggle to remember when you felt happy last. If you’re reading this, you’re considering if counseling could be helpful to you? “Maybe I need someone to talk to, someone who understands what I’m going through. I need someone to hear me and tell me I’m not crazy. I don’t want to be in this alone anymore.” It’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to feel like you aren’t alright. It is normal to contemplate life and death. “Maybe I”d be better off dead. Everyone would be happier if I was gone. No one will notice. I’m such a burden to everyone around me.” These are thoughts I hear from people every single day. Suicide can be seen as a way out of the darkness. A way to escape the pain that you don’t know how to address. Pain you’re barely aware of and aren’t sure how to put into words. “How do I even ask for help?”

Therapy is a way into the light. Together in a therapeutic relationship we can unmask your demons, identify your feelings, and learn to express what’s really going on inside.

My name is Marisa and I am passionate about helping others walk back from the ledge and into the light again. Through unconditional positive regard and genuine care I will sit with you and walk through the darkness until we find out way back to the light. I love talking about life and death and suicide. I find joy in the pain, and embrace the beauty of the deep raw emotions humans are able to feel. It is a gift this depth of feeling that you have. The fact that you are able to experience life to such an intense degree is a super power. I will help you recognize your emotions, challenge your negative thought patterns, and embrace the natural gifts you were given in this lifetime by your ability to feel. Together we can figure out what gives you meaning, purpose, and joy in life and come up with a plan to set you up for success. 

I will admit I am a bit of a biohacker and I love to optimize life. I want to help you hack your own life and thought patterns to be the most successful person you can be. And I measure success in happiness, not in accomplishments. We need to strive to be content! How can I help you learn to enjoy the little moments in life and appreciate every small token of happiness you are given? I don’t share these things from some pedestal way up high, thinking I have mastered life. I am a human too. I understand what you’re going through because I have been there. I know what it is like to go and go and go, never stopping to smell the roses only to reach your destination and think “now what?” I have been on a long slow journey in self-care and self-love, and it is a journey I am passionate about sharing with others. As I am learning to slow down and experience more of life I want to help you also begin to live a more authentic, present lifestyle that gives you back just as much as you put into it. 

So to sum it up, YOU are:

-wanting help

-looking for meaning and purpose in life

-possibly depressed

-having thoughts of suicide

-working hard yet unsatisfied with your life

And I am:

-crazy about feelings

-motivated to help you

-authentic and honest

-also a human

-a trained helping professional

And if that wasn’t enough, I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist in the state of Washington. I have a private practice located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. I got my Master’s degree from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in Professional Mental Health Counseling. Through that program I was fully trained in counseling skills and educated on current treatment modalities and theories including, attachment, emotion focused therapy, family systems, solution focused and cognitive behavioral therapies. In my previous work I deepened my skills using CBT, that I now use in my work along with a focus on feelings, emotions, and strength based counseling. Throughout the years post-grad I have continued to take continuing education and develop my knowledge through workshops and seminars, including many intuitive and spiritual based practices. 

It is my hope that we can work together to help you find meaning and enjoy living again. Please reach out if you would like to know more or get started on this journey together. 

Sincerely, Marisa