I just finished reading the book The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose. The book is inspired by Marina Abramovic, a performance artist who rocked the world with her 75 day performance art piece at MoMA in NYC, “The Artist is Present”. Marina sat in a chair with an empty one in front of her. The public was invited to come and sit with her for as short or as long as they’d like. Over 850,000 people came to watch her and over 1500 people came to sit with her during that time.
In 2019 we had an Open House at my office and we were all encouraged to offer something to the public. I decided to offer an experience “The Therapist is Present”. I invited people to sit with me for 10 minutes. It was an incredible experience for me and those who participated.
It sounds so simple. Sit in a chair across from one another and look at each other in silence. There’s no agenda except to sit and be present with one another. Sometimes it really is that simple and other times 11 seconds can feel like a very long time.
One of the things I’ve loved about bringing energy healing into psychotherapy is the space it creates for things beyond our mind. The Presence Session is another level deeper to connect to something deep within ourselves and the world around us.
When Our Therapist Is Present
There has been some new research that shows that client’s perception of their therapist’s presence is an indicator on whether the therapy was helpful for them. What Do We Experience When Our Therapist Is Fully Present.
I was pretty excited to see this research. Some of the most impactful moments in therapy are often in silence & presence.
We all know when someone is fully present with us. When one of my sons was younger, at the end of the day I would often lay next to him and chat with him prior to him going to sleep. Inevitably at some point he would point out any time I wasn’t really present. “Mom! You’re not really listening are you.” Caught again.
One of the things I love about being a psychotherapist is the invitation to be fully present with someone.
How many places in our lives do we get someone’s full attention for an hour without interruption?
What Are Presence Sessions?
I’ve pondered the idea of creating & offering presence sessions for many years. People have asked for these types of sessions and I’ve been skeptical. My mind has many opinions on the matter
“I have no idea if anyone will even go for this.”
“Is it one of those things we think we’d like but aren’t really sure?”
“Are people really going to do this?”
I don’t know what’s going to happen.. but I’m going to give you an opportunity to try it out for Free! (see below)
During a psychotherapy session I am present & we use words too. During an energy healing session I am present even more with your energetic body and we use much fewer words. During a presence session there are no words at all.
Consent and logistical details will be sorted out prior to the session. There is no clinical intake form for this process.
I’ll open the door for you and I’ll close it. We’ll sit down. I’ll put on a timer, and at the end I’ll close my eyes as you go. You can stay for the full hour or you can leave earlier if that’s what’s right in that moment for you.
If you’re a current psychotherapy or energy healing client and you’d like to try it out as part of your session, let me know. Sometimes 10 or 20 minutes is a great place to start.
2 Free Sessions each Month
For a limited time I will be offering 2 free 30 minute Presence Sessions each month. We can do this in person or we can try this virtually. I’m flying by the seat of my pants on this one, so details will follow.
The Month of May is currently booked, if you’re interested in future months, let me know.
Wishing you an abundance of presence!
