Lina Pranata, Ph.D. Seattle Prana Psychotherapy Licensed Psychologist in Seattle, WA Psychotherapy for Adults/Elders (Pronouns: She/Her/Hers)
Providing telehealth only. Clients interested in IFS work are welcome.
“Anxiety is a doorway into a self that longs for wholeness. Our symptoms, when honored, lead the way. When you meet your darkest, most uncomfortable places with a mindset of curiosity and compassion, you transform, and your life expands in untold ways." Sheryl Paul (The Wisdom of Anxiety)
Anxiety/Depression/Trauma Treatment
Whatever your symptoms might be (e.g., anxiety, depression, stress eating), my experience has taught me that they are your body's ways of telling us what needs to be attended to and heal. I don't believe in labeling, medicating (long-term) or suppressing them. Having majored in Pharmacy, I was trained to attend to possible side effects that come from taking any medications (especially long-term). In addition, over the past two decades, I have seen many clients who are over-medicated to the point that when the side effects of the medication become a new problem and they have to stop taking them, the initial concerns come back full force or with higher intensity. Much like physical pain, we're designed to feel physical pain to inform us that something isn't quite right. If the ability to feel pain is taken away or suppressed, bigger problems may appear, much like how we would burn ourselves on the stove if we don't have the ability to feel pain and that would be disastrous. Emotional pain serves similar functions. It helps us be aware of what needs to be attended to. Perhaps, we need tender loving care from ourselves and our significant others, vs. suppressing our emotions or what our body is trying to tell us.
“…. There is no such thing as a bad response. There are only adaptive responses. The primary point is that our nervous system is trying to do the right thing for us to survive, and we need to respect what it has done. When we respect our body’s responses, we move from this more evaluative state, we become more respectful of ourselves, and this functionally contributes to the healing process.” (Stephen Porges, The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory, 2017)
So in our work together, I might want to know what your symptoms are. As annoying and frustrating as these symptoms are, they will clue us into your needs. Perhaps the current stressor is too much or it resembles past stressors waiting to be processed, so we can heal from it. As such, knowing you and your life story is very important. Our unique body comes with its own unique strengths and vulnerabilities. So for different types of hardship or trauma, two different people might experience different symptoms (e.g., hair-pulling, over-exercising, stress eating) in addition to similar symptoms (e.g., sadness, anger/frustration). But understanding what has happened to you, how you make sense of them, and how your coping strategies may or may not be helpful to you at this time, can help us learn what you need to improve your overall health and quality of life.
In our work together, you can expect me to be attuned to you, to help you listen to your own internal wisdom and find your way to your healing. Helping you transcend past wounds and live a healthier and happier life is my top priority. Together, you and I will dig deep to understand where you hurt, how you have learned to be who you are today, and how to let go of the learned coping skills that no longer serve you well. By truly listening to your profound thoughts and emotions, we will work together to help you find what you need at this time and how to achieve them.
Having said all that, the process of therapy also involves a lot of ruptures and repairs, just like any other healthy relationships. The difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships is whether or not we make the space to attend to the ruptures and repair them. Participants in less-than-healthy relationships often do not have the capacity to deal with the concerns head on, and over time, decide that the problems swept under the rug become too difficult to handle and it leads to the dissolution of the relationships. In healthy relationships, the participants involved take the time and do the hard work of confronting the unpleasant topics and work through the rupture to repair the relationships. The attunement to the ruptures defines a workable relationship, and that's what I hope to bring to our work as well. This is why it takes grit, courage, and persistence to work in therapy. If you are ready to practice what an adaptive relationship might look like, I would be honored to join you in this most important journey of yours.