Unlocking Your Full Potential: The Healing Power of Holistic Therapy
This summer I am playing through Final Fantasy XVI (spoilers ahead). The protagonist of the video game is Clive Rosfield: the heir of a fallen kingdom who is condemned to serve his enemies after witnessing his father’s death and unknowingly murdering his younger brother. Clive’s trauma cuts deep. He is a broken man hellbent on revenge and riddled with guilt. At the conclusion of the first act of the story, Clive comes to understand how his bitterness, shame, and regret have shattered his inner being. That realization allows him to accept his past mistakes, and thus he liberates himself from his emotional scars. In a moment of respite, he hears someone say, “At last, you accept the truth. You were born to wield limitless power. Embrace it.”
From that point onward, Clive’s focus transitions away from his desire for penance and retribution and advances towards helping those in need. He transforms the power he once perceived as a curse into a means of bettering society. And in doing so he builds a new home for himself and those he grows to care about.
Clive’s story of grief, trauma, isolation, and a yearning to heal parallels the emotional journey clients embark on in therapy; Every individual has unlimited potential inside of them, but they are shackled by decades of emotional trauma and relationship wounds. Therapy seeks to help people beaten down by past experiences learn how to live.
Understanding the Struggle
Clients often begin therapy because their feelings of regret and isolation have become incredibly overwhelming; A husband believes his life is falling apart because his partner cheated on him. A mother doubts her inherit worth after her children collectively decide to pull away from her. A single man falls into a depressive state upon losing hope that he will ever find a suitable love interest. It is daunting to feel safe and secure when it feels as though the universe is working against oneself.
The challenge during the initial stages of therapy is helping people understand what they can do to address their inner turmoil. Relationship therapy is less about helping individuals overcome their particular situations and more about showing people they have the power to shape their world. Just as Clive learns how to embrace his inner strength, humanistic counselors strive to help clients discover how they can save themselves. This process of self-discovery and empowerment manifests when people see their subjective reality from a more holistic lens.
Therapy is a Process of Awakening
One of the core principles of humanistic counseling (Adlerian, Gestalt, person-centered, and existentialism) is a concept known as holism. The underlying philosophy is that our physical, emotional, social, and spiritual states are intertwined with one another. Each component is but a fragment of our entire being. It is only when we recognize how these aspects interconnect that we can truly understand both ourselves and our world, and in turn discover how we can influence our environment.
The tension between fixating on a singular perspective and accepting the whole truth is the heart of Clive’s personal narrative; Clive mistakenly believes that he can mend his shattered soul by fighting back against those who have wronged him. And although enacting social justice helps him protect his community, it does not absolve him of his guilt. It is only by coming to terms with his regrets that he is able to find inner peace, let go of his trauma, and ultimately build a better world.
Finding the Path Forward
I share my perspective on Clive’s narrative because I sincerely believe that the path forward for you will also require embarking on an internal journey. People heal and grow when they consciously make the choice to work on themselves and better their life circumstances. And to be fully transparent, I understand that this therapeutic principle may feel overwhelming, intimidating, and perhaps even unfair. Why should someone who has been wounded by other people’s mistakes be the one responsible for repairing their broken heart?
I would challenge this mentality by asking you to examine your struggle from a different perspective; Fully understanding yourself, learning what you can do to heal from your past traumas will bequeath you with limitless power. If you are willing to see past your immediate situation, if can you look beyond your pain, you might find something much greater than you ever imagined. You might discover how to create meaning, purpose, and conviction. And what a revelation that would be.
Click on the link below to start your therapeutic journey, discover your unlimited potential, and learn how to live.