Monique Raimbault, RMFT

Navigating Change

Spiritual Exploration

"Spirituality is no longer a luxury of life, of interest to religious minorities or mysics, but it now appears as an absolute imperative for human sanity and survival".  -- Urusla King

The goal of both therapy and spiritual inquiry is living a more conscious life. One is not more effective than the other - they simply have different purposes. Therapy explores how to deal more effectively with problematic situations, ie. coping with anxiety or depression, adolescent development, or relationship issues.  It works on increasing self-awareness and development of the ego. 

Spiritual inquiry explores how to disidentify with problematic situations or emotions. It is the process of letting go of self, and reflect on how our challenges are connected to deeper, universal truths.

The busy-ness or business of daily existence can be so consuming that it becomes easy for us to react unconsciously or automatically to challenging situations. But with awareness and practice we can learn how to respond from a place of greater clarity and peace. 

As John Welwood (2006) states, "Just as the depth and stillness of the ocean lie hiddden beneath the stormy waves on its surface, so the power of your essential nature lies concealed behind all of your turbulent feeelings". Beyond the turbulent feelings we can access a deep trust, an acceptance of life as it is.  This is where deep peace resides - no matter what difficulties we face. That is the transformational work that spiritual inquiry has to offer.