Missoula Therapy

Therapy is processing. Put another way, therapy helps us to slow down. It helps us to discern what are appropriate responses to the constant stresses that come at us in the day-to-day grind. Life is difficult! And there are many hats that we wear to deal with various situations. There is the “parent” hat. There is the “business” hat. There is the “friend” hat. There is the “relationship” hat. And so, what seems like an easy problem, is often complex. Hence, processing with a Missoula therapist who can guide you down the path – is priceless. Think of martial arts. A big part of martial arts is meeting up with an expert, or an elder, or a guide – who comes to the hero in the form of a Kung Fu Master. In some ways, that’s what this is. It’s becoming a Kung Fu Master over your life and becoming the hero of your own unique story.

By learning to process what happens to us, with a Missoula therapist, and what happened to us, in the past, we rewire how we think. We rewire years of habitual patterns. It’s courageous, and it takes work – but it is worth it to find relief from the pain. To know that it is never too late to start again. To start fresh. Our trained therapists help people do this every day. They understand that, just like a botanist who looks at a tree, we need to look at the original seed that made that tree. And what condition was the soil that the tree grew up in? Did the tree get all the nutrients it needed? Was it mostly sunny days for the tree? Or was it raining all the time? This is all part of the process. Therapy is processing.

A lot of what happened to us began in our original home. For example, a person who is rejected and abandoned as a child may never have gotten over those emotional scars. A child cannot process such trauma and such ache because they are unable to articulate at such a young age everything that happened to them. And so, this person, as an adult, then walks around with this ache. And they don’t know why. It’s just hard to get through the day. It often takes therapy to nurture and heal the deep and subconscious wounds that the person is not aware of.

Add to this that it is often impossible to have memories of what happened because those memories are emotional. It’s a feeling. We don’t always realize what happened to us in our lives to make us act the way we do. So we walk around being triggered throughout our lives. It can be something we see or hear. Even a smell can do this – and we suddenly become upset, and we don’t know why. But that exact smell was there when we were kids when the trauma initially occurred. With therapy, we discover what has happened in the past shapes who we are. But it does not equal or result in who we will become.

While our Missoula therapists are highly skilled in delivering care to those in crisis – we often receive calls from clients who simply want their lives and relationships to work better. Or maybe it is to fill an inner void. When we seek to heal ourselves, we are doing the deepest spiritual work that can be done. Some people even say it is a blessing to have these problems! Because this is what you were put here on this earth to do. For whatever reason, you were given this problem to solve, and you are the only one who can solve it. It’s kind of like your riddle. And part of solving it is knowing that you work on it every day. It’s not something that just “goes away”. And if it does, notice how it leaps to something else – and the problem is over there now!

Often people try to find ways to soothe the pain that isn’t healthy. Ways to numb the pain of the void that has been created by emotional trauma. With this said, it is our responsibility to find healthy ways to heal ourselves. In fact, it is immoral to ignore and feed your pain with unhealthy thoughts and even addictions. Although you may not be harming any other people, you have to remember that you are important too. You are sacred too. And we are all connected even though it may not feel like it now.

So, the important thing to remember – you are a sacred being. And that’s why people come into therapy – to discover who they truly are. And it’s a sacred process to reclaim this connection.

We are very thankful to be able to offer online “Teletherapy” to many clients across the state of Montana. This is such a blessing to provide services throughout the pandemic as well as in cities in Montana where mental health care is limited. Online counseling has been shown to be as effective as traditional in-person therapy. Many clients prefer this form of engagement because of the many benefits such as scheduling, accessibility, and feeling more comfortable in their own homes. We will continue to expand this service across Montana and are proud to be a part of a growing community that receives care through our online platform.

Many of our clients who have begun their work with their counselors have reported improvements in their lives or perspectives. We have heard how valuable their services have become to their quality of life. Sunflower Counseling is a wonderful option in Missoula for counseling services. We have a team of educated skilled therapists who have a passion for helping their clients improve their lives. Our administrative staff has made it simple to sign up for services and to begin their journey toward feeling better.

You may hear over and over to just start. We believe this as well. No one deserves to feel alone, sad, anxious, or desperate. We are here to help and will be here for you. Missoula therapy works.