What are your favorite or most interesting interpersonal relationship tips/advice?
When couples come in to see me I start off by stressing the imperative nature that each party work their darnedest (against all odds set out by the ego) to focus on themselves, developing a keen eye for personal virtues and also faults in the self. Although that may seem counter intuitive for “couples therapy”, the dynamics in a plummeting romantic relationship tend to be intricately convoluted—blaimy if you will (is too a word), that it becomes second nature to identify the other as being at fault while not recognizing ones own contributions to the increasing dysfunction. The only purpose this serves is to build existing mental law suits against the other which subsequently increases both resentment and distance. Alternatively, (and only if the above is no longer serving the couple) I encourage each partner to actively participate in the painfully challenging yet adventurous journey of self discovery in relation to each other. Dare to bring one’s highest and most authentic self to light while cultivating the compassion and empathy in the self to further see each other as equally deserving of love, understanding and acceptance.
No one will or can serve you a platter of happiness, but you can help yourself to the playful curiosity needed to transcend to the optimal version of yourself. Here are a few mindfulness tips I help clients cultivate necessary to impact change.
– Disarm and observe the self with playful curiosity while accepting the other with the same openness and intrigue.
– Trade the pitchfork in for a magnifying glass to transform the ‘blame game’ into the ‘explore your shadow’ game.
– Accept and acknowledge things and people for what and who they are while continuing to cultivate the mindfulness imperative to introspective exploration.
– Align closely to your authentic self and live alongside your like willed partner with integrity and strengthened resilience to respond more and react less.
– Rinse and repeat.
For a more in-depth look at and experience of what this looks like in practice come visit us at our Queen West boutique clinic and talk to any one of our psychotherapists at www.mindfulmaelstrom.com.
Bio
Simply put, my passion lies in helping people along their paths to re-discovering their true, authentic selves.
In my career as a psychotherapist and through my own introspective explorations, time and time again I have witnessed the life-changing clarity brought on by the integration of a mindfulness component as part of therapy.
I work with the belief that we all have unconscious, unacknowledged parts of ourselves that influence our thoughts, feelings, and subsequent behaviours, for better or for worse. The more we work at bringing these parts of ourselves to the forefront of our awareness, the more confident we will feel in allowing ourselves to be guided by our own experience and intuition, rather than by external influences. The less we look to the world around us for answers and instead look inward, the more aligned we will feel with our purpose and the more we will be living it fully and authentically.
Research into mindfulness studies and psychotherapy suggest that the partnership of the two modalities can accelerate a person’s ability to function more in the present moment and live more from a place of acceptance while maintaining a less reactive response in both their intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. Treatments offered can be tailored to address issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatic (sleep) disorders, and adjustment disorders to name some of the more reported difficulties.
Let me guide you on a Journey to Mindfully Align to the Beat of your Own Drum.
You can learn more about Kristina Dragnea at www.mindfulmaelstrom.com/kristina-dragnea.