Cultivating wholeness in the face of uncertainty

Uncertainty calls on us to inhabit the unfamiliar, the unknown, where we often feel scared and out of control. Uncertainty requires us to be vulnerable, shattering illusions of certainty and control.

“We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”
― Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart

I believe that with supportive exploration people can become intimate with their suffering and develop ways of transforming that which distresses them. Through listening, reflection, contemplative and/or creative practices, and storytelling, we can learn to live with ambiguity - where creativity and transformation happen.

If you are facing a life-limiting illness, grieving, struggling with caregiving, experiencing burnout as a care provider, or circling questions of mortality, book a call to explore how I may offer support and care.

“When you stop resisting suffering, something else begins to happen. You begin slowly to allow your suffering to follow its own logic … it wants to teach us something. When you stop resisting its dark work, you are open to learning what it wants to show you.” - John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes

My approach

Mindfulness-informed psychotherapy is rooted in evidence-based science and contemplative traditions to bolster people’s capacity to be with the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that emerge when encountering distress and suffering.

My approach is particularly well suited with those experiencing life-limiting illnesses, mortality-related distress, grief, and caregiver-related challenges.

Five Remembrances

(Buddhist subjects for contemplation intended to be memorized and recited every day as a constant reminder of our true nature)

  1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

  2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.

  3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

  4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

  5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Empty-handed I entered the

world

Barefoot I leave it.

My coming, my going -

Two simple happenings

That got entangled.

Zen monk Kozan Ichikyo

Bury me when I die

beneath a wine barrel

in a tavern.

With luck

the cask will leak.

Moriya Sen’an

Inquire about working together

Request a 20 minute free consultation.

Some extended health care benefits reimburse for psychotherapy delivered by a registered nurse. I recommend investigating if this therapy is covered and for how much. If your plan does not cover this therapy, I can work with you to try to get coverage. Insurance providers who typically reimburse for nurse-led psychotherapy includes: GreenShield, Manulife, Desjardins.

I am located in Toronto, ON, Canada. Clients must be Ontario residents.