Psychotherapy
What is Therapy?
Sometimes we all just need an objective person to listen with a compassionate ear and without judgment to help us sort things out. This is the essence of psychotherapy. The therapist doesn’t provide easy answers or say what choices the client should make. Rather, therapy is about helping clients find a true sense of Self from which their choices can be made, in accord with their own values, passions, sense of purpose, and guidance from their spiritual and cultural mentors.
Most people need to accept themselves as they are far more than they need to change. Self-acceptance comes first; change follows.
Why the name True North?
Both literally and metaphorically, true north refers to direction in the context of a journey. In the literal sense, being able to determine true north is essential to sea travel, where a ship can easily be thrown off course. Before computers, the standard navigational tool was the magnetic compass. Because of local magnetic anomalies that were not constant, true north could rarely be determined with absolute certainty using only a compass. To navigate accurately, it was necessary to know the local magnetic influence and how it had varied over time. Adjustments had to be made based on this knowledge, skill, and experience to determine true north and one’s direction in relation to it.
Metaphorically, of course, one’s true north means a sense of direction in life. This can be similarly difficult to determine due to environmental forces and changes over time, and we can be thrown off course. We must develop the self-knowledge and skills needed to navigate through life in a positive way. Most modern maps show north at the top and south at the bottom. If something is said to have “gone south” it has moved downward, or deteriorated. Heading north, on the other hand, connotes upward, or positive movement.
True north is a direction, not a destination. To seek true north means being true to your own principles and values and rediscovering your true essence—the person you were always intended to be—so you can move toward your most authentic and fulfilling life.