Ms Karin McLennan

A conversation with Karin McLennan

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  As a former United Nations staff member working in international humanitarian operations for around 20 years, I spent many years living and working in areas of protracted conflict, or responding to natural calamities, and was witness to a world becoming increasingly traumatised. It wasn't until I experienced my own trauma through accidents in Syria and Nigeria that I started to understand first-hand what acute stress disorder PTSD was all about. I had no clue how to heal myself, despite knocking on every door that I could find for support. My life started to unravel in 2018 as my own mental health needs started to escalate.
  
  Only then began the real journey of healing as I could no longer avoid my own mental health crisis, and I was forced to walk the long road of healing. Yet I walked alone, and the path was difficult. I made a promise to myself that I would be there for others who were on the same journey, I would provide the support I needed, as nobody needs to walk this path alone. We all need support.
  
  So if you are experiencing a crisis, high anxiety levels, stress at home or in your workplace, a relationship break-up, or you are going through emotional pain which you feel stuck in, or even trauma, then it may be time to seek professional help.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  As a practicing Buddhist and Yoga Practitioner for over 25 years, I have learnt techniques to observe and calm the mind and/or sympathetic nervous system. Its during those moments of pain and suffering where the work needs to be done, so that outdated thought, belief systems and behaviour patterns can be 're-programmed' with healthier ways of being.
  
  I'm a great believer in giving a person the right tools so that they can heal their life. This is an empowering way to support a person to move through their issues, for I cannot do the work for another, you are the only person who can heal your life. I can walk with you, assist you, provide guidance and tools, but ultimately, you hold all of the cards for your personal development and growth.
  
  You can find your way to radiant health. Don't give up my friend.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  Having experienced the aftermath of traumatic accidents and the impact on my body, mind and soul, I have an experiential understanding of the pathway to healing self, and the challenges along the way. As a consequence, I am particularly interested in assisting people who have experienced trauma, alongside those suffering from stress, anxiety and depression - and the side effects of negative coping mechanisms.

• What methods do you use?

  I was trained in trauma-informed processwork, a humanistic transdisciplinary approach for developing awareness and change in a person's life that draws from Jungian and Gestalt psychologies, Taoist philosophy, shamanism, indigenous knowledge, sociology and quantum physics.
  
  One of the principles of processwork is that whatever is happening in a given moment, however disturbing it may seem, contains a seed for a useful and meaningful process. Once unfolded can reveal its message. If each problem contains its solution, then experiences that trouble us are not disruptive, rather, they offer an opportunity for personal growth and change.
  
  Processwork uses a range of creative techniques such as drawing, role play, dream analysis, using symbols and working with nature to enable a person to access the deeper subconscious aspect of the mind, where past wounding can be addressed.
  
  A useful analogy is to think of a forest that you circle. You keep walking around it until you find an opening to explore. Comparatively, cognitive based approaches would charge straight into the middle of the forest.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  Healing takes time, and depending on the issues you face, you may notice immediate changes, or you may notice change slowly creeping into your life. What's most important is a constant commitment to doing the work and building self-awareness to the inner workings of your mind, especially when you are activated, so that you can being to make those necessary changes. Its important to be patient and loving towards yourself on your healing journey.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  I regularly use the tools that I share with clients in my own inner world, especially when triggered or if I am feeling off-centered. They are incredibly powerful in assisting to access the deeper subconscious mind, which records all experiences, yet many of these memories cannot be accessed using the conscious mind. Once accessed, these can be acknowledged and with work, transformed into healthier thoughts, belief systems and behaviour patterns - as the past unwittingly influences the present until it is healed. Furthermore, the techniques provide a life raft when triggered - whether it be through distraction techniques [so you don't get stuck in the pain], or if you are in it and you can't get out, they enable a person to release the pain as this needs to move out of your field, so that higher frequencies [of thoughts and emotions] can take their place. This is the alchemy of psychotherapy, where we transform our pain into higher states of mind.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  It is an absolute privilege to support people through their healing journeys, through the provision of tools and techniques that can be utilised to bring change into one's life. The approach helps you to understand why you feel, think and act in ways which are distressing and affect your life, and to work towards changing these. This can be challenging but it means you play an important part in your own therapy, and this in itself is empowering.
  
  Psychotherapy provides the unique experience of being fully listened to and understood by another in a way that leads to greater sense of self-awareness and acceptance. Together, in an atmosphere of compassion and warmth, a safe environment is created, so you can share your what's on your mind, look at the challenges in your life, find new ways to make sense of difficult or traumatising situations, and become empowered to move forward with confidence.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Absolutely, as issues continue to arise in my life that need to be healed.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  We have forgotten what love is. In truth, love is the most powerful force in the universe, and if we were to collectively harness love together we could transform our world. If every individual on the planet was to heal their pain and bring in higher frequencies of love, joy and happiness, then we would transform our word and heal our planet - it's a whole new paradigm, based on forgiveness and love for all.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  The teachings of the great divine, are here for all to access on our planet, with information never before shared with humanity - about this moment in time, who we are, where we came from, what's going on in the greater universes, and what the ascension process is all about. The divine channel, Suzanna Maria Emmanuel, is bringing through this body of teachings, and this has profoundly influenced me and enabled me to fast-track healing in my life. I use many of the techniques with clients, and all who come to see me benefit from high energetic frequencies, that I work with, in every session.