What is Psychotherapy?

The word psyche comes from greek and latin meaning variations on soul.  It can be understood as meaning; the breath of life, invisible animating entity, the driving force within us of thought emotion and behavior. The greek psukhe means life breath or spirit. The english word therapy comes from the latin therapīa, to heal or cure. And patient has been translated from latin as, one who suffers.

Psyche-therapīa is a breath of life, healing of the animating force within the one who suffers.

In our modern era this healing takes place often via mental health psychiatry and other psychological (the study of the psyche) methods. These are important avenues of healing and care. At Evergarden we are clinically trained in the most to date clinical (mental health and psychological) theories and affirm the evidence based validity of these theories and practices.

We also know that in modernity our healing institutions seem to have suffered a loss of soul. The systems we previously depended on to support the whole psyche have been impacted. As humans we evolved to heal in a multiplicity of ways. We need community and communal practices. We need rhythm, ritual and ceremony. We need the medicine that previously belonged to the village healers. We need song and dance, movement, expression, creative arts, story telling and making, play.

The psyche-therapy you will receive at Evergarden is an integrated evidence based weaving together of these rich traditions to offer a soul-full whole response to your human experience and the suffering you may be experiencing.

Interestingly, psyche also means butterfly, and we hope that your experience with our psychotherapy will be like the transformational process we see in the life of our butterfly friends.