Untamed Journey Insights

More and more, I’m hearing from patients, "I asked ChatGPT..." followed by an apology or “I know I’m not supposed to do that.” I’ve also come across memes and videos that are pretty funny but carry a message  that AI is somehow a threat to therapists' jobs or undermining the work we’re doing with our patients. It seems to be a thing, so let’s talk about whether AI is helping or hurting the therapy world. As I write this on my 48th birthday, I can't help but reflect on the value of maturity and growth. Each decade of life brings its own set of gifts, and I can look back and  pinpoint specific moments when technology shifted in big ways, and society stood at the crossroads of fascination and fear of change. Because, as we all know, change isn’t something humans generally welcome. I remember when Google and internet searches first became popular. People would casually search random things just for fun. Now, it’s a tool we don’t even think twice about—kind of like not app...

Have you ever wondered, “What does the best version of myself even look like?” or “How can I tell if I’m growing, healing, or changing for the better?” If so, you’re not the only one. These are some of the most common questions I hear from clients of all ages and backgrounds. I still remember the first time a patient asked me this question.  I was a baby social worker, interning at a treatment center.   I didn’t know quite how to answer. I have to say, its a damn good question! It's one I’ve spent a lot of time exploring—both professionally and personally. So let’s talk about what it means to become you, and how we define the “best version” of ourselves. To truly know who you are, you often have to first uncover who you are not. There is a question that is deeply rooted in spiritual and philosophical traditions.  “Who am I?”  In Hindu philosophy. It was most famously explored by Ramana Maharshi, a 20th-century Indian sage who taught that self-inquiry leads to t...

T he Slow Burn It probably didn’t happen all at once. At first, it was just a little harder to wake up in the morning. Then you started dreading the day ahead. The things that once felt exciting, faded into the dismal gray of daily life. Nothing felt worth looking forward to anymore. And then it progressed. Your days off stopped feeling restorative—either because you spent the entire time anxiously anticipating the week ahead, or because you had to summon what little energy you could scrounge up, just to meet the constant demands of your family Burnout is much more than simply feeling “tired.” It’s a complex, layered experience that often creeps in quietly—but it can also crash into your life during seasons of overwhelming stress, when multiple challenges collide all at once. For many people, especially those who tend to put others’ needs first—whether in caregiving roles, workplaces, or within their families—burnout hides behind the instinct to keep pushing, to keep showing up, no ma...