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NYC Psychotherapist Blog

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Sunday, April 5, 2015

Psychotherapy Blog: Reconnecting With Your Inner World Without Distractions

Several years ago, a friend told me about her experiences in a week long meditation retreat that she participated in as a way to reconnect with her body, mind and spirit following a difficult time in her life.

Reconnecting With Your Inner World Without Distractions

Although it was difficult to feel some of the feelings, by reconnecting with her inner world without distractions, her overall experience was that she rediscovered an internal source of peace, wisdom and strength that she had not experienced in many years.

Since ancient times, retreats have offered a way to get away from the responsibilities and distractions of every day life in order to heal mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Whether you go away to a retreat or you create a retreat experience for yourself through time alone in meditation, prayer or ritual, you can experience the benefits of reconnecting with your inner world (see my article:  Learning to Relax: Going on an Internal Retreat).

A World of Constant Distractions and Stress
I'm concerned that we have so many distractions, including cellphones, iPads, and video games, that many people have become disconnected from their own internal experience.

A World of Constant Distractions and Stress

Worse still, for people who became adults in this era of constant distractions, the idea of being awake without some form of distraction is foreign to them.  Not only are many of them uncomfortable with the experience of connecting to their inner world, but many of them seek to avoid it.

After a while, only relating to external stimuli can leave you feeling inauthentic, like an empty shell.

To  avoid feelings of emptiness, some people look for even stronger external stimuli to distract themselves.

The external stimuli could include alcohol abuse, drug abuse, compulsive gambling, sexual addiction, sexual affairs, spending too much time on the computer or watching TV and other compulsive habits (see my article:  Changing Coping Strategies That No Longer Work For You: Avoidance).

Taking Time For Yourself
If a retreat of week or even a few days feels like too much for you, you can start by taking just a few minutes each day to be silent without distractions.

Reconnecting With Your Inner World Without Distractions

Even if you spend just a few minutes in the morning by yourself in silence, after a while, you will probably discover that it can be the most precious few minutes of your day (see my article:  Stress Management: Finding a Moment of Peace and Relaxation)

Other Ways to Reconnect With Your Inner World
  • Spending time in nature
  • Going for a walk
  • Swimming
  • Writing in a journal
  • Creative writing
  • Drawing
  • Writing poetry
  • Meditating
  • Praying
  • Practicing yoga
  • Reading an inspiring story, a memoir or poetry
  • Listening to music
  • Stargazing
  • Whatever feels inspiring and meaningful to you
A Transitional Time:  Taking Time to Quiet Your Mind Before Your Therapy Session
My reception area has a sign that asks people to be respectful of the people around them and the space by not talking on their cellphones.

Reconnecting With Your Inner World Without Distractions:  Transitional Time

One of the reasons for this request is to help clients to be aware that they're in a transitional time before  their therapy session.  They've just come from the outside world with whatever was going on for them.  But now they have a chance to begin to quiet their minds before they come into the therapy session.

Reconnecting With Your Inner World Without Distractions in Therapy

For many people, their weekly therapy session might be the only time during the week when they reconnect and reflect on themselves in a meaningful way (see my article:  The Benefits of Therapy).

Getting Help in Therapy
For people who have been disconnected from themselves for a while, attempts to reconnect with their inner world can feel too difficult to do by themselves.

If you feel like your attempts haven't worked for you, rather than struggling alone, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who can help you to recapture your sense of self and feel more authentic.

By getting help in therapy, you could start leading a more authentic and fulfilling life.

About Me
I am a NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who works with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website:  Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.