Isaac Ekblad

Something powerful happens when we begin to come into a more compassionate relationship with the parts of ourselves that trouble us—the parts that are numb, uncomfortable, disconnected, in pain, lost. We tend to not know what to do with those parts of ourselves until our ways of managing life stop working, or life itself feels drained of its color or too painful to keep living as we have been living it. There’s a difference between a life that is performed and one that is lived. The feeling of this tension brings us to the heart of our grief—all the ways we haven’t lived fully, everything that we just don’t yet know how to express—and our hope.

When check engine lights come on while we're driving, so to speak, we can feel the fear of the unknown but also an invitation to look under the hood. Maybe you've been able to maintain a "functioning life" (or even one that looks excellent from the outside) even as you've felt the contrast of not feeling fully yourself. Or perhaps things have already started to break down and you're trapped, scared, and uncertain about how to move forward. Maybe you don't actually have a clear sense of what you're looking for or what's wrong, but there's a curiosity you can't shake. Something within your psyche is knocking on the window, trying to get your attention.

Many of my patients, in the beginning, just want a clear path forward. If only there were a pill or some magic words that could make it all better! Of course we want to be fixed. But the fix must be homegrown and I believe we find it right here—in our dreams, in our lived experience, in the path that brought us to the present moment. As a psychotherapist, I see my role less as a potter shaping clay into a form I already have in mind and more as a gardener tending a tree whose fruit is ripening.

The change we're longing for comes when we start a dialogue with the parts of ourselves that trouble and excite us most. Oftentimes, what troubles us most are the most alive parts of ourselves. What I offer is curiosity and courage: to deeply engage the questions you're wrestling with, and to find and follow that new and alive thing that wants to burst into your life. When the work is going well, our conversation has the pull of a good book—what began as a problem becomes a life that's rooted in what you actually care about.

—

I am rooted in the depth tradition and work psychodynamically with children, teens, and adults. I treat a variety of symptoms and conditions.

I am registered in the State of Washington as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). My credential number is LH61247990. I receive ongoing clinical supervision from Franco Scabbiolo and Sue Carlson.