When I meet a new patient I am aware that being a person is very hard. We all come into therapy or psychoanalysis come we come because we are in some kind of crisis. Coming to a stranger takes courage, coming into a consulting room or these days to work through telemedicine or on the phone, it takes trust and faith that I will be able to understand and listen to you. That is my first commitment to you as a patient. I will listen the best I know-how through my training, through my skills, and through living life that I will stay out of your way and listen to your story. Part of my mind listens to the present-day crisis. Another part of my mind is also listening to the history of your life as you live in the present the past may, most likely be impinging upon your present. The current situation is informed by your history. There is no getting around that, only through the history of being born into a family, a culture, with particular parents, siblings, and extended family. When we talk to one another there is a kind of groundedness that takes place. Talking is grounding in body, mind and spirit given what you are saying is real to me. The more you talk the more real you will become and together there is a kind of newness that will begin to develop. But all this takes time, not one or two sessions, but over a long period of time of being known by another. In order to feel alive, a person needs to be known by another. Therapy is a good, safe place to begin the process which will extend to the rest of your world.