Striving to become

Easter of course, has long had an association with rebirth. That’s not just because of the Christian tradition of celebrating Christ’s resurrection which is the origin of the holiday in the British calendar, but also in all the imagery that has become associated with it.

Take Easter eggs, for example. With our cynical heads on, they are a huge commercialisation of the season, but the very icon of the egg also represents birth and new life. Even the daffodils that we see everywhere we go, from the public parks and gardens to the florists and supermarket shelves, are a sign that the season of growth has begun.

But what about our growth as people? In the physical sense we stopped growing years ago, but we continue to grow mentally throughout our lives. The founder of the humanistic approach to therapy, Carl Rogers, made a famous and often quoted analogy about growth in people to explain what he called the ‘actualising tendency’ – something which he believed was humans’ desire to reach their full potential.

In his 1980 book A Way of Being he talks about potatoes that he saw struggling to grow in his basement:

“The sprouts were, in their bizarre, futile growth, a sort of desperate expression of the directional tendency I have been describing. They would never become plants, never mature, never fulfil their real potential. But under the most adverse circumstances, they were striving to become.”

Rogers believed that all of us have an inbuilt tendency to ‘strive and become’ no matter how adverse the conditions we are living in might be. He believed that everyone had that potential, and that person-centred therapy could help them to find our own answers.

Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, the loss of a loved one or a sudden change of circumstances, you may feel right now that you too are struggling to grow and reach your potential. That’s where the person-centred talking therapy that I offer can help. I’ll offer you an empathic, non-judgemental and confidential space to share whatever is troubling you, help you to find your own answers, and continue to grow as a person on your journey through life.

To arrange a free, no obligation consultation and find out more about counselling in Chorley, call me on 07941 262711 or email simon@insideandoutside.uk and we can talk a little more about what’s troubling you and the type of counselling I offer.