As human beings, there are certain experiences that we all must contend with. There is simply no escaping the fact that we will all experience relationships with other humans, some of which may feel nurturing and supportive, and others that may not. We will all have emotions, thoughts, feelings and body sensations that will lend themselves to both pleasurable and painful encounters. We will all have dreams and desires about the elements that we’d like our lives to consist of and people or situations that we have an aversion toward, or things that we fear. This is the human condition. 

As an Asheville Therapist – Whole Self Therapy offers counseling for individuals as they navigate their way through this complex experience of being human is my passion and inspiration. It is my aim to both support and gently challenge any ways of being that are no longer serving you while exploring your life situation or transition. By taking advantage of our personal and professional relationship that develops in therapy, I feel that you will be better able to make the changes that you want to make in your life.  

These Are Sacred Conversations…

I believe that the therapeutic relationship has the capacity to heal old wounds and create new ways of being in the world. My clinical style is warm, engaging, intuitive, and depth-oriented. I want us to get to the roots of whatever is holding you back, keeping you stuck or blocking your path toward progress. Let’s go beyond brain-hacks and positive thinking. Let’s navigate the terrain of your wise and mysterious unconscious mind and explore your soul’s journey. Let’s go deeper.

Relationships Are Hard!

I specialize in assisting individuals with relationship struggles. This may be a relationship with another person or several people, or your most important relationship: the one that you have with your Self. Connection to others is vital to our understanding of the world around us, and is a key factor in how we make meaning out of our experience. When the challenges of staying open and vulnerable in relationship seem to outweigh the benefit of feeling connected, exploring what is arising for you with a trained professional can help to clarify what is happening, and what you may be needing.

Getting to the Core Issues

We have all experienced trauma and pain of some sort during the course of our lives. When these experiences happen, they have the power to alter our self-concept or our understanding of how the world works. These new core beliefs can stay with us for a lifetime, unless we take the time and energy to unravel the knots inside and process our experiences and their impact on our psyches. Together, we can look closely at the circumstances in your life that changed you and do the healing work to repair and integrate the parts that can lead to wholeness. 

Let’s Stop the Pattern.

Sometimes we feel compelled to respond to people and situations in old, habituated ways that do not currently serve us. The question of ‘why’ may haunt us as we move through the world: ‘Why am I lashing out? Why am I pushing someone away who I really want to keep close? Why do I keep finding myself in this same situation, which I say I don’t want anymore?’ Through inquiring deeply into your experience together we can discover the roots of your patterns and find new ways for you to understand and relate to your experience.

Holistic Counseling with Asheville Therapist Rachael Chatham: What To Expect

My perspective on healing is that all beings are inherently whole, comprised of many different parts of self, including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual components that are seeking integration. When these different parts come together, we may experience that union as inner-peace, feeling centered, balanced, or as a general sense of well-being. 

In my psychotherapy practice, I use of a variety of treatment modalities in addition to traditional ‘talk therapy’ which may include drawing on the body’s wisdom to aid in the healing process, exploring the issues you are facing creatively through imagery, or cultivating awareness and compassion through mindfulness practices. Our work together may include:

• Buddhist Psychology & Mindfulness Meditation

• Spiritual/Trans-personal Psychology

• Schema Therapy

• Dream Exploration & Jungian Dream-Work

• Guided Imagery & Psychosynthesis

• Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)