Coaching, therapy and the Time Lord

When I started on my own coaching and therapy journey I was very confused about everything. It was a scary time and not knowing what to expect or what I might find out about myself along the way caused a lot of distress. When my doctors first diagnosed me with having stress, anxiety and depression, I was sent off for CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I did not take to it immediately so was sent to counselling, my counsellor introduced me to hypnotherapy and then to life coaching.

I was very confused to start with, as doctors and friends were throwing around all these words, processes, professionals and approaches and I had no idea what any of it meant or how beneficial anything would be for me. All I knew was that I was in a dark place and I wanted out of it. Then one day when watching the one Doctor I have always believed in... Doctor Who (do not judge me) …. things started to make a bit more sense to me because what I realised is that I am Doctor Who, my therapy process is my TARDIS and the professional I choose to work with is my companion on my journey. I know I sound truly crazy now, but I am not delusional, there is method to my madness, I promise.

Facts - The TARDIS:

1. The TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside: 

This is the same with conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression. Most of us are very good at hiding our deepest feelings, so to the outside world there may be very little to see, but on the inside, there is a galaxy of emotions, confusions and turmoil.

2. The TARDIS can go back in time: 

With therapy, sometimes the only way we can manage the issues that we face today, is by looking to our past through counselling and regression therapies, to identify the origins of those negative feelings, beliefs and patterns.

3. The TARDIS can go forward in time: 

If you don’t know where you are going - how do you know how to get there? Sometimes in our therapy journey, we will need to look forward, we will need to be able to visualise what we want in our future to know what issue we need to focus on in the present, as outlined in a coaching process.

4. The TARDIS can stay in the present: 

Sometimes we just need to realign with the present to create stability for ourselves. The past and future may be irrelevant to our current problems - we may just want to deal with current issues only and look at practical ways to improve our mental wellness daily, through approaches such as CBT and Mindfulness.  
 
Facts - Doctor Who companions:

1. The Upgrade:

A majority of the time the Doctors companions live in the present and change each time the Doctor generates (gets a new face). As we move through our own journey we may find that we need to change the professional we use at each stage of the process.

2. Saving the world:

They also work hard with the Doctor to solve all problems and ‘save the world’, as do the professionals we choose to work with, they help us to identify and solve the problems that threaten our own personal world.

3. Saving the Doctor: 

Doctor Who has a dark and dangerous side, which can lead to upsetting and hurting others around them. The companions role is to accept that side of the Doctor but reduce those occasions as much as possible. The professionals we choose to work with should support us in identifying where our dark side lives and help us to accept it and manage it, as well as manage any damage control and the develop the ability to come back from it safely.
 
Doctor Who:

1. The Doctor manages the TARDIS: 

The time travelling Time Lord, travelling into the past and to the future, solving problems and saving worlds. We are our own Doctor, we have the power to travel into our own past, into our own future or remain in our present to resolve the problems of our world.

2. The Doctor has all the answers: 

The Doctor is the most intelligent species in the galaxy. No matter what problem arises the Doctor always has the answers, even if sometimes they are aided by a friend or a companion. In our own worlds, we have all the answers to our own problems deep inside of us. We are masters of our own universe, sometimes we just need to be supported in finding them.
 
So, in a nutshell:

We are all Doctor Who, our journey is our own adventure, our therapists and coaches are the companions we invite along for the ride. Our TARDIS is the vessel, or approach we choose to use to travel through our own timeline. It allows us to manage and overcome problems that we experience in our past, present and future, and no matter what is thrown at us we have all the answers deep within us, but sometimes we need a little support to find them. We may have a dark side and that is OK as we have the support and the tools to get out of it and limit the damage it can cause to us and to others and overall, we are loved by people throughout our personal world and that’s why we keep going. 
 
In my own personal life, I am happy to play the role of Doctor Who, in my professional life I play the companion to other Doctor Who’s, and in both lives I get to hang out in a TARDIS and time travel. All my childhood dreams have been met. Who would have thought my stress, anxiety and depression would be what would make them come true? Proof that there can be a positive in every negative challenge we face in life.