Influences & Inspirations

My professional experience is only a part of what influences and inspires my work. I draw heavily from my personal experiences - including but not limited to, my experience as an immigrant, as a parent, my own experience in many years of therapy, and my experience as a devoted meditator. I am also heavily influenced by several lines of Psychological thinking, Buddhist Philosophy and practice, art and natural sciences in general. Last, but certainly not least, my clients have had a tremendous influence on my work.

 Personal Experiences

Like anybody else, my early childhood experiences are the foundation to who I have become. Being born and raised in Brazil have shaped me in so many ways, some that even I, am not fully aware of.  Having as a relational template a culture that is very emotive, warm and friendly have certainly affected the way I relate to other people in the world and, and more to the point, to my clients. Like a good Brazilian, relationships is where the meaning of my life lies.                                          Another highly formative experience in my life has been the experience of an immigrant. Having had to start over - in a new language, a new culture and a new way of relating, have humbled me and have taught me the power of culture, of roots, and of family.                                                  However, nothing has been more transformative than becoming a parent. It didn't matter that I was already an early childhood specialist when I became a parent. When you parent, you parent from your gut, and not from your head. It is an ongoing, arduous and humbling process, to put into practice with my own kids what I know as a child therapist. Embracing this process of growing into the parent I aspire to be has transformed me more than anything else in my life.                        Other than parenting, being on the receiving end of psychotherapy and being a disciplined meditator have transformed my life in ways I didn't think possible, and has allowed me to become more and more the person that I want to be.

Psychological Theories

I started my career in psychology being heavily influenced by psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theory. When I started working with young children at the Infant Parent Program, I was introduced to Attachment Theory and I fell in love. It became crystal clear how what happens to us in early childhood powerfully shapes who we become in adulthood. It became obvious to me that it was much more effective to prevent problems at their start than fixing them when they have already taken root later as adults. I realized that I could help parents shape the kind of experiences children have now, changing the projection of their life in a positive way - not to mention contributing toward a better future (I love the saying: “what we to children today they will do onto society later!). Child Development, Interpersonal Neurobiology and Human development are all theories that I draw heavily from. I have attended many conferences, read countless books and debated extensively with my peers these dimensions of the human condition - they have all enriched my life and have tremendously contributed to my growth as a therapist.

Buddhist Philosophy

As I get older and grapple more and more with the questions about what it means to be human and how to create a life that is meaningful and fulfilling I have found that Buddhist teachings have much to offer to me and my clients. Buddhism is a very psychological philosophy and easy to put into use in a psychotherapy practice. Even though Buddhism has taught me so much about how to conduct myself in this world, wouldn't call myself a buddhist per se. I take what I like and leave the rest. In fact, I enjoy just as much when I find teachings in other spiritual traditions and take pleasure in noticing the many similarities between their teachings.

 Cultural diversity inspires my work

Because I was born and raised Brasileira, developing a multicultural perspective in my practice has kept me grounded in my humanist beliefs. Over the years, I have worked with individuals of different ethnicities, creed, age, immigration status, education and socio-economic backgrounds. Noticing similarities when dissonance is expected is as inspiring as acknowledging differences where generalizations abound. I am also always looking for the uniqueness of the person while not losing sight of the larger cultural context.

Art

Any creative manifestation is an attempt of the human mind to communicate impressions, feelings and sensations in a way other than typical language. Art elicits feeling responses in the public. As for the artist, art taps into the right hemisphere, a particular region of the brain responsible for, among other things, storing emotional memories -- “implicit memories.” Artistic expression such as painting, music, sculpture, performance, or poetry gives us access to a rich archive of feelings in a safe and creatively “structured” way that can be especially helpful in the treatment of trauma. 

 Clients

When I first started my career as a therapist I had great intentions but I had not yet understood that my intellectual knowledge and theories would only take me so far. I thought I had (almost) all the answers and solutions for my clients if they only listened to me. Over time, my clients taught me that life is complicated. Humans have complex and sometimes contradictory needs. I learned that what I needed to do was to throw away all of my preconceived ideas of what I thought they needed and just listen to them. Once I started listening, from a deep and accepting place, my clients had their own solutions - usually much better ones than I could have come up with because those were solutions that were coherent with who they were. My clients have taught me what it means to really help, have taught me to meet them where they are at, they have humbled me and showed me that I don’t need to have every answer, I just have to be there for them.