TRUST is the ability to feel comfortable in the presence of another. Oftentimes, the ability to trust has been wounded through experiences in life. Some of these experiences become so entrenched that it becomes difficult to trust anyone completely again. RESILIENCY provides the individual the courage to explore these experiences to help them fully understand where the distrust is coming from. Resiliency facilitates the individual to replace the distrust with trust, while at the same time maintaining some of the distrust as necessary to provide safety for the individual. SAFETY in the therapeutic environment provides the individual with the comfort zone necessary for them to be able to explore and communicate the issues that are the basis of their stress, anger, anxiety and/or depression. Depression is anger turned inward and often on an unconscious level and once this anger is able to be brought to the surface; explored, and communicated, the depression subsides. Anxiety, in particular, performance anxiety is most often based in early and later childhood when a person of authority is judging an individual unfairly. EMPATHY is the ability of the therapist to fully understand what the client is feeling as the client explores areas that are very sensitive to them. When the client experiences empathy, they feel understood, more relaxed, and able to continue to explore their issues more deeply. It is important for a safe and empathic environment be provided to a client to enable them to explore, at their own pace, emotions that have not been able to be expressed before. This can be an upsetting feeling in the beginning, but if the therapist provides safety, empathy, and trust, the client begins to feel more relaxed and able to continue the explorations and discoveries. homepage | aspects leading to awareness elements of the process | directions