The Lighthouse Journal

What Drew You to Psychiatry?

I've always been interested in the human brain and behavior. I've often found myself wondering why people do what they do and think what they think. It's striking how many individuals can move through the same world with entirely different belief systems, goals, and ways of relating. What drew me in most was understanding how these differences take shape: how early relationships, family culture, and upbringing interact with broader social conditions, environment, and life experiences over time. Developmental influences, formative experiences, and even cultural and generational context all play a role in shaping how a person sees the world, what they believe, and how they respond to it.

I've been interested in how resilience forms: why some individuals are able to adapt and grow through adversity while others struggle under similar conditions. Alongside this, I've been equally fascinated by the biological foundations of the brain. This includes how genetics and neurobiology influence mood, perception, and behavior, and how individual variations can contribute to both vulnerability and strength, including the development of mental health conditions.

I've also been drawn to the process of change itself — what motivates it, what sustains it, and how it unfolds over time. The ways in which our environment shapes neural pathways, influences the nervous system, and interacts with our biology can create real challenges that impact mental health, but they also open the door to meaningful change.

This led me to want a deeper understanding of the biological underpinnings of mental health, and how medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle factors can work together to support symptom relief and lasting improvement. I chose to pursue medical school and specialize in psychiatry with this in mind. Over time, I came to see psychiatry as more than a medical specialty. The brain is central to everything we do, including how we think, feel, relate, and function in daily life. When it's not working as it should, it can affect every domain of living. And when people don't feel well, it becomes difficult to live fully. The brain is the most powerful instrument we have.

How Has Your Understanding of Mental Health Evolved?

The longer I've worked in this field, the more I've come to understand how many different factors shape mental health and how important it is to look at the whole picture. If we focus only on brain chemistry, we miss a significant part of what's really driving someone's experience.

Medications can be very helpful, but treatment tends to work best when we also consider the broader context of a person's life. This includes not only the brain, but the body as a whole. It is important to explore things like sleep and circadian rhythm, stress and the nervous system, inflammation, metabolism, and environmental influences, as well as a person's history, relationships, beliefs, and patterns of thinking and behavior.

Common psychiatric medications may help to address certain areas of brain dysfunction. But when combined with strategies and methods to address these other areas as well, the whole individual has a greater chance for success.

Medication can be very effective for some people when it is a good fit and well tolerated. At the same time, people's experiences vary. Some notice unwanted side effects or a sense of emotional dulling. Others find that medication helps partially but does not fully address what they are going through. Some try multiple medications without getting the level of relief they are hoping for.

In many cases, when medication is reduced or stopped, symptoms can return, especially if underlying patterns, stressors, or contributing factors have not been addressed. This is why it is important to look more broadly at what may be influencing someone's mental health and to build a treatment approach that reflects the full picture.

As time has gone on, my perspective has broadened to include the many aspects of daily life that shape mental health. This includes how you spend your time, where you spend it, and who you spend it with. It includes sleep, nutrition, movement, and the rhythms of your day, including when you wake, when you eat, and how consistent those patterns are. These factors may seem simple, but they have a powerful impact on how the brain and body function, especially when practiced consistently over time.

It also includes your relationships, your social experiences, and whether there is space in your life for enjoyment, creativity, and rest. What you look forward to matters. So do your goals, your sense of direction, and how you experience meaning in your life.

Over time, life experiences shape how you see the world. They influence your beliefs about yourself, other people, and what is possible for you. Certain patterns may repeat, often outside of awareness, and can quietly guide how you think, feel, and respond.

Habits and routines also play a central role. The ways you live day to day tend to reinforce themselves, making patterns easier to continue and harder to change without intentional effort.

And underlying all of this is development — how you were raised, the environments you were exposed to, and the messages you received early on. These experiences help form the foundation for how you interpret and engage with the world. Much of this operates beneath conscious awareness, but it has a meaningful influence on how the brain functions and how symptoms develop or persist.

What Does Healing Mean to You?

Healing is a process of developing insight and greater awareness of yourself and using that awareness to create meaningful change over time. It does not mean becoming a different person overnight. It means building forward momentum to begin understanding who you are, how you got here, and how to move through challenges in a more intentional way.

Part of healing involves facing and making sense of past pain, stress, or suffering. Symptoms often carry information. As you begin to understand what they are pointing to, you can start to respond differently and make changes that lead to relief and growth.

Over time, this creates a shift. When similar situations arise in the future, there is often more clarity, more flexibility, and a greater ability to move through them without becoming stuck in the same patterns.

Healing is not linear. There are periods of progress, followed at times by setbacks or revisiting familiar challenges. This is a natural part of the process, not a failure of it. What many people call a failure is actually a learning opportunity that allows for further growth, development, and refinement.

For many people, medication may play an important role in the process of healing. It can reduce the intensity of symptoms and create the space needed to begin this deeper work. For others, different approaches may be more central. The path is individualized and shaped around each person's needs.

What Happens in Your Sessions That's Different?

In our work together, we take the time to look at the full picture of what's contributing to how you're feeling and functioning. We address symptoms directly while also looking at what may be underlying them. I consider biological factors alongside psychological, developmental, social, and lifestyle influences. We look at patterns that may have developed over time and how they continue to shape your day-to-day experience.

We also explore the beliefs you hold about yourself, other people, and the world: how those beliefs formed, and how they influence your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Part of the process involves understanding where your needs may not have been met in the past, as well as aspects of yourself that may have been pushed aside or difficult to acknowledge.

The goal is to bring greater awareness to these experiences and help you move toward a more integrated, grounded sense of self. We explore areas like belonging, safety, and stability; your emotions, creativity, and desires; your capacity for confidence, connection, and relationships; as well as how you express yourself, communicate, and interpret the world around you. We also look at your perspective, sense of purpose, and long-term direction.

At the core, I emphasize developing a deeper understanding of your life experiences, patterns, and beliefs. When you come to understand your past — both what happened and the role it has played in shaping you — you begin to recognize what it has taught you and are freed to choose your present and shape your future. This allows for meaningful change, so you're not continuing to live the same patterns on repeat.

Because our sessions allow for more time, we're able to explore these areas in a thoughtful and meaningful way. When helpful, we may also use structured tools or exercises to support insight, growth, and lasting change.

What Is Your Approach to Medication?

I view medication as an important and often valuable part of treatment. For many people, it plays a key role in reducing symptoms and creating stability. Over time, some individuals may be able to reduce or discontinue medication as they engage more deeply in therapeutic work.

For others, medication remains an important long-term component of care, helping them to maintain progress and continue moving forward. The approach is always individualized. I also follow appropriate medical guidelines, including lab monitoring when needed, to support both mental and physical health.

A central part of my work is taking the time to truly understand each person's experience — what is happening in their life, what may be contributing to their symptoms, and how these factors interact. This depth of understanding, combined with extended session time, allows for more thoughtful and precise treatment decisions, including diagnostic clarity, whether medication is appropriate, and which options are most likely to be effective.

Because our sessions allow for greater depth, we can integrate medication management with psychotherapy. This helps ensure that treatment is not only focused on symptom relief, but also on understanding and addressing underlying beliefs and repeating patterns.

What Does It Mean to Develop a More Complete Understanding of Yourself?

Developing a more complete understanding of yourself means beginning to see yourself more clearly and not just through the roles you play or the situations you're in, but at a deeper level. You start to understand what has shaped you, how you've come to think and feel the way you do, and why you respond to the world in the ways that you do.

As that understanding grows, you may start to notice that you're less defined by what's happening around you. You feel less pulled by other people's actions or even by your own immediate emotional reactions. You begin to see what triggers these reactions and where they come from, which changes your relationship to them.

Instead of reacting automatically, you begin to create space. Space to pause. Space to observe. Space to choose.

You start to recognize patterns that may have been with you for a long time: ways of thinking, feeling, or relating that once made sense, but may no longer serve you. You begin to see the beliefs that were shaped earlier in life, sometimes quietly, sometimes powerfully, and you can begin to question whether they still belong to you or if they ever did.

As this happens, you begin to feel different and realize that much of what you've been carrying your whole life, and even who you thought you were, was never truly you to begin with. This creates a sense of freedom and allows for greater clarity and more intentional decision-making in how you move forward.

Because when you can see yourself more clearly, you're no longer living on autopilot — you're able to make your own choices and live your life with greater intention. Awareness creates the possibility for change. Without it, patterns tend to continue and go unnoticed and unchanged.

What Is the Mirror, the Inner Child, and the Shadow?

There are a few concepts I often use to help people better understand themselves: the mirror, the inner child, and the shadow.

The mirror refers to how your external experience can reflect your internal state. In many cases, what you notice or react to in the world around you can provide insight into how you are feeling within. The way you think, feel, and what you expect shapes how you interpret situations, so your reactions to the world can offer insight into what's happening within you.

The inner child refers to the parts of you that carry earlier emotional experiences, especially from childhood. These can include unmet needs, past hurts, and patterns that developed in response to those experiences. Even in adulthood, these patterns can continue to influence how you relate to others, how you respond to stress, and what you may be sensitive to.

The shadow refers to aspects of yourself that have been pushed out of awareness, often because they felt unacceptable, unsafe, inconsistent with how you see yourself, or associated with shame. These can include feelings, thoughts, impulses, or traits that were discouraged or suppressed. They tend to operate outside of awareness and shape thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, sometimes showing up as strong reactions, recurring conflicts, or patterns that are difficult to change.

Part of the work is bringing awareness to these different aspects of yourself so that you can better understand your patterns, respond with greater intention, and move toward a more integrated and grounded way of living.

Is Understanding Yourself Enough?

Understanding yourself is an important part of change, but on its own, it is often not enough to create lasting progress. Insight helps you begin to see why things are the way they are, including how patterns developed and what may be contributing to your current experience.

But meaningful change also requires action. The world we live in is a world of action. This means translating awareness into intentional steps forward. It involves identifying goals, working through patterns, and gradually making changes in how you think, respond, and engage with your life.

Our work is not only about understanding how you came to be where you are. It is also about helping you move toward where you want to go. Over time, this process allows you to revisit earlier experiences with greater clarity, respond differently in the present, and build a future that feels more aligned with who you are.

What Is the Difference Between Feeling Better and Getting Better?

Feeling better and getting better are not always the same thing. There are times when symptoms improve or become more manageable, and that can be an important part of progress.

But lasting change often involves how you understand your experiences and how you respond to them over time. Getting better includes developing the ability to navigate life with greater perspective and flexibility.

It involves recognizing that not every moment will feel good and learning how to move through challenges without becoming overwhelmed or stuck. As your perspective shifts, situations that once felt destabilizing may begin to feel more manageable or meaningful.

Over time, this can lead to a greater sense of steadiness, even during periods of stress or uncertainty. Growth often occurs through difficulty, and lasting change occurs by learning how to respond to difficulty.

How Do You Create Safety and Belonging?

Through both my personal experiences and my work in this field, I have developed a deep capacity to listen with care and attention. I approach each person with openness, respect, and nonjudgment.

I understand that people make decisions based on what feels possible or necessary at the time, and those experiences deserve to be met with understanding and compassion. My goal is to create a space that feels safe, steady, and supportive, where you can speak openly and explore your experiences without the fear of being judged.

What If Someone Is Hesitant to Seek Help?

If you are hesitant, you are not alone. Starting this process can feel difficult, especially when it involves talking about personal experiences, thoughts, or emotions. It is completely understandable to feel unsure.

I meet you where you are, and we move at a pace that feels manageable. This is a collaborative process, and you are not expected to have everything figured out.

You do not have to go through it on your own. I will be there with you.