I was thinking about Inge last night. Inge was a woman whom I saw for psychotherapy when I was in graduate school in Carrollton, GA. I saw her almost every week, for just shy of two years, between 2012-2014.
When I think of Inge, a smile breaks out over my face, which is usually a good indicator that someone made a positive difference. (Think about that: Would a smile spontaneously break across the faces of most of the people whom you know?; or, conversely, would a manifestation of disgust or disdain appear?) Inge was a woman who was in touch with something that it has taken me quite a while to learn: the body, much more so than the mind, is the seat of wisdom and of knowing. She taught me this in many and diverse ways, and though it was largely lost on me at the time, it has slowly begun to dawn on me as I have continued on this journey of personal and professional growth.
Inge was a yoga instructor, too, and she was instrumental in introducing me to yoga. (Not that I do it super well or super often; however, I do do it, and often enjoy it quite a lot.) She showed me the ways in which truth is stored, sometimes locked up, inside of our bodies, and how getting in touch with these below-the-verbal-level truths is so crucial in my psychological and spiritual healing process.
Inge was a person who tried to better herself, who tried to constantly expand her knowledge and understanding. I really admire this about her. But what I admire most about her is that she was herself, and she brought herself to her craft, which was (at least with me) psychotherapy. I don’t think of Inge often, but when I do, it is always fondly, always with appreciation.
Perhaps my favorite lesson from Inge was one that she had taken from one of her teachers. I would like to share it here. Descartes’ famous aphorism is: “I think, therefore I am.” Inge questioned this, asking, “Would it not perhaps be more true to say, ‘I think, therefore I am not,’ since when one is in the process of thinking, one is often disconnected from the embodied state of being?” Like her unwavering focus on the body, this seemed rather strange at the time, but it has developed an ever-growing resonance with me over the ensuing years.
Thank you, Inge, for being you, and for being my teacher. I wish you well from the bottom of my heart.
10th Leper Gratitude 