Heidi Stahl, M.A.
Psychotherapist & Writing Coach

Support for People Affected by Life-Threatening Illness

Psychotherapist

As a trained psychotherapist and survivor of Stage 3 breast

cancer, my mission is to support others who are dealing with the effects of cancer and other traumatic illnesses.

"Serious illness is often a dark night of the soul. As such, it requires soul doctors as well as body experts...During illness, the soul comes out of hiding and shows itself in fresh realizations and new priorities." -- Thomas Moore

I believe that illness, like all life-changing events, offers us an opportunity for greater self-knowledge and greater self-love.

During times of illness, we instinctively search for meaning. "Why has this happened to me?" In our need for answers, we sometimes wrongly blame ourselves. It takes care, kindness, creativity, and imagination to find the answers that express our true complexity and beauty.

When we have the support to sit with the difficult emotions that life-threatening illness evokes, we can transform fear, vulnerability, and confusion into stepping stones toward a deeper, richer life. A life of greater wholeness. Which is what true healing is all about.

I draw from several different approaches in my work: self-relations psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction among them. Although I work with clients who have faced or are facing serious issues (mortality, loss, grief), I bring loving humor to our conversations. Most importantly, I hold my clients with compassion and warmth. I am honored and privileged to be included in their journeys.

Writing Coach

I have helped many graduate students and published authors overcome writing blocks of all sizes. I have a knack for finding the places where the writing goes flat and the writer goes unconscious -- usually out of fear. I find the places where the writing, the thinking, and the feeling can go deeper and become more compelling. In the process, I help the writer find her/his voice and authority. In coaching conversations and in my written responses to writing, I bring fun back to the writing and learning process.

I take great joy in this work, because I know first hand what it feels like to be blocked...and how joyful it feels to get un-blocked.

I open up to the hard stuff that isn't usually given time or space -- the vulnerable places in our hearts. I see my clients as competent and resilient, even in the face of life-threatening illness. I see illness as another aspect of life, not something to turn away from, but a landscape to be explored with curiosity and mindfulness. I see vulnerability as an opening -- the chance to move more deeply into the here and now of life.

Stories about life after cancer treatment. I'm writing a book about soul and spirit healing after the doctors do their part. What did you do to heal your heart and soul after the trauma of a cancer diagnosis? If you or someone you know would like to share your experience with me, send me an e-mail with a good time and way to reach you and we'll schedule an hour to talk. Please share this invitation with members of your circle.

Master's in Counseling from Bastyr University's Leadership Institute of Seattle.

Year-long internship at Seattle Mental Health.

Cancer treatment for aggressive stage 3 breast cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy, physical therapy. Navigation of multiple medical systems. No degree, but certainly an education.

In addition to my formal training as a therapist and my veteran status of more than one oncology ward, I bring to my work the following:

My spiritual beliefs, including a fierce passion for making room for the soul's wildness in the world;

My experience as a writer, especially my experience of writing as a vehicle for healing and greater self-awareness, community and relationship building, and a means of cultivating compassion for self and others;

My experience as an athlete and a student of yoga, both of which ground me in the body and give me a deep reverence for the body's wisdom;

My experience in the corporate world, which gives me an appreciation for professionalism as well as the way in which capitalism usually puts matters of spirit and soul in the back seat;

Lastly, to this work I also bring my humor, my basic fondness for human beings, my curiosity about the human psyche, unrelenting hope, and my love for facilitating positive change.