Creativity has always been an important part of my life. As a child I dreamt of becoming an author; I created make-believe worlds with characters and story arcs as I played in my parents’ back yard. In high school and university I dabbled in acting and poetry writing, and eventually earned my degree in English and French Canadian literature. During my university years, I briefly co-hosted a literary podcast on a community radio station and interviewed writers and poets around town. After university, I went on to a one-year diploma program in screenwriting and had hopes of becoming a documentary filmmaker.
Even in childhood though, my imagination tended toward the dark. My imaginary characters died horrible deaths, or came face to face with a foe they could not conquer. I had a creative talent for making myself depressed through play. I also had a tendency to start a creative practice, then I would get derailed somewhere along the way. For example, while I had a good time at film school, the moment the program ended I fell flat on my face. I sought out careers in the entertainment industry for a while but struggled to get a foot in the door. The instability of a creative life was the last thing I felt I could afford. I settled into a 9-5 corporate job instead that came with a steady income and health benefits. I resigned myself to a life of practical responsibilities. Creativity, I told myself, was for kids.
Fast forward 20 years and I am in a very different place. I eventually left behind that corporate job, went back to school to study social work, and now do work that satisfies my need for purpose and direction, while it also feeds my creative soul. I love the work that I do as a therapist — creativity and therapy are not so far removed from one another as one might think. While therapy is built on some scientific principles, it is as much an art as it is a science. Therapy, like art - and music specifically - involves rhythm, resonance, and repetition. Therapy involves storytelling, metaphor and follows heroes’ journeys from desolation to rebirth. I love that I get to help people write new chapters to their book of life.
I encountered Stephen Gilligan’s work by chance as I was roaming the internet seeking psychotherapy resources. I watched his videos on Youtube, ordered a number of his books, including Courage to Love and Therapeutic Trances. Then, in 2022, I signed up for modules of his Creative Mind training. I started trying out some of his exercises on myself and my wife. Athena liked it so much, she started incorporating parts of it into her own work with her creativity clients.
Stephen Gilligan is a Stanford-trained psychologist/researcher who studied with the late Milton Erickson, a legend within the field of hypnosis and psychotherapy. Gilligan, in his own right, is a master hypnotist, teacher, coach, and therapist. For the last 50 years he has helped people inside and outside of clinical settings tap into their creative centres. He teaches that true generative change can only occur when we connect with all three levels of consciousness: the somatic mind (i.e. the body), the verbal (cognitive) mind, and the relational mind (i.e. our connection to the world around us). In collaboration with others across the globe, he has mapped out strategies for helping creatives integrate all three levels of consciousness into what he calls integral mind. In the process he has created a community of artists, musicians, coaches, therapists and other creatives intent on restoring - and re-storying - the brokenness of the world.
I knew that Gilligan was someone that I wanted to train with eventually. This year, I decided to take the leap and signed up for an 18-day training that spans multiple months and includes a practice component. The training kicked off on February 17th and already I find myself feeling excited about the possibilities for the coming year. I am not quite clear yet where my desire to creatively express myself will lead. But I am learning to trust the process and reframe obstacles as potential resources.
Stay tuned.
A short video where Dr Stephen Gilligan explains the difference between generative psychotherapy, regular psychotherapy, and coaching.
Stefan is Tilted Windmills’ clinical counsellor and a self-described wounded healer. If you’re seeking support, consider booking a free 30-minute consultation.