5 Years of CHOICE: A Personal Reflection

On June 9th, 2020, I made the decision to begin my journey as a solo therapist. It was a decision rooted in self-doubt and heavily steeped in imposter syndrome — and yet, beneath all the uncertainty and lack of confidence there was something I could not resist: a deep inner calling. 

I'd decided to call my consultation practice CHOICE — because healing, I believe, begins not with certainty, but with a choice. The decision to do something. A choice to show up. A choice to feel. A choice to begin again, even when you don't feel ready. That was the first step.

It wasn’t a grand launch. It was a beginning seeded in silence.

Just me, my practice, and a sincere hope to hold space for others — and for myself.

Now, five years later, I can say with full conviction:

I made the right CHOICE.

Why CHOICE?

Because healing starts long before change happens.

It begins with a decision — sometimes just a whisper, sometimes an insistent  scream — but always a choice.

I’ve witnessed this in every person who has sat across from me.

They may have come in with confusion, pain, or weariness — but in choosing to reach out, they’ve already taken the first step toward healing.

CHOICE is the opposite of helplessness.

It means:

“I don’t have all the answers, but I will show up for myself anyway.”

And that is enough. That is profound.

Why This Symbol?

In the logo of CHOICE, the heart chakra that sits at the center is not merely decorative but rooted in meaning. I've used  the symbol of the Anahata Chakra in the place of O.

The Anahata chakra, the fourth of the seven, is the bridge between the physical and the spiritual, between survival and surrender.

• The six-pointed star symbolizes the balance between the lower and upper chakras — grounding and growth.

• Its energy is shaped by Rajas (movement) and Sattva (purity) — a harmony I strive for in my own work and presence.

• Its animal is the antelope, a reminder that we are always free — free to feel, to forgive, to move.

• And its colour is green — the colour of healing, hope, and renewal.

• Anahata means “unstruck” — the place in us that remains whole, no matter what life throws our way.

Anahata means “unstruck” — from the Sanskrit an (not) and ahata (struck or hit).

It refers to a sound that is not caused by any external force — a subtle, eternal vibration that exists within each of us.

To me, Anahata represents that inner space that remains untouched, no matter what life has thrown at us. It’s the part that doesn’t get shattered — even when everything seems pointless.

When I began CHOICE, I was anything but sure of myself. I felt stuck — in doubt, in fear, and in the weight of wondering whether I was “good enough.”

But somewhere inside, there seemed to be, a quiet and steady knowing that this was meant to be.

That was my Anahata — the unstruck sound — guiding me even when I didn’t feel ready.

And now, five years later, I realize that this was what I witnessed in others as well.

They may come in feeling overwhelmed, maybe a bit disconnected with their inner selves, or a bit stuck — but underneath it all, there’s always that part that’s whole.

The part that knows how to heal,

the part that hasn’t given up,

the part that isn’t asking to be fixed, just to be seen.

That’s the unstruck place — quiet, intact, waiting.

And every time someone chooses to walk in, speak up, or stay with their own discomfort — they are choosing to reconnect with that place.

That is the real CHOICE.

And that is where healing begins.

This is what  I've always hoped CHOICE would stand for.

Not a place for fixing. Not a place to run away from discomfort. 

But a place where people feel safe, a place where they learn to reconnect with what’s always been theirs. That's the unstruck, unwavering place within each of us.

This is what I wanted CHOICE to represent:

A space where the heart leads and healing unfolds naturally.

What CHOICE Has Become

CHOICE is still just me — sitting with others in quiet, often difficult spaces.

But in these five years, it has grown roots. It has become a rhythm.

It’s the place where I’ve:

• witnessed stories unspoken for decades finally breathe,

• held space for grief, doubt, shame, and breakthroughs,

• learned to trust silence as much as technique.

And it has held me, too. As a psychologist, a seeker, a human being. As I watched others heal, I healed too.

What I Now Know

That people don’t need fixing.

They need presence. They need safety.

They need someone to believe, even on the days they don’t.

And above all, they need to know —

that they have a choice.

Five years ago, I chose to offer this space.

Every day since, I choose again.

Here’s to five years of CHOICE.

And to the many quiet, healing choices still to come. 

If you’ve ever sat with me, or even just considered doing so — thank you for choosing CHOICE.

And if you're reading this and wondering if you're ready — maybe today is the day you make your own quiet choice.