Shannon Iris

Background

About Shannon Iris

I work in the realms of psychotherapy and coaching and enjoy the skills required for each and the crossover between the two modalities. My coaching platform is the transdisciplinary culminant work of 20 years. It weaves together wisdom from the academic traditions of psychology ~ specifically developmental and attachment theories, philosophy, anthropology, world religion, theatre, ecology ~ specifically biology and sustainability and lastly, humanities. I am currently considering a PhD to organize this work into a cohesive system including a psychological personality typing and counseling model. I work at the edges of potential. In ecosystems where zones overlap and rub up against each other exist the most diverse and productive populations in the world. Where friction exists, growth is the potential. Embodying the primal wisdom from the ecosystems out of which we emerge, I too work at the boundaries ~ where self collides with other and where internal aspects of self meet: conscious~unconscious, personal~professional, autonomous~interdependent. Specifically creating growth environments for individuals and groups that support the full expression of human potential and My psychotherapeutic approach is firmly rooted in attachment and developmental theories with a strong existential foundation which defines suffering as part of being human. I use the therapeutic relationship to explore new ways of being in relationship with self and others, build new habits from experiential awareness, and find meaning and purpose. My approach begins with the most basic intention: total acceptance of all aspects of the self. Because suffering is universal, I use it as a doorway to connection. Using mindful, embodied awareness to examine the relationship to suffering in the here-and-now releases bound-up energy to make lasting changes toward contentment and self-mastery. Based in the wisdom of attachment and developmental theories, the most fundamental work we will do in the psychotherapeutic process is rewiring the attachment system. Attachment work is done to liberate life force from survival mode and set one back on the developmental track. Before an individual is securely attached, the anxieties and perceived threat of simply living day-to-day can prevent them from functioning at full capacity, or even sometimes at all.