Dr Michael Booth

A conversation with Michael Booth

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  My own experience of trauma and chronic pain and how inadequately they are treated in Australia set me on the path to discovering which approaches are effective. Having found what can work, I was highly motivated to share these with others.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  My training and experience as a scientist taught me how to discern reliable, useful information from the oceans of false and misleading information on the web. I have been learning about and practicing Buddhism for more than 25 years. The two main tenets of Buddhism are developing a clear, calm mind and a very kind heart. These are a perfect fit for being a good therapist.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  Almost all of us experience trauma and/or significant distress during our lives. If these experiences are not adequately resolved they can have powerful and long-lasting impacts on our physical, mental and emotional lives. My interest is in healing the damage done to the nervous system by trauma and distress and, thereby, freeing my clients from pain and dysfunction.

• What methods do you use?

  Most, but not all, of the approaches I use are "somatic" therapies and include:
  Brainspotting
  Somatic Experiencing
  Emotional Freedom Techniques
  Comprehensive Resource Model Therapy
  Neuroplastix.
  
  I also use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Resource Therapy from time to time.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  That's highly variable and depends on the client's life experiences. If a client's childhood needs (eg, safety, love, predictability) were met, but they experienced traumas sometime later in life, they may start to feel better after a few sessions and may need less than 10 sessions to achieve their therapeutic goals. However, if neglect or physical or emotional abuse were experienced early in life, it may take an unpredictable and extended period to start to feel improvements.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  Good therapy requires training, supervision and knowledge, but above all, empathy and kindness. Deliberately developing my capacity for empathy and kindness has undoubtedly may me a better person.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  There are lots of things I like about being a therapist, but there are two things in particular. Working with a client to successfully reduce or eliminate their distress and suffering is profoundly rewarding and allows me to experience a sense of real purpose. The second thing is earning a client's trust and fostering their comfort with disclosing their most painful experiences. Its a wonderful thing to feel trusted.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Yes, of course. Being mentally or emotionally in the "wrong space" certainly does occur despite my best efforts. That means I might miss things the client is saying or I may make less than optimal decisions about therapy.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  Greed and self-interest. Imagine what a good world it would be if our every word and every act took into account the best interests of those whose lives we influence.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  Talking out of Turn by the Moody Blues.