Q & A with Natalie Cox
Q & A with Natalie Cox
Hi Natalie! We are so happy to sit down with you.
Thank you so much. I’m happy to chat.
First of all, what drew you to living in Nashville and what do you like most about it?
I love Nashville. Even as it is growing, I feel like it is possible to have a close-knit community in Nashville and it tends to draw creative types of people. The people are absolutely the thing I like most about Nashville.
What do you like most about being a therapist?
One of my favorite parts of being a therapist is working with clients as they navigate the difficulty of being human while they develop trust in themselves along the way. It takes courage to step into the unknown of therapy. On the other hand, uncovering aspects of the deep self or our personality, even if it is difficult to face, can give richness and meaning to the process of our lives.
Was there a defining moment when you knew you wanted to help people in this way?
After a few years of my own therapy and recovery process, I discovered that my interest in psychology and my desire to understand how relationships impact us only continued to grow.
What’s the best part about working with adults in individual therapy?
It is challenging to uncover the unconscious aspects of our lives, our history, or relationship dynamics. One of my favorite parts of working with individuals in therapy is supporting clients as they courageously look within.
Describe your ideal client.
I love all of my clients, but I have a particular interest in working with creative types. I also love working with people in transition or at a crossroads, or those who may have accomplished a level of success and are now questioning what gives them meaning to their lives.
You have an interest in Jungian work. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Yes! My training includes Jungian and depth psychological approaches to psychic life through a discovery of unconscious attitudes, beliefs and dynamics. Among many of Jung’s concepts, I especially appreciate Jung’s emphasis on the symbolic images in dreams. Dreams can creatively introduce purposeful and potent perspectives about difficult issues. They can also provide insight and direction in the therapy process. Jung believed that dreams are a necessary function of psychic life and should be considered a serious means of inner work. Working with my own dream imagery with an analyst, and with the dreams clients bring to therapy, I have found this to be true, over and over.
Can you give an example of what someone might learn about themselves from dream work?
There are many ways to learn about ourselves through dream analysis. The symbolic nature of images in dreams can help to contain and express something that may have until now gone unexpressed or felt too overwhelming – much like a song, or story that moves us beyond the limitations of language. I have worked with clients with trauma histories who have initially found it too difficult to share their experiences in the therapy room; however, through exploring a dream, a feeling or challenging experience could be symbolically represented and processed. By way of a dream, clients have come to accept a difficult truth, or found a solution that has been escaping them. These are just a few examples of how working a dream can be a meaningful and evocative experience.
Can you share a little bit about your work with religious trauma?
Religious trauma encompasses a wide scope of experience. I have worked with clients who have fallen victim to systems of oppression in the name of a religion, and others who have endured physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at the hands of religious authority figures. Research has shown that some fundamentalist or purity culture paradigms can impact the psyche and body much the same as sexual trauma or abuse. Recovery can be a slow process as clients rebuild their sense of self, their relationship with their bodies, and their relationship with others outside of these ideologies.
Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about starting therapy but isn’t sure if he/she is ready?
On one hand, I say, if you feel a pull toward therapy, perhaps it is time to give it a try. Clarity can come through the process of taking a step. On the other hand, going to therapy is an investment in ourselves that may impact most areas of our lives. It is my belief that the benefits far outweigh the cost; it is a journey that is well worth it, but it is also an important decision for each person to make on their own.
You mentioned your love for creative types. Can you share a little more about your own creative journey?
My first career was in the arts, I was an illustrator. I painted illustrations for editorial projects, including book covers, magazines, record album artwork…those sorts of projects.
Over the years, when painting in the studio for long hours at a time, I would drift in thought and see flashes of imagery and feel overcome with emotion. I had much to process from my childhood; art and my personal therapy paired up for an unexpected excavation of memories and way of processing experiences from my past. This is one of a short list of reasons that led me to stepping back from commercial illustration, saving art-making for personal exploration and expression instead of client-led projects and assignments. I also started taking photographs and working in design as a way to explore new creative avenues and I worked for several years doing this before becoming a therapist.
Many of my relationships are with artists and creatives, and I enjoy working with individuals with creative backgrounds. I also love working with people who may not have explored this area in their life but want to.
Thank you so much for your time, Natalie.
Thank you for connecting with me.
If you are interested in learning more about Natalie Cox, check out her bio here. If you’d like to schedule a new client appointment, we invite you to reach out to our client care team via email, telephone, or by scheduling a free consultation.