Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Gómez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always felt passionate about helping others. I remember when I was younger how natural it felt to listen to people sharing their challenges in life and help them work through them. I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time. I only knew that if felt good and I wanted to do more. I was fascinated by the intricacies of the human mind and started learning about mental health from my dad who was a psychiatrist. A spark within me was ignited.
My career path took me on a different route as I majored in Hospitality Management. I did not feel fulfilled. Something was missing. As I delved deeper into my own healing journey, the spark reignited. I wanted to share with others the tools I acquired and the processes I was learning along the way. I decided to go back to school. At the time, I was a single mom raising a 4-year-old daughter. I was working full-time, and the demands of school and my job took most of my time. I had to prioritize. I chose spending more time with my daughter and putting my career in mental health counseling on hold. My calling to help in this field became louder after two beloved friends died by suicide. When my daughter was 15, she told me that it was time for me to pursue my passion and started sharing with me information she had researched about schools that had a mental health counseling program. I decided to enroll and, in what felt like a blink of an eye, acquired a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
I was hired at the private practice where I completed my practicum and internship. After obtaining my license, I felt guided to open my own practice. I was terrified at first. It was not an easy decision to make as fear and doubt kept making their presence known. I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t at least try. I decided to listen to my inner wisdom and follow its guidance. The moment I said “yes” to the invitation, everything fell into place.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I feel that some of the struggles along the way came from my own doubts and insecurities. I remember how I would hear stories from people who had obtained their degrees in mental health counseling and ended up not working in the field. Some had failed the licensure exam a few times and gave up. Others had to supplement their income with a second job and became disillusioned. I questioned if I was on the right path. Fear of failure, of the unknown, would sometimes make me want to quit the program and stay in my comfort zone however unhappy it made me. I realized I had work to do. I turned to my spiritual practice. I surrounded myself with people who held and supported my vision. I would repeat to myself, “that is their story, not mine.” I worked with a therapist through some challenges. I focused on allowing my heart to lead the way and collaborated with my ego.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Inner Wisdom Guidance Counseling?
I am a licensed mental health counselor. The name of my practice was influenced by my belief that we are experts in our own lives and possess an innate wisdom within us. I act as a guide to help clients tap into their inner wisdom to obtain the answers they seek and make choices that are right for them so that they can reach their full potential and live a fulfilled life. I use a holistic approach, addressing mind, body, and spirit. Besides talk therapy, I use experiential modalities such as breathwork, past life regression, heart-centered hypnotherapy, and pranic psychotherapy to assist in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and trauma, among other mental disorders.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I am excited about the future of mental health disorders treatment. There are clinical studies that have been conducted using psychedelics for the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, eating disorders, and substance-abuse disorders. Unfortunately, they are not FDA-approved and considered a schedule 1 drug, making their use illegal in most states. MAPS (https://maps.org/) is a non-profit organization working tirelessly to change this. Their studies have shown successful treatment of some mental health disorders with psychedelics. Oregon is the first state to legalize the use of psilocybin in clinical settings. Currently, Ketamine, which is FDA approved, is being used in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. I am affiliated with My Ketamine Home (https://myketaminehome.com/how-it-works/) and assist clients in the integration process. I look forward to being a part of the evolution of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy.
