As a psychotherapist, I’ve come to understand healing as a profound journey—not unlike the transformative experience described in the photo of the welcome sign below, sent to me by a colleague who has recently walked the Camino de Santiago.

Just as pilgrims leave behind their familiar comforts to venture into the unknown, therapy invites you to embark on an equally courageous inner expedition.

Imagine therapy as a sacred space—much like Beilari—where ‘we share rooms with strangers’ and strip away the protective layers we’ve constructed. In our therapeutic alliance, we challenge the ‘lives of comfort and privacy’ that have insulated us from our deeper truths. We step away from the ‘habitual rush accelerated by lists of obligations and the interest of our agitated minds’ and create a different sense of time—a healing time where introspection and self-discovery take precedence.

Just as Beilari invites pilgrims to ‘divest ourselves of the character we have believed we are’, therapy offers a similarly profound opportunity. Here, you’re not defined by your social roles, professional identities, or family expectations. Instead, we sit metaphorically at the same table, creating a space of radical authenticity where your essence can emerge.

The therapeutic journey is about understanding that the ‘unknown parts’ of yourself are not to be feared but explored. Like the pilgrim’s path, this route is not always comfortable. It demands courage — the courage to look deeply, to accept what you discover, and to transform. We seek ‘discernment in difficulty’, learning to see challenges not as obstacles but as gateways to deeper self-understanding.

In our work together, we’ll explore the illusion of separation. Just as Beilari suggests that an ‘unknown person is really a part of ourselves’, therapy helps you recognise the interconnected nature of your experiences, emotions, and inner landscapes. We are not isolated beings but part of a larger, more complex human narrative.

This journey requires an ‘open heart’ and a willingness to be vulnerable. Like a pilgrim stepping into an unfamiliar landscape, you’ll be invited to exchange profound glances with your inner self — to share the essence of who you truly are, beyond the masks and defenses.

I offer you a therapeutic space that is ‘unconditional, non-judgmental, non-transactional’. This means our work together is not about fixing or changing you, but about accompanying you as you uncover your most authentic self. We walk together, but you are the pilgrim of your own soul’s journey.

‘Buen Camino’ as they say — good journey. Every step you take in therapy is an act of courage.

We’ll work to cultivate ‘lightness in every step’, openness to what emerges, and the strength to strip down to your most alive, human self — ‘vibrating in Divinity’.

Your therapeutic pilgrimage awaits. Are you ready to take the first step?

Shiraz El Showk is a Training Member of the Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy (AGIP) and a registered Training member of the UKCP, She is experienced in Psychodynamic counselling and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy work with individuals, on both long and short term basis. Shiraz works from our Brighton and Hove practice, Lewes practice and online.

Further reading by Shiraz El Showk –

Surviving family festivities: a psychoanalytic journey through the twelve days of Christmas

Parents – the ghosts and angels of our past

Is an AI therapist as good as a human one?

What is the unconscious? (part one)

Why is three the magic number? Third spaces, secure bases and creative living (part two)