11/30/2023
Testimonial from a client:
No one has ever changed my life—or rather, helped me change my own life—the way Sarai Lajas has. I’ve seen a lot of therapists, counselors, and pastors in my life, and each one was about as helpful as an anvil in a row boat. But I was determined to get help for myself. So, when I had a consultation with Sarai, I told her that I’d give her five sessions to prove that she wouldn’t drag me down further like everyone else. Needless to say, we made it past five.
I have been seeing Sarai Lajas every week for the past two years now, and through her compassionate approach and effective, tried-and-true strategies, she has helped me reach levels of emotional stability, self-awareness, and restoration that I never knew possible. When I met her, I was severely depressed, suicidal, addicted to hard drugs and alcohol, and drowning in pain and shame. I was overwhelmed by my laundry list of issues, and the only hope I had left was that Sarai would have the patience and wherewithal to help me; which, of course, she did. She was with me for the triage, the surgery, and the recovery.
The only explanation for Sarai’s degree of psychological finesse is that she was born to do this. She made me feel safe, seen, and understood as we navigated my deepest wounds that no one had seen or touched before. She was always patient, perceptive, and prepared. Her keen intuition led us through hours upon hours of EMDR work and verbal processing. I looked forward to our weekly sessions, with both anticipation and dread, because I knew that while it was going to be worth it, it was also going to be hard work. But 45 minutes once a week wasn’t cutting it, not for what I needed, so that’s when I decided to do an intensive.
I was skeptical at first. I think I was expecting some kind of special, week-long classroom type curriculum or a 12-step program to healing, because that’s what I was used to. But Sarai’s approach was much more straightforward than that. It was simply several hours of uninterrupted therapy. We took as many breaks as we needed and forced nothing as we chipped away at my life’s work of baggage. I’d never experienced that kind of unhurried conversation and thought guidance before. Having full days dedicated to my mental well-being was exactly the help I needed.
During the intensive, I cried for the first time in months, I discovered negative core beliefs that were subconsciously ruling my thought life and decisions, I learned about the importance of acknowledging my emotions without invalidating them, I experienced true peace of mind as we uncovered the roots of many lifelong struggles, and so much more. By the end of the week, I felt like we’d just finished a year’s worth of sessions. I was truly a new person after that. The feeling was inexplicably liberating.
While I am saddened that my time with Sarai has come to a close, it brings me so much joy and warmth knowing that she’s going to continue to save lives for years to come, just like she saved mine.
