I am sitting face-to-face with a client. They tell me they want their life to end.

I take a pause and feel my feet on the ground. I notice a part of me is worried for their safety. I want to take away their pain and make it better immediately.

I bring myself back into my body, sit up a little taller, feel my spine aligned, and touch my palms together on my lap. I look into their eyes and witness them in all their humanness. They are a human, with human emotions. It’s a very human experience. I see a part of myself in their pain.

The innerspring of life energy bubbles up into my heart, filling me with compassion. I wish to be with them in this moment, with a soft and expansive presence.

Any urge to fix them, solve this, or yank them out of this depression dissolves.

I approach them with patience and curiosity instead. The tone of my voice softens, and the muscles on my face relax. It feels like I am talking from the depth of my heart.

I say, “Help me understand your experience more.”

I experience a big globe of warmth holding both of us. I wonder if they experience it too?

As the session progresses, there is an internal movement, a small shift, a glimmer of hope. I can feel it in the vibe of the room. I can see their body ease up a little. A spontaneous smile on their face when they feel understood. Micro expressions that convey to me they feel my care.

I sense them feeling, “Maybe I am okay. There is nothing wrong with me.”

Somehow, my calm, safe, and connected nervous system brings their safety and connection system online. It’s one of the most fascinating things about us humans. How deeply connected we are. How intertwined our experiences can be with one another.

As I sit here with my client in the beautiful mess of humanness, it turns out to be a profoundly spiritual experience for me.

It helps me experience the power of human connection. Witness the depth of human pain. It allows me to see a part of me in them, and to hold it all with care and openness.

In that moment, in some inconceivable, un-understandable, intricate, and beautiful way, I know that both of us have shifted a little. There is no denying that, in some way, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, this experience has transformed me.

*This is a piece of fiction based on no particular client or event