Matt Licata

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Matt is a psychotherapist, spiritual friend (to all), writer, and teacher based in Boulder, Colorado. Over the last 25 years, Matt has trained in psychological and spiritual methodologies and practices, in North America, India, and Nepal. His work incorporates Western developmental theory, depth psychological, as well as contemplative, meditative, and mindfulness-based approaches to personal and interpersonal growth, emotional healing, and spiritual transformation. Matt recently published his first book, The Path is Everywhere: Uncovering the Jewels Hidden Within You and writes frequently for his blog, A Healing Space

“When your inner world is on fire and you are burning for resolution, it is tempting to conclude that something has gone wrong, that you have failed, that you are flawed, and that you are unworthy of love. The questions are surging, the longing is unbearable, and you are still aching to find some relief. You are exhausted, but this is no ordinary exhaustion. It is sacred. It is the end of one world and the beginning of another. Stay close. In these moments, which may always arise in the heart of an open, sensitive human being, slow way down. Touch the earth, look up into the sky, listen to the song of the unseen. Dare to consider that things are not always as they appear. Today may not be the day for answers, but to finally let your heart break open to the vastness of the question. You are not a project to be solved and you were never unhealed. With eyes wide open, see that you could never lose the way. The unfolding of the heart is the work of a lifetime and there is no urgency on the path of love.” ― Matt Licata

What's been helpful: I came across Matt's posts on the SAND website and found his writings full of good pointers to the compassion I needed for the experience of losing my (nonexistent) egoic self - for losing the stories I thought brought purpose to life. As Matt writes in his post, The Path is Everywhere, "this (awakening) journey will inevitably require an encounter with the darkness and will thus not be all that popular. There are no quick steps...". I now look for Matt's posts, knowing they'll provide warm encouragement for continuing to face 'the darkness' that holds the feelings of confusion, frustration and failure that I and many others will intermittently encounter after answering the call to awaken. Here are links to a few more of his SAND posts: It's OK to Allow Yourself to Fall Apart, The Disappointment in Waking Up and Transforming Fear Into Your Ally