Jason Seidel Psy.D., CGP headshot in black and white

Jason Seidel, Psy.D., CGP

Specialties

Education & Experience

My specialty is ‘extreme stuckness’. My approach is intense, caring, tough, and free-flowing rather than structured. The “CGP” means I’m a board certified group psychotherapist. My therapy groups are full of challenging, brilliant, courageous people who seek depth and growth.

Therapy style

Many people think that psychotherapy is about “talking about your problems.” Sometimes talking is like running on an endless treadmill. Connecting with feelings in a particular way is often more effective to generate authentic change. This takes practice and guidance.

I am trained in a variety of approaches but would probably call much of what I do “body-centered, relational-existential therapy.” This approach is based on the common principles of a broad range of theories and techniques, and is individually tuned to your particular difficulties and goals. Here’s a metaphor to explain:

There’s a dark basement, where we store things that we are uncomfortable with. Everything would be just fine if things stayed quiet. Yet, the stuff down there keeps making noise and banging on the door, disturbing the peace of the house. You might have tried improving the sound insulation, or put on some loud music so you wouldn’t have to hear all that noise. That was ineffective, or led to other problems like a headache, or constant tension, or despair. You don’t want to go down there, yet something inside you says you must go down there. But how? And why?

So, you come for therapy, and we go down to the basement together, and we do one of two things: shine some light on what’s happening so we can understand the source of the noise, reduce the fear, and see if there’s a way to resolve it completely; or we invite what’s been down there to come up with us into the light and join the rest of the world.

Goethe said, “You can never get rid of what is part of you, even if you throw it away.” Sometimes, trying to throw “bad” parts of us away, or just “accentuating the positive,” can be a major part of the problem. Joseph Campbell said, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Exactly so.

The body-centered part of the therapy is the method for going into the basement. The relational part is how we build the trust and safety between us so that we can open the door and work in whatever way may be necessary to help you get what you want from therapy. The existential part is the commitment to a kind of change or transformation that is felt clearly, and that is lasting and authentic: a process oriented to feeling and action–to attain congruence between one’s inner felt-sense and one’s ideal self-in-the-world. For couples therapy, it means a transformation in the way you connect, trust, and find solace in one another.

“Propriophobia” is Greek for “fear of the inner self.” It’s at the root of many psychological symptoms, including depression, addiction, and anxiety problems. We avoid what makes us uncomfortable. In trying to distance ourselves from a felt truth inside us, we develop all sorts of symptoms and problems.

We want to escape something that’s inside, and we cannot. Paradoxically, not trying to get rid of the problem makes it possible to begin to get rid of the problem. A full embracing of these difficult feelings tends to dispel them. Like a horror-movie poltergeist that won’t leave the house until respected on its own terms, such ghosts inside us must get what they need before they can rest in peace. Propriophobia is a repulsion between different parts inside us: an inner war between body and soul, our head and guts, how we feel and what we think, or between who we are and what we’re expected to be. Therapy for this consists of dissolving and moving beyond these tensions.  

Who are my typical clients? The broken-hearted. The betrayed. The unmotivated. Overwhelmed parents. Struggling couples. Those with feelings that are too powerful. Those disappointed by ineffective therapy. Lonely and disconnected executives. The numb and alienated. The traumatized and deeply shaken. Those who are spiritually yearning. Those who are missing their inner compass or needing it seriously recalibrated.

Many people think that psychotherapy is about “talking about your problems.” Sometimes talking is like running on an endless treadmill. Connecting with feelings in a particular way is often more effective to generate authentic change. This takes practice and guidance.

I am trained in a variety of approaches but would probably call much of what I do “body-centered, relational-existential therapy.” This approach is based on the common principles of a broad range of theories and techniques, and is individually tuned to your particular difficulties and goals. Here’s a metaphor to explain:

There’s a dark basement, where we store things that we are uncomfortable with. Everything would be just fine if things stayed quiet. Yet, the stuff down there keeps making noise and banging on the door, disturbing the peace of the house. You might have tried improving the sound insulation, or put on some loud music so you wouldn’t have to hear all that noise. That was ineffective, or led to other problems like a headache, or constant tension, or despair. You don’t want to go down there, yet something inside you says you must go down there. But how? And why?

So, you come for therapy, and we go down to the basement together, and we do one of two things: shine some light on what’s happening so we can understand the source of the noise, reduce the fear, and see if there’s a way to resolve it completely; or we invite what’s been down there to come up with us into the light and join the rest of the world.

Goethe said, “You can never get rid of what is part of you, even if you throw it away.” Sometimes, trying to throw “bad” parts of us away, or just “accentuating the positive,” can be a major part of the problem. Joseph Campbell said, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Exactly so.

The body-centered part of the therapy is the method for going into the basement. The relational part is how we build the trust and safety between us so that we can open the door and work in whatever way may be necessary to help you get what you want from therapy. The existential part is the commitment to a kind of change or transformation that is felt clearly, and that is lasting and authentic: a process oriented to feeling and action–to attain congruence between one’s inner felt-sense and one’s ideal self-in-the-world. For couples therapy, it means a transformation in the way you connect, trust, and find solace in one another.

“Propriophobia” is Greek for “fear of the inner self.” It’s at the root of many psychological symptoms, including depression, addiction, and anxiety problems. We avoid what makes us uncomfortable. In trying to distance ourselves from a felt truth inside us, we develop all sorts of symptoms and problems.

We want to escape something that’s inside, and we cannot. Paradoxically, not trying to get rid of the problem makes it possible to begin to get rid of the problem. A full embracing of these difficult feelings tends to dispel them. Like a horror-movie poltergeist that won’t leave the house until respected on its own terms, such ghosts inside us must get what they need before they can rest in peace. Propriophobia is a repulsion between different parts inside us: an inner war between body and soul, our head and guts, how we feel and what we think, or between who we are and what we’re expected to be. Therapy for this consists of dissolving and moving beyond these tensions.  

Who are my typical clients? The broken-hearted. The betrayed. The unmotivated. Overwhelmed parents. Struggling couples. Those with feelings that are too powerful. Those disappointed by ineffective therapy. Lonely and disconnected executives. The numb and alienated. The traumatized and deeply shaken. Those who are spiritually yearning. Those who are missing their inner compass or needing it seriously recalibrated.

My Outcomes

line graph showing Jason Seidel's performance showing patient improvement in Well-Being from 2016-2018

Areas of Treatment

Schedule

Tuesday through Friday: 9:00AM to 4:00PM

Contact info & Fees

720.722.6272
$260 for 50-minute session
$390 for 75-minute session
$340 per month for group therapy

resources

Article by Adriano Bugliani on therapy beyond the American model

Wrongness: Social Side-Effects in Psychotherapy, published in May 2020 by my Italian colleague, Adriano Bugliani, eloquently deals with what therapy can be–beyond simple notions of the “right” versus “wrong” ways to be in the world, beyond “healthy” versus “unhealthy.” It beautifully expresses the complexity of what psychotherapy has to offer as a path toward growth, depth, and truth. A philosophical paper that has much in common with my own approach to therapy.

Guerrino and the Wild Man

This is an early Italian version of the Iron John fairy tale, written by Straparola in 1558. The German version (Iron Hans) was written down 300 years later by The brothers Grimm, and there is also a similar story in Russian. Straparola’s story may be more enjoyable after reading Robert Bly’s study of Iron John, because the differences in tone are striking. The Italian tale puts much more emphasis on emotion and relationship (and it’s less mechanical and action-oriented than the Grimms’ version). The two stories tell very different tales of what it means to be a mature and happy man. Bly’s book and view of masculinity has been criticized on various grounds, and Straparola’s tale answers some of these critiques.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

A short story by the late Ursula K. Le Guin (1973), which won the Hugo award. I tell this story to many clients. It has a disturbing but important theme of how children (and adults) are often sacrificed for some ‘greater good’ for others to enjoy. And those who witness this injustice can choose to ignore it, protest it, or refuse to take part in it. There are many interpretations and discussions of this story online.  

The Allegory of the Long Spoons

A very brief parable or allegory of heaven and hell, and how easily we can stay trapped in hell out of hunger, fear, and desperation. In this place of profound anxiety, we are unable to reach out to others or to be aware of our own power to change or shift in simple ways. It is a great lesson for couples in crisis. I first heard this allegory late at night in summer camp at seven years old–and it has haunted me for over 40 years.

videos

inspiring quotes & passages

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

A prose poem about connecting to the heart, and living from the heart.

The Way of Transformation by Karlfried Graf Durckheim

An existential examination of courage, dignity, and the experiences that threaten to annihilate us.

Follow Your Heart by Susanna Tamaro

A simple passage illustrating that sometimes the wisest advice is: “Don’t just do something, sit there!” .

Poems by Vonnegut, Rumi, and Frost 

Click here for the poems. Vonnegut on the state of grace known as having “enough.” Rumi on getting out of your head, relinquishing control, and surrendering to life and the need for calling out. Frost on how we are often looking in the wrong place for the answer. 

recommended films

recommended books

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