Meet Amanda Butler

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Butler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Hi Amanda , great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
Over the years I’ve found that there’s often a greater danger in not changing, not doing something different, not trying something new, than in actually taking the risk of stepping outside my comfort zone, especially with regard to work and career. My father worked at the same job for over 30 years. It was a solid, stable job that provided adequately for the family but he seemed so unhappy with it most of the time and that unhappiness seeped into his interactions with my mom, sister, and me. He had multiple opportunities to do something different, but he always stayed with what was familiar. He retired as soon as possible, at the age of 57, and 10 years later he died, at only age 67–far too young, in my opinion. I don’t know if this is actually true, but I imagine that if he’d taken the risk to try other work that he might have been happier with, he might have lived a longer, healthier life; or at the very least, could have enjoyed life more and been more fulfilled during the time he had.

For a lot of years I seemed set to follow in his footsteps, despite my most conscious efforts not to. I had thought about studying psychology–a topic I truly love and am fascinated by–from the time I was 19, but didn’t know what I would do with the degree. I wasn’t interested in going to graduate school at the time and my dad had majored in a similar field, social work, and ended up unhappy in his career, and I didn’t want to have the same experience he did. So I majored in biology but ended up miserable with that career choice. I had always liked writing and decided to go back to school and get a master’s degree in technical writing, but a short time after finishing that, I was just as unhappy as I’d been working in the lab. So by age 35 I’d tried two careers and hated both of them. It was a low point where I felt stuck and hopeless, until I met someone who inspired me to move down a path I wouldn’t have seriously considered before.

There’s a quote I like from Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung that says “Nothing is possible without love… for love puts one in the mood to risk everything.” I’ve personally found this to be true because what finally allowed me to really take the risk of doing something completely different with my life was falling in love. I met a man who is a psychotherapist in private practice, and while that situation didn’t work out the way I’d hoped, it did point me in a better direction. I applied to graduate programs to study counseling psychology, was accepted, and started graduate school at age 37, a month after my dad died. It was hard and scary to make such a big change, and the path from graduate student to private practice owner has been filled with moments where I’ve questioned whether I should just give up and go back to the unfulfilling, but easier work I was doing before, however, I’ve seen firsthand how that would actually be the bigger danger to my sense of self and my well-being.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Utah, as well as an energy healer, life coach, and public speaker. I received a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA, where I completed an extensive course of study that included Jungian, Archetypal, and depth psychology. For the past decade, I’ve navigated the worlds of psychology and spirituality on my own personal journey, gaining insight into mental and emotional health, relationships, personal and spiritual development, healing practices, and energy modalities. I’ve worked with many different kinds of healers in her own journey, learning a great deal along the way about what is helpful and what to avoid when it comes to healing work. Through this process, I’ve found that integrating psychology with energy healing work and other complementary modalities can create greater shifts and accelerate healing by removing subconscious blocks that may prevent people from reaching their full potential.

I offer psychotherapy to clients in the state of Utah, as well as energy healing, coaching, and Jungian-oriented case consultation (for therapists) to clients all over the world. I’ve recently begun offering lectures, classes, and workshops on the topics of psychology and healing, and am excited to do more of this going forward.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
One of the most important things I learned is how our relationships with others can be mirrors that provide us with important information about ourselves and our lives. Through my relationship with my father I saw a life that I didn’t want to live, but ended up living anyway until I met someone who showed me that there could be a different path through life. The things that we admire in others can also be found within ourselves, and that we often need a relationship with someone else or someone else’s example to help us connect with our authentic self. Likewise, the things we dislike or fear in others could also be a warning that shows us where we need to do something different.

Another lesson I learned was to find the successes even in what might seem like a failure. Even a “failed” relationship that did not work out the way I wanted offered me a huge gift: finding my calling and a way of living with more meaning and intention. Failures and other disappointing experiences can be transformed into something positive and life changing, if one is open to reflecting on the experience and looking for clues toward that positive direction.

In my journey it also became clear how crucial it is to be a lifelong learner. Going back to school also brought me back to life, in a way, after years of not feeling motivated to try something different or learn something new. Looking back, I realize that I easily became bored and stayed stagnant in other careers where continuing education wasn’t required, but as a therapist I’m required to complete continuing education credits every year to maintain my license. I love learning about new and different ways of helping people–it keeps me from getting bored and helps me help others more effectively. Whenever I do start to get bored or feel stagnant, I know that it’s time to learn something new. This doesn’t just apply to people in professions that require continuing education–anyone has the opportunity to learn something new that can enrich their lives and make their days feel more interesting and meaningful.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
During my time as a therapist I’ve found that healing is an extremely complex, multi-layered process. Talking though experiences in the context of a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship is definitely necessary and helpful in healing from trauma, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. However, that’s only one piece of it. Chronic stress, trauma, and other mental and emotional difficulties also have an effect on the physical body, and support for the body is often needed for deeper healing. This could include nutritional support through diet and supplements, appropriate exercise, medication when necessary, and physical support through healing modalities like massage and acupuncture. I believe there’s also a non-physical aspect to our existence that can be supported and receive healing through energy work, which is a service I offer alongside therapy.

My next goal is to create a healing center that includes all of these services, for a deeper, more complete experience of healing. I’m looking to collaborate with other healing professionals to create this experience: medical and mental health professionals, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, energy healers, etc, who are passionate about the healing work they do and want to create a healing center that helps people heal on all levels. I realize this is a big goal, so on a smaller scale I’d also love to collaborate in a similar way with other healing professionals to create retreats, workshops, and classes related to experiencing the full spectrum of healing. Those who would be interested in collaborating with me can connect with me by email at [email protected].

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,