Dr. Nicole Pleasant-Immanuel's Philosophy

I have held a belief since I can remember that if each of us seeks to be our best in every way possible we can be a force for positive change within our intimate relationships (romantic, family, and friend), communities, and the world. If each individual ensured he or she was consistently positive toward him or herself and others, how could the world not be a better place?

Clearly such things are easier said than done. By gaining theoretical knowledge through scholarly pursuits in the fields of genetics and psychology and then experiential knowledge gained in living and paying attention to my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, I have come to a conclusion: What I wish for all of us cannot be attainted until we realize who we really are and understand who we are not.

Understanding Ego

Most of us are identified with an Eckhart Tolle defined ego. He defines ego as a mind-made sense of self or a false sense of self. By understanding ego, who we are not, we gain insight into who we really are. Who are we... really? We have a soul, spirit, God-space, Christ-within, essence, or formlessness within us that is divine. However, most of us are not identified with who we really are, but are more identified with who the world says we are. And if you believe what the world tells you about yourself, you are operating in this world identified with ego. And when you are operating in this world identified with ego, you are not identified with who you really are and cannot sustain positivity for very long.

What I offer through my services is an opportunity to create a pathway toward self-actualization. We will first become more aware of current behavior. Part of how we do that is to set some goals about how we want to exist on the planet (e.g., 5lbs thinner, with less conflict in our relationships, happier, less stressed, more productive, etc.). Once we become more aware of current behavior we begin to understand the divide between what we say we want and what we do to get what we want. The challenge is then to do better. My job is to facilitate greater awareness of current and preferred behavior and to help develop strategies to overcome the barriers that interfere with actually doing better. Inevitably, much of the interference to doing better stems from our identification with ego as opposed to our real-selves.

Awaken to Your Best Life

I specialize in working with individuals who perceive they have relationship problems because I believe relationships offer the best opportunity for self-actualization. Through challenging life circumstances, and particularly relationships, some of our greatest opportunities to move away from ego-identification arise. Moving away from ego-identification is movement toward growth and awakening. When that occurs, the relationship is no longer a problem.

We will use Eckhart Tolle's work in our work together. You may be aware of others who speak to the issues I describe here. I feel Eckhart Tolle offers great directions toward self-actualization, and I see no reason to re-invent the wheel when he has done such a masterful job of showing a way toward "enlightenment." We will use his work, your current spiritual practices, and the addition of new practices to begin to lay a foundation for you to be who you really are as opposed to playing a role of who you think you are supposed to be.

My training is in (child) clinical psychology with an emphasis on working with adolescents and couples. I am not a licensed psychologist. I have chosen not to become licensed because I do not treat psychopathology. In my opinion, much of what we do in clinical practice is the treatment of symptomotology — clinical practice does not offer a cure for any of the psychological problems most people face. What I offer is a pathway to cure the dysfunctional relationship you have with the circumstances of your life. When you have a clear understanding of who you are, you will find lasting happiness and joy — you will realize that your best life was there all along.

I am a preventionist, teacher, facilitator — "life consultant." Ultimately, I am here to remind you of who you really are. When all your doing comes from that place, you will awaken to your best life.