The Moon, the Hare, and the Pearl is a departure from most books on psychotherapy in that it takes an unusual tack. It does not promote a particular theory nor does it demur from giving advice. Instead, it suggests a way in which the personal life of the therapist, including her struggles and challenges, becomes grist for the mill of her own awakening as well as contributing to a parallel process in her client. The intersection of lives in the therapeutic container creates a transformative, alchemical mixture for both client and therapist. In other words, both therapist and client are transformed by what occurs between them.

As a result, the therapist’s life is enlivened over the years, as she grows increasingly sensitive and engaged. Psychotherapy has been a practice of contemplation, deep questioning, and reflection in my life. Sometimes I am sitting with a client and they ask, ‘How do you listen to other people’s troubles all day?” In actuality, this is a many- layered question and a worthy one. I usually say, “I do it because I see and hear something else, not only the troubles but something beautiful in the people who describe them. The troubles are like clouds moving across the night sky. Over time, the client and I become observers as we wonder about the winds, the weather and what they portend. ”Like Ulysses, we set sail with great hope. The therapist has her maps and charts and she is adept at reading the stars. Nonetheless, the journey is perilous and full of surprises and she knows that in the end, wherever that is, both she and the client will be changed through the experience. And so she sits and listens for openings and closings, for ways in and ways through the darkness and suffering.

As I wrote this book, the symbols of the moon, the hare, and the pearl accompanied me through my process. The mercurial moon illuminated the darkness out of which arose flashes of insight and intuition. Moon vision is reflective and feminine in its essence; its light is nuanced and mysterious. So much of therapy is walking through darkness, making our way through the invisible and intangible. It is the nature of the moon to accompany this delicate journey.

The trickster hare, fleet of foot and wild and unpredictable, possesses sacrificial and compassionate propensities. In many ancient myths, the hare acts as an agent of change that throws himself into the fire for the benefit of another, yet remains unscathed. The hare lives deep in the psyche of both therapist and client, acting as an agent of transformation.

The pearl first made its appearance in a painting that I was doing a few years ago. It was coiled in the roots of a tree illuminated by the moon. Chain of pearls was an idea that came intuitively much earlier and directly from my work as a therapist. So often when speaking to a client, I thought to myself,” these events are like a chain of pearls one intimately connected to the next.” It became my metaphor for how experiences are linked together in psyche and apprehended intuitively.

At times, occurrences may appear unrelated, yet, they are not. Quite the opposite; they are interconnected. The reader is challenged to invoke her intuition so that she can discover (1) how everything is connected, (2) how filings flow to the magnet, and (3) how to follow the breadcrumbs. She or he is like a tiny Alice in Wonderland bravely following her nose.

Many books have been written about psychotherapy but this book, in particular, concerns the relationship between therapist and client and the capacity of the therapist to access her intuitive skills in their relationship. Intuition travels at the speed of light. It often comes unbidden but it always comes with a message. How the therapist listens determines, in many ways, the effectiveness of her work.