Research demonstrates that a huge factor in personal healing is one’s relationship with one’s therapist. There is something called the triune map of the brain, which is a rough map used as a teaching tool in interpersonal neurobiology. Triune refers to three, as in the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere, and the limbic system, which is a bunch of structures at the base of the brain, including the hypothalamus and amygdala. The amygdala contains a silent video recording of your entire relational life. It is always pulling the file from the past that most closely matches the present moment and establishing the neurochemistry of your response at that previous time. Thus, we are always projecting our recorded past onto our present moment – why so many meditation traditions, in other language, try to train people out of habitually doing this. Not only are we not truly with the present moment, but our response choices will be largely driven by our memory of the past. For many people, those relational memories engender a dysfunctional response, due to the many unpleasant relational experiences we have with other humans and frequently, our primary caregivers. Thus, the therapist should feel, first and foremost, like a safe person – someone you can trust to accept you and assist you in regulating your nervous system. This opens the possibility of your brain wiring in a new relational paradigm and learning new responses, like feeling safe with another human and being able to communicate your needs and boundaries calmly and clearly.