Below the Surface
A trillium flower spotted while hiking in the Pacific Northwest
Change Beneath the Surface
Trilliums are among the first flowers to bloom after the snow melts. Their quiet emergence beneath the cold, damp earth reminds us that transformation is always happening, even when we can’t see it. The seasons shift, and new life breaks through, sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once. This natural rhythm mirrors the journey of counseling, change, and growth. Often, the hard seasons in life can feel all-consuming, making it difficult to recognize when something new is emerging.
Growing up in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon, I remember how long the falls, winters, and early springs felt: endless gray skies, rain, and a palatable damp chill that settled into everything. Seeing a trillium while hiking in the forest felt like a gift, a quiet signal that things were changing. The forest was still damp, the air still cold, but the presence of that flower meant that spring was already at work beneath the surface.
The Hidden Beginnings of Change
In counseling, we often talk about awareness as the key to transformation. When we become fully present with our experiences, rather than avoiding or suppressing them, we open the door for something new to emerge. But awareness isn’t always comfortable.
Sometimes, in counseling, especially at the beginning, the work can feel stormy, uncertain, or overwhelming. Part of this discomfort comes from bringing light to parts of ourselves that have been hidden, forgotten, or pushed aside. At first, when we bring awareness to these parts of ourselves, it might feel as if nothing is changing, maybe even questioning if this intense storm will pass. Much like how a trillium begins its process of blooming each spring below the surface, when it still feels like winter outside, our change and growth can begin before we’re fully aware of it, even when it still feels stormy.
I have experienced this in my counseling work, both as a therapist and as a client. As a client, I have sometimes felt stuck, working on a particular issue for months with no noticeable progress. I vividly remember this one day, after sharing something in session, my counselor paused and asked, “Is that new?” It was so new that I hadn’t even noticed it myself. This experience reminded me that just because I couldn’t see the change, it didn’t mean it wasn’t happening. It’s something I also see with my clients, growth often begins quietly, beneath the surface.
Recognizing the Signs of Growth
Healing, change, and growth rarely follow a straight path. We often expect progress to be immediate or obvious, but more often, it happens in small, subtle ways. It’s easy to overlook our own growth until we pause to reflect, or until someone else helps us recognize it. Counseling creates space for this natural process, helping you navigate discomfort and uncertainty in a sustainable and empowering way. Rather than forcing change, it invites you to engage with what’s present, explore new perspectives, and take meaningful steps forward at a pace that’s right for you.
Much like trilliums quietly pushing through the soil, our internal shifts may initially go unnoticed. But just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. When we begin to pay attention to the small shifts in perspective, the new ways we respond to familiar situations, the softening of something that once felt impossible, we recognize that transformation has been happening all along.
Trusting the Season You’re In
Sometimes, we feel caught in the winter of our own emotional landscapes when things feel stagnant, heavy, or overwhelming. It’s easy to believe that nothing is changing, that we are still the same, and that growth is too far away to be possible. But beneath the surface, something is already shifting.
If you’re in a season of difficulty, take heart. I know it can feel discouraging when you don’t see the changes you’ve been working so hard for, when old patterns still show up, and progress feels out of reach. Change, like trilliums in the spring, can seem to appear out of nowhere. It doesn’t mean the hard seasons didn’t matter; it means they were part of the process. The work of counseling, of being present with ourselves, of staying with our experiences, of cultivating awareness, creates the conditions for growth. And when we least expect it, something new will bloom.
Like a trillium in early spring, your growth has been taking shape all along, quietly beneath the surface.