The Timing Sequences that Trigger Therapy
Why is it I get phone calls for prospective clients seeking therapy at certain times of the year and not others? At first, I thought it was because people felt better in the summer, so I assumed (and prepared for) a calmer summer. Nope, that was only true for 2 years then summers after that were busier than winters. So, that theory was out.
What was it then?
I mistook timing as a break down of seasons or months of the year, but it is much more than that. Timing is broken down into astrological alignments, called transits. Transits are a way to describe the movement of the sky. Think of your birth chart as a cosmic snapshot of where the planets were when you were born; a kind of soul blueprint.
But the planets don’t stop moving after your birth.
Let’s look at a few transits that trigger people to seek out therapy.
1. Saturn Transits (aka the current Saturn that moves in the sky, making contact with your natal Saturn)
The themes are related to reality checks, such as being prepared for the next phase or task in life, and tackling “imposter syndrome”. “Am I really ready?” is the question at hand. This cycle moves in a 7 year pattern. Every 7 years there is a movement of Saturn to your natal Saturn, and this can be challenging to navigate. This can come up as a personal block to overcome, a relationship that needs to be restructured, or a maturity lesson. And this is just Saturn. There are more planets.
2. Pluto Transits
The themes here are deep transformation, shadow work, and psychological excavation. You can feel like the deep energy in this life phase, is asking you to transform or adapt to something life-changing, and it is not necessarily an event; it can be something happening within yourself. It is possible to recognize you are evolving and the environment around you needs to evolve with your new beliefs, experiences, and ideas. Caveat: you will not look the same after this transit! Just remember: breakdowns lead to breakthroughs, and you will need the support of friends, chosen family, a pet, and a therapist to help you through it.
3. Chiron Transits
The themes embodied here feel like a wound coming up from the past, which needs to be healed from its emotional pain in order to move forward within yourself and in your relationships. You might find yourself saying “I never knew this really bothered me”; or “I thought I had processed this in therapy years ago!'“ It can often look like a part of yourself that is nagging you to change. You may need to cry more because this part feels more vulnerable and exposed, and crying is a good release. The wounded part wants to heal, but may not feel safe to do so. Initiating therapy is a great way for overcoming these challenges.
4. Progressed Moon Changes (shifting into a house and sign)
The themes here are emotional identity shifts, and inner cycles of growth. For more about this process, see my blog post titled “Listening to Your Body: The Journey of Your Progressed Moon”.
This change occurs every 2 years. How you can use the Progressed Moon sign shift when it has a house change: your emotional perspective shifts, and your internal world needs change. It’s like you enter into a new environment, and need to adapt to it.
How you can use the Progressed New Moon when it has a sign change: this often looks like a fresh start following an emotional breakdown. You might be thinking this sounds like Pluto and Chrion themes, and you are right. The difference between those experiences and the Moon is that the Moon wants you to develop differently. What does that mean? We know that the way we have been doing it does not work anymore, and we need to figure out a new way. We know that doing it alone, only brings more grief because we know we are embarking on uncharted waters. Engaging in therapy, which represents a light beacon for us, can help with this process of navigation.
5. Eclipses (especially touching personal planets or angles)
Eclipses are charged with change energy, and our human nature is a bit adverse to change, because our nervous systems have been working hard to guard us from adapting too much. Eclipses bring on sudden insights and life pivots. If you believe in a benevolent universe, then you will feel more confident that you are being guided by a force bigger than yourself to where you need to be. Eclipses open the door for therapy by revealing what’s no longer sustainable
6. Neptune Transits (especially Neptune Square Sun, Moon, or Mercury)
The themes here are feeling of confusion, dissolving ego structures, and spiritual awakening. There is a sense of humility that comes with this energy, so don’t be afraid of it. Humility just means that you are entrusted with much responsibility and you are being challenged to rethink how you use that power. This is especially true if you are in a position where you affect people. Neptune to your Sun or Saturn can bring bouts of depression. However, if you can work against it the depressive cycle, knowing it is temporary, and not something within you or that you did anything wrong, off sets the depressed mood and brings back hope, which defeats depression best. People can come to therapy feeling “lost,” dissociated, or seeking a deeper meaning, and that brings endless opportunities for growth.
7. Nodal Returns & Reversals (specifically for ages 18.5, 37, 55)
It is easy to feel off balance here, and some people are not affected by it. It feels like a need for course correction. These often mark “I need to get back on my path” moments. Clients may feel stuck, off-purpose, or unsure what they want. That is when therapy becomes a compass to find your true north.
In short, your birth chart is like the seed of a tree, holding your unique potential.
Transits are like the seasons; they don’t change what kind of tree you are, but they affect when you grow, shed, bloom, or go inward.
Journal prompts and somatic practices
Journal Prompts for when you are feeling challenged to get serious about a responsibility.
Where in my life am I being called to take responsibility?
What do I feel tired of carrying alone?
Where do I need to set a boundary—even with myself?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Grounded Chair Pose or Mountain Pose – Breathe into your feet. Visualize roots anchoring you in stability as you feel the weight of your body supported by the Earth. Say: “I am capable. I am grounded in truth.”
Journal Prompts for when you are going through a personal transformation.
What am I afraid to feel, name, or lose?
What is being stripped away so something truer can emerge?
What power have I been giving away?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Shake it Out – Stand up and shake your limbs wildly for 1–2 minutes. Let suppressed emotions rise and release through movement. End in stillness with a hand on your heart.
Journal Prompts for overcoming old wounds.
What hurts now that has hurt before?
If this pain had a message, what would it be?
Who would I be if this wound no longer defined me?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Self-Holding or Inner Child Hug – Wrap your arms around yourself. Close your eyes and whisper something kind to the part of you that is hurting.
Journal Prompts for when you are shifting into a new or a more specific purpose.
What emotional season am I in? (beginning, deepening, releasing, preparing?)
What does my heart need more of now?
What rhythms or rituals are calling me?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Lunar Resting Pose – Child’s Pose or Legs-Up-the-Wall. Focus on exhale. Inhale: “I receive.” Exhale: “I soften.”
Journal Prompts for when you are connecting more spiritually.
What truth has come to light recently, even if I didn’t want to see it?
What am I being invited to release—urgently?
Where do I feel the pull of a new path?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Write & Burn – Write down what you’re releasing. Safely burn or bury it. Let it go symbolically, as eclipse energy often requires a fast cut.
Journal Prompts for when you feel lost.
What direction feels more true now than before?
What parts of me want to evolve, even if others don’t understand?
What would happen if I truly trusted the path I’m on?
Somatic Practice:
✨ Walking Meditation – Walk slowly, one step at a time, repeating: “I trust each step.” Let your body feel the truth that your path unfolds in motion, not perfection.
