Pace: Why Timing Matters More Than Speed
Following the Signal, Not the Script
Pace: Why Timing Matters More Than Speed
Some people worry therapy will be slow.
Others worry it will move too fast.
Both concerns make sense.
But pace in therapy isn’t about speed.
It’s about alignment.
Real work doesn’t happen because it’s rushed.
And it doesn’t deepen because it’s dragged out.
It moves when the timing fits what’s actually happening in the room.
Pace Is Observed, Not Imposed
Every session has a rhythm.
Sometimes emotion spikes.
Sometimes clarity lands quickly.
Sometimes resistance appears.
Sometimes things settle.
Good work tracking that.
If something sharp surfaces, we follow it.
If something stabilises, we allow it to settle.
If something repeats, we examine it.
The pace adjusts to the signal.
Not to a model.
Not to a script.
Not to a fixed timeline.
Faster Isn’t Always Deeper
Some clients move quickly. Insight lands, patterns become obvious, and decisions form sooner than expected.
Others need repetition before something fully integrates. Not because they’re slow, but because the system protects what feels vulnerable.
Both are normal.
Speed doesn’t measure progress.
Clarity does.
Sometimes a single interruption shifts years of confusion.
Sometimes the same point needs revisiting before it holds under pressure.
The pace is shaped by what’s real, not what looks impressive.
When I Interrupt
There are moments when conversation needs to be slowed.
And moments when it needs to be cut through.
Interruption isn’t confrontation.
It’s recalibration.
It might look like:
Pausing a narrative that’s looping
Redirecting attention to what just shifted
Naming a pattern while it’s happening
Bringing focus back to what matters
Without interruption, sessions can drift.
With too much force, they can overwhelm.
The work is in reading that edge accurately.
What Progress Looks Like Across Time
Some changes land immediately.
Others integrate quietly over weeks.
Occasionally, something discussed months earlier suddenly becomes usable in real time.
That doesn’t mean the earlier sessions failed. It means timing matters.
The mind understands before the nervous system fully trusts.
The insight arrives before the behaviour stabilises.
Pace respects that sequence.
Why This Matters
If therapy moves too slowly, it can feel stagnant.
If it moves too aggressively, it can feel destabilising.
The aim isn’t to accelerate or delay.
It’s to stay responsive.
Responsive to:
emotional intensity
cognitive clarity
resistance
readiness
When pace is aligned, sessions feel alive but steady.
Not frantic.
Not flat.
Plainly Stated
I don’t follow a fixed speed.
I follow the signal.
If something needs depth, I go there.
If something needs to be interrupted, I interrupt.
If something needs repetition, I repeat.
The pace adjusts until clarity holds.
Not because time passed,
But because it is integrated.
That’s when movement is real.