Offering sustenance and strength

I wanted to explore two quotations today that speak to me of the work of #psychotherapy and how it can help clients to heal. The first is from Richard Rohr, a priest who advocates for experiencing ourselves directly and having compassion for the marginalised, both inside ourselves and for others:

"So many of us carry a kind of unspoken assumption that something is very, very wrong with us, that we're damaged, guilty and unloveable...acknowledging and accepting our fundamental nobility is the ultimate paradigm shift."

It is indeed, understanding our essential nature is a big move, and its a game changer. We all have our challenges, our idiosyncrasies, our drawbacks and vulnerabilities. Do they make us damaged? Or unloveable? Need we feel guilty for who we are? No to all of those. Direct, honest looking is key, judgement, less useful.

On to the second quote, from Brene Brown, a researcher focused on courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. She says:

"Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship."

If I wanted to write a sentence about what psychotherapy offers, I could not have done better. It is that sense of valuing, of exchange without judgement, of offering sustenance and strength that is the very stuff that enables people to heal from the awful self judgements that Rohr talks of. It's not always quick, meaningful relationships take time to build, and trust is not healthy if its built without foundations, but a therapeutic relationship can offer a way to heal and to gradually transfer relational skills, assumptions and beliefs out into the day to day lived experiences and relationships of the client.

If you are suffering the kinds of self-judgement that Rohr references, psychotherapy may be for you. To explore this further, get in touch at fejrobinson@gmail.com, or call confidentially on 01325 790495.

#therapy #shame #