Our memories don’t necessarily define us in the way we think they do. They are a narrative we have created over many years based on fragmented elements of events, situations, people and activities we have experienced. As with any narrative, we can change it to help us create a better present and future.
I want to write a blog post in response, or rather as a follow-up to my liberation psychology talk that honours a reply I made at the end of it to the questions: “How can we start getting involved in liberation psychologies?” and “If it feels like a lot to take in, how do we start this work?”.
This is how liberation psychologies found me. Humans are not made to remain boxed and static. We are fluid, social, evolving creatures with beating hearts and co-regulating nervous systems. We deserve to live in hope for a better future.
I do not want to deny the inequalities – they exist, and they do harm, abuse and kill people. And I do not say this because they harmed me – as mentioned earlier, I realise I escaped ever so easily. But, I also start to feel that maybe one specific or very few privileged men do not really exist as such, even if some visibly carry that story ever so comfortably.
What if, if we cannot blame them, we are all left displaced here in this time of figuring ourselves out?
Fearing positive emotions is a fairly common symptom for people struggling with their mental health. But why would you fear feeling good?
Counselling may also contain signposting: providing information about other services and sources of support. Supported healing may require collaboration between services, counsellors and GP or school, as well as additional tips for learning more about the challenges we may be facing.
Counselling can support recovery from trauma and other life challenges. It can support healing and improve your mental health. Counselling can also support your wellbeing, growth and resilience. Your counsellor may respectfully help you challenge your unhealthy thinking patterns and habits. They will witness and assist the changes you wish to introduce in your life.
Validation is the key to counselling work. We need to feel validated in a relationship with another human. This, of course, is not always the case in all our relationships, so your counsellor will aim to provide this experience for you.
A huge factor in the success of counselling is the quality of your relationship with your counsellor. Thus, you should feel safe, respected, understood and gradually more open to trusting the counselling process. In counselling, we call this “rapport building”.
Counselling is confidential and safe. Confidentiality means that whatever you share with your counsellor stays in the room. This may help you open up and explore your challenges without judgement or fear that the content of your session will be shared elsewhere.