Why Your Healing is Important

Today I spent half a day in CPR training. Afterwards, I found myself pondering on the importance of this critical procedure, and how it relates to #therapy. Soooo, you're the lucky winner of my inner dialogue! :)

"If the cabin loses pressure, air masks will drop from the ceiling. Please apply the mask to yourself first, and then help your neighbor."

You have probably heard this a thousand times on airplanes, and most people have become immune to it. We fiddle around, playing games on our cell phones. We read books or articles, or maybe we have already sunken into a deep slumber. The flight attendant is diligent, performing the instructions to the passengers as if it's his/her first time, yet very likely praying the flight will not require the use of the air masks since half the people weren't listening. It's a simple process, but it may not be so simple in a moment of chaos.

There is so much truth to this, especially when it comes to #mentalhealth. Sometimes we think #counseling is for everybody else but us. Add to that the mental health stigma, and we find more reasons not to listen to the inner cries for help. We keep ourselves busy because if we sit down for a moment, the feelings and sounds will become deafening and unbearable.

It's hard to tend to others when your inner world is less than calm. It's hard to tend to yourself when you are weighted down with #anxiety, #depression, and #trauma.

But...

If you give yourself permission to listen to that still, small voice inside, maybe you can hear it..."it's okay to apply your mask first. You need CPR."

My role as a #therapist is to provide CPR to you. You see, those things - the memories, the distresses, the worries, the loneliness - all of those things that are held in your neuro network and body require some form of pressure to be released. The techniques used to create the pressure may be in the form of #EMDR, #mindfulness, #CBT, #sandtray, or some other creative tool, but the greatest tool is the #therapeutic #relationship.