I’m seeing an interesting phenomenon in my office. Not that it hasn’t always been present, but the influx is undeniable.
Whereas many people think therapy is for people who don’t have things figured out, I have always seen my clients as ahead of the game. What is defined as a ‘mental health’ issue is actually the awareness and discomfort of incongruence. The inside doesn’t match the outside, whether within themselves or those around them. This creates all the symptoms of any mental health diagnosis. Spin the DSM roulette wheel and you can find yourself in one or more of the symptoms of incongruence. All people who walk into therapy are seeking congruence.
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Let’s do this! 🙂
I’ve always had another kind of client that would walk into my office, and these are the ones who have been in greater numbers of late. I recognize them almost immediately. It is those who have always had congruence, even as a young child, and have been bewildered, saddened, hardened by what they have experienced around them. These are the people who have always been walking in their integrity - the definition of congruence. The ones who had the clarity all along, the clear seeing that others around them seemed to avoid, intentionally or unintentionally. They are already a Tall Tree of Truth that has watched people try to chop them down, trim their branches, cover them in vines, whether out of fear or shame. They are often confused by, yet dedicated to, the unnegotiable realization that real truth always brings a loss with it and they do not bow to fear of loss. They walk into my office with defiance wrapped in gentleness, courage wrapped in love, and grief wrapped in faith.
All they need from me is a clearing. Validation of what is illusion and what is Truth. Encouragement to not only show, but decorate their scars. Permission to rip the vines off of them. And a firm order to grow as big and as tall as they can so that they must be seen, whether others like it or not.
I’ve had the privilege over the years of watching so many clients who had sunk into illusions claw their way out of it and into integrity, truth, and the empowerment of ‘mental healthiness.’ While it is so rewarding and such an honor to bear witness to, this influx of those already aware and simply needing validation and permission has been incredibly uplifting and a bit, daresay, spiritual and magical. Both are powerful in their empowerment.
I didn’t become a therapist to have a thriving practice with my name on a door, to be an expert on the mystery of the human mind, and certainly not to get rich (I would have stayed in mortgage and banking all those years back!). I became a therapist to work myself out of a job. I have always known we needed more healed people walking amongst us, and if that could be achieved, we would be healing for one another every day everywhere. We would be modeling congruence, fostering integrity, and capable of being a healer for ourselves and others.
For those of you bewildered and battle-worn but still standing tall and firm, I see you. You’ve got good company that is entering the crowd. Trust your truth, trust your exponential power to love, trust your courage to let things fall away as needed, and trust your voice.
For those that still seem mystified by the idea of feeling congruent, I am here to tell you it is not only possible, but astounding in its reward brought to every area of your life.
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