There is a you
telling you another story of you.
Listen to her.Where do you feel
anxiety in your body?
The chest? The fist? The dream before waking?
The head that feels like it’s at the top of the swing
or the clutch of gut like falling
& falling & falling and falling
It knows something: you’re dying.
Try to stay alive.”Pádraig Ó Tuama’s “How to be Alone”
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqjezunjhSykPh49Lg8CWHULQ6_JWp5A8“
There is a you
Telling another story of you.
Listen to her
What is she telling you? How can you tend to her?
My therapy practice often seems to be oriented to these two beautiful questions. Life experiences, lack of attunement, trauma, racism and oppression, and social norms layer so many barriers, to listening, really listening to the wisdom that is inside of all of us. In my experience, learning to listen takes practice, and the development of safety be with whatever distressing thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise. Slowly, slowly, through this practice, we learn self-compassion, and the ability to gently meet whatever we may be experiencing
