See Me

I started seeing a Psychologist about 4 months ago. Mental Health is a touchy subject. We know how to deal with legs that are on fire. Throw water, or smother in a blanket if it is from oil. We know how to deal with visiting people in the hospital, or how to bring soup to people in bed. The difference with Mental Health is you aren't really 'sick', you are human.

Being a human is hard. 'Nothing is either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so' said Bill. I half agree... We can perceive the world in any way we want. We create our realities, but there are tools to help us create healthily. These tools are useful for people who are healthy already. They aren't just available to us when we break.

I have these kinds of conversations with close friends too. There is a subtle difference though. The focus for this hour is me. It isn't a dance. I do most of the speaking, and I am making no effort to 'keep the balance'. Friendships are normally based on mutual interest. No one likes someone who just speaks about themselves. We are interested in people who are interested in us.

On a regular basis, here is another human being trying to 'see me' without any other agenda. She asks questions about what is important to me. She asks questions about who I care about. She asks questions about what has happened to me, and how I responded. How I would like to respond. What world I would like my thinking to make so. Gently. Gradually. Deeply. 

Much of the way we respond isn't conscious. It is deep soaked. Our knowledge is 'Tacit'... we can't always explain what we know, and what we think we know. I am finding it really helpful to have another set of eyes and ears to dive into that with me. To understand the things I can. To let go, with confidence, of the things I can't.

You don't have to be sick to look after yourself. You don't have to do life alone.

You don't have to snap