Ode to Therapy

I don’t understand how we’re all still functioning.  It’s kind of amazing.  To be sure, many of us can run out of fingers enumerating all our blessings and yet there’s still something….  Life feels pent up.  People seem wound tight.  Parents with kids at home are stressed.  Friends and family are so missed it’s heart wrenching.  The guilt of knowing we’re fortunate and not just happy with our circumstances.  Life as we know it, for many of us, has been turned on its head for nearly a year.  And technically will never be the same again because the metaphorical river of life we stood in a second ago is already a different river then the one we stand in now.  

In the midst of all this life happening for the last year I’ve gone back to working with my beloved psychotherapist.  I need help juggling my inner life.  I know I’m not alone.  The demand for psychotherapy has been on the rise throughout the pandemic. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation comparing the number of adults who reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in 2019 to 2020, “... in the first half of 2019, just over one in ten adults (11%) reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosable anxiety or depressive disorder. By July 2020, however, that number had skyrocketed to 40%.”

During my first session with my psychotherapist she had to remind me, “I am here. I am available to you,” because everything in me was resisting her help even though I knew I needed it and was there for it.  I was hardcore resisting my own vulnerability because I’ve been trying to hold myself together through all this, greater than whatever was our normal, uncertainty.  I was resisting opening the floodgates because I was afraid whatever came out wouldn’t end and I wouldn’t be able to pull myself together again.  

I admit all this not because I’m touting my humanity my Brene Brown moment but because I went into my next massage session humbled by the experience.  “Therapy” has taken on a whole new meaning.  Therapy is the Act of Receiving, by all participants, whether it’s massage therapy, psychotherapy or physical therapy.  When one receives therapy they’re giving too.  There’s an interdependence in the relationship.  My psychotherapist is changed by our experience.  She knows she has affected me in a profoundly positive way that gives me greater capacity to help others and makes me more available to my family, friends and you. 

In the same vein, Mahalo Massage NYC is here today because of our relationship with our clients and the work we do together.  When our clients come to us for massage therapy we are changed.  We feel gratitude and are honored by those entrusting us with their well-being.  We get to practice our craft which over time lets us get better and better at it.

Thank you for supporting Mahalo Massage NYC. 

If you’re struggling these days, please seek professional help/therapy by those qualified to provide it.  It’s not just for you but also for everyone fortunate enough to know you.  Be Well.

Thank you for reading.