Story-Listening

I am a therapist. I listen to stories all day. Listening to stories is not only my job, but my passion and my calling. Stories of pain, fear, sadness, anger, guilt, and shame. I listen to these stories and I give my best to the courageous individuals who entrust me. I've been a therapist for 13 years now, yet each story and teller is so unique and special.

As a child, I loved listening to stories told by my parents. My mother loved sharing classic literature stories, and my father preferred stories of village life and Hindu legends. When I was a teen, I loved creating stories in my mind, fantasies of love and life beyond my small suburban town. And as an adult I wrote stories, mostly case studies based on my field experiences in graduate school, but stories, nonetheless. Now as a mom of two young and curious boys, I am constantly reading stories of beloved characters, animals, and superheroes.

But a story in the therapy room is a different kind of story. An intimate story, a vulnerable story, a story that holds a lot of weight. A story of strength and resilience. I feel moved to my core when a client entrusts me with their story. I understand the courage it takes to tell your story, and I honor that courage when it is shared with me. I believe that telling a story can serve a purpose. The purpose can be to impart knowledge to another, to share an idea or hope, or to let go of a once heavy burden. Telling your story can also serve to heal yourself, heal your mind, and heal your soul. This is a blog about that journey towards healing from the perspective of not just a therapist, but as a human. A human who understands the courage it takes to tell your story.