Girls and Healing

I just discovered this website. And I think it's brilliant. There's something about voicing your deepest darkest secrets and bringing the darkness to light that is so healing and so therapeutic. When that which is dark and shameful, and embarrassing is brought to the forefront and the world does not fall down around us, or does, then healing can begin. I love it. And on a website like this where you can learn from the experiences of others, or relate to them and realize you are not alone, its great.

I've recently began to realize the magnitude of the way women view themselves. In our society women of every age, little girls, teenagers, young adult women, middle-aged women, moms, grandmas, and everything in between are never pretty enough, smart enough, do enough, are enough. I'm so lucky that I grew up in "realistic" family. I always knew there were certain things I wasn't great at. But I also knew that it didn't matter. Regardless of whether I was as thin as kids at school thought I should be, I could be happy. I was still going to grow up and be successful and be a good person. Regardless of whether I was as smart as was expected of me, I was still going to do just fine.

I've always known I have flaws, but I am not flawed.

Girls today are not given that message. When you have flaws, you can get rid of them or improve on them. When you are flawed, it is just the way it is and it can't be fixed. My family somehow gave me the message that there is always room for improvement, but you are not your weaknesses, and you can be happy and confident along the road of growth.

And, as a side note: Healing is so powerful. This might sound weird and maybe its a therapist thing, maybe its a human thing, but I think you can feel when healing is happening for others. For example, when I opened the website listed above I literally felt healing flow out of the screen. Or when I walk past the doors of therapy rooms, from time to time, through the door I can feel the power of what is happening inside. Having felt this makes me want so badly to be a great therapist. I just don't know how to be one yet. I'm trying, but it's so forced. I don't know how to help people heal. But I want to. Maybe I'm taking the wrong approach on this. Any thoughts?