This article is reproduced with kind permission from Paula Prober, author and creator of Your Rainforest Mind.
You are used to being a fast learner. You were the first one finished the math assignment and then you had to wait for the other seven-year-olds to catch up. You finished Charlotte’s Web when the other students were still on chapter one. You preferred writing intricate stories while your classmates preferred dodge ball. You could write the essay the night before it was due and still get an “A”. You got used to getting attention (not always positive) for your achievements. And now, you are studying your fifth language. Or running a successful business. Or guiding your friends and family members through their many mishaps and disappointments.
And yet, here you are, in psychotherapy, still struggling to access your emotions, to understand your lack of confidence, to climb out of your depression, or to rid yourself of the negative messages still telling you that you’re lazy and worthless. It doesn’t make sense because learning most things has been a breeze all of your life. Until now.
Do ya get my drift?
And I’m not even including other factors such as schooling, early losses/deaths, illnesses, adoptions, racism, poverty, wars, and so much more. So, can you imagine your healing path would be longer than ten sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy?
OK. Now I’ve got you faklempt, right? So, sorry! But “the wreck” is not where your story ends. You are making the courageous choice to heal. You are saying it stops here. You are wanting a more compassionate, loving, and peaceful life. You are seeking meaning and purpose. You are wanting to contribute to a better world.
And, in case you were wondering, they didn’t break you. They couldn’t. The crystalline structure at your core held fast. Your rainforest mind-heart-soul-spirit saved you. In spite of that early imprint, you did not become them.
But not becoming them is not your end goal. You want more. You know you are here for more. And so, you are in therapy. And you’ve joined a 12-Step group. You have piles of journals. You exercise and eat spinach. You get acupuncture. If you’ve decided to have children, you’ve subscribed to Dr. Becky and you catastrophize a little. OK, a lot. You work on maintaining a sense of humor. You get more therapy. You speak out against injustice. You read books. You talk to Claude. You become a Craftivist. You make art. You search for meaning. You look for career paths that give you a sense of purpose and have a larger impact. You get more therapy.
And so it goes.
Before you know it, you have years of therapy. And you realize the catacombs of your psyche are beautiful and fascinating. You put more of the treasures from the wreck on your mantle. And you begin to notice that your softened heart is whole and pumping full of…what is that? Could it be love?
And you get more therapy.