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Let me get straight to it:
Tennessee has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country.
That should stop all of us in our tracks. But for me, it hits deeper. As a therapist, as a Black woman, and as a mother — this is more than a headline. It’s personal.
I’ve sat with too many women who’ve had to push through postpartum with no support.
I’ve heard the stories of mothers dismissed when they say something doesn’t feel right.
And I’ve lived parts of it myself…
Unique Experiences in Therapy
One thing I hear often as a therapist who works with a lot of queer folks is that they don’t want to have to explain so much in therapy, and I think this is a common experience amongst children of immigrants, as well. Therapists who aren’t children of immigrants might not understand the nuances of how cultural beliefs impact our ideas around “healthy” relationships, and instead label clients as codependent or even delusional when our values don’t align with those of Western ideas of what it means to be well…
Ever heard of the poem by Rumi, “The Guest House?” It metaphorically gives a symbolic view of life’s journey and the circumstances of life that a human can encounter. I remember the first time I heard this poem. It was in 2018 and I was sitting in a chair, circled with my classmates at the ending session in my MBSR certificate program. Out of all the poems and meditations I listened to, this one struck me most. It speaks to the mindfulness principle of acceptance, accepted of the unexpected visitor in life: “A Joy, A Depression, A Meanness, The Dark Thought, The Shame, The Malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in,” states Rumi. In a culture of America, where emotions equate to sensitivity or weakness, we can find ourselves not welcoming difficult emotions and circumstances in life, and suppressing and reacting in a form of distress.
I spent a number of years “collecting data” on how to live. Figuring most things out by trial and error. Making my way the best way I knew how...barely. As I started to get more deliberate about my healing journey and try new things, processes and techniques began to show up and many have proven to be effective in bringing forth clarity and optimizing healing.
