Just in case you haven’t heard the story of “The Drowning Man”, let me fill you in. So there was this man stranded on his roof while historic flood waters were steadily rising. A man in a rowboat comes by and yells, “I can save you! Jump in!” The stranded man yells back, “Go on! God will save me!” A helicopter flies overhead and lowers a rope. The pilot calls down, “Climb up and I’ll fly you to safety,” to which the stranded guy shouts, “I’ve prayed to God and I have faith that he will save me!” Finally, the water rises too high for the stranded man to withstand, and he drowns. He makes it to heaven and upon meeting God he points out, “I prayed and had faith that you would save me, but you let me drown.” God responds, “I sent a servant in a rowboat and one in a helicopter. Why didn’t you accept my help?”
Don’t bypass the emotional aid and therapy you need because of mis-information about what faith actually is. Therapists aren’t trying to get in your business. We want you to be able to release the burdens you don’t have to carry. We want you to be able to heal from emotional abuse, low expectations, pain, and stress, so you can wake up and actually feel like stepping out into the world.
You’ve been type-casted as a person who should be able to scrape his knee as a child and get up without so much as a flinch, but that’s not normal emotional response. You wouldn’t deny yourself your natural bodily waste elimination. You know you need to let that sh*t out or quite literally, die! It’s the same with the emotional expression of fear, pain, shame, and sadness. Holding your negative emotions in has literally been destroying your quality of life. I would venture to say that the majority of Black men committing homicide (top leading cause of death for adolescent and young adult Black men) and suicide (3rd leading cause of death for the same age group) suffer from depression, anxiety, and unhealed emotional wounds which shows up as anger, aggression, and hostility toward themselves and others. Church is a great institution for building faith amongst other things, but therapy should not be overlooked. Here are the reasons why:
- You are assured the safety of confidentiality in therapy. That’s legal talk for we could lose our livelihood for disclosing your information. (Unless you’re sharing plans to kill someone, yourself, or disclose abuse toward children, elderly, or assistance-dependent individuals.)
- You are most likely going to see someone who understands therapy from the viewpoint of the chair and the sofa. Most therapists have been to therapy themselves, so we get how you feel.
- You can ugly cry with us. We actually want to see your vulnerability, and you won’t make us uncomfortable by showing that side.
- You won’t be judged or told to repent. Any recommendations are based on what you can identify as working for or against you.
- You’ll gain insight. Therapists understand that even the worse behaviors are enforced with some type of reward. You can figure out where your incentives come from and find ways to empower or eliminate them based on what’s working for and against you.
- Your self-esteem will grow. When you’re able to share difficult things about your life and receive validation, your confidence increases.
- You’ll begin to attract the right people and things into your life. As you work through old pains and sabotaging behaviors, you naturally transform into a better version of yourself, seeking and accepting likewise.
- You’ll be better able to repair meaningful relationships. With a more positive and resilient outlook on life, those meaningful and healthy relationships can be repaired and better honored by you.
- You’ll feel proud that you had the courage to pursue your growth and healing.
- You’ll be able to enjoy and experience life more fully. Chronic emotional pain blocks our ability to experience life in a way that brings peace.
Still don’t believe the hype? Try it for yourself. 100% of my first timers re-book, and of those, 85% actually end the session with a smile and say something to the effect of “That wasn’t so bad.”
Pursue the optimal life and allow me to quarterback you toward your personal goals for growth!
Contact me today!