What if your friends and family knew?
by Brian Curtis, Ph.D.
"This is really difficult for me. You're the first person I've told."
"I've kept this inside for so long. It's like no one even knows the real me."
"What if my friends or family knew?"
The promise of confidentiality is often necessary for us to finally take off our armor. To slide our mask to the side long enough for another human to see us. The REAL us.
Patient-doctor. Therapist-client.
The work of therapy often culminates when our gift of honesty extends from our doctor, our therapist, to the people we love.
This often requires careful consideration. Identifying your values, goals, the most effective way to communicate the secrets we've been so carefully guarding, examining pros/cons of telling another what we've been keeping for so long, coping ahead for the possibility that relationships may change, taking that first step towards a new life unburdened by secrets.
Living a more honest, authentic, connected life with fewer and fewer regrets.
What if they did?
