Dear Society,
As I continue my personal journey through therapy, I realize the importance more and more each and every day. While I’ve been in the practice of the traditional route of therapy, I’ve found other means of therapy to continue this growth of my well-being as well.
Within the black community, it is without being said that mental health is typically an afterthought. However, we have unknowingly found a therapeutic vice in other means.
Music, cooking, fitness. I find that these are the most common “outlets” to let our guards down and to feel a sense of a true safe space. Personally, music has always been a form of therapy for me. Singing my heart out, finding tunes, and relating to lyrics, are all vices to mend emotional needs.
Recently I’ve paired this unconventional method of therapy with the “traditional” practice of working with a therapist. At the start of this journey, I understood more than ever why my community turned to the other means of therapy mentioned above. The reasoning for this was one of many reasons. For starters, not too many therapists I got in touch with could relate to me in a cultural way. This is far more important than it may seem. If I am seeking assistance for a challenge that is more than likely brought on by society, I would only feel comfortable opening up to someone who not only understands but also can relate. Also, the financial means needed in order to partake in therapy. Finally, but nowhere near least, the stigma within the community of weakness associated with any outreach to others for assistance with your emotional or psychological well-being.
However, as I overcame the challenges of finding a therapist best for me and began to work with them, I found the sweet spot with balancing it with my therapy found in music as well as in writing to truly participate in and grow from a journey.
For many reasons, the traditional route of therapy may not fit seamlessly with you. However, I encourage all within my community to find your means of therapy to heal, grow, learn, and most importantly, evolve into a community that has overcome societal challenges.
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