This article was published at the Huffington Post (on the Psyched in SF blog), focusing on the question of what happens if we only trust Love, and how “trusting” is different than “hearing.” It’s meant as a quick sketch of the terrain, and idea that is certainly not new, but nonetheless remains as radical as when proposed by any of the greats.
Love and fear do not cohabitate very easily. Love can look on fear, as on a scared child, with acceptance and compassion. But, usually when a person is in the throes of depression or anxiety, they’re in a place of fear, and fear is pretty much just interested in survival, in fighting or fleeing. Not loving.
(This is an account of a fictionalized client, whose traits are drawn from many individuals.)
My new client, Toni, had the classic signs of an ongoing depression: she was sleeping more than usual, she ate too little, and she lay in bed many mornings trying to talk herself into getting up and starting her day. Her world looked bleak and dark; as an artist, she was particularly aware of how colors were washed out and her sense of space was flattened. And, most painfully, her relationship with her boyfriend felt dry and unsatisfying.
