Seeing the Humanity Behind Every Story

As a retired Mental Health Therapist, I would look for the humanity behind each and every story, and I would usually find it. People who are hurting need to be listened to and respected for the strength they’ve cultivated in living out their story or pain or presenting issues of concern, i.e., why they are in therapy.

Therapy provides a way to unmask issues and get to the problems they are addressing.

Every story or narrative represents a piece of someone’s life and emotions. Every person I met carried with them more than just facts, but also experiences, aspirations, hopes and dreams, and emotions. It is essential that a therapist listens beyond words and hears and sees more than the pain in their voice and the emotions on their face. Unhappiness is most often there, and I would try to be respectful as I aided them in unwrapping their pain.

Recognizing our humanity in self and in others assists the therapist to be more sensitive to motivations and offers an emotional level on which to communicate. 

To see someone and understand their situation is the goal of understanding multifaceted individuals. 

When listening to a friend/client, it is important to have empathy. This means to put yourself in the other’s situation and try to feel their emotions in order to understand more deeply. This fosters authentic listening skills and deepens the confidential bond that exists between therapist and client. It is a privilege to see the humanity in another and hear their story; it is a privilege to be trusted with another’s emotions, and it is a privilege to walk their path with them as they move from excruciating pain to pain that can be carried by two, i.e., friends/therapist & client and then by one. 

And remember, in His hands we live.

Shalom-shalom!

Kristin Gedstad