Earlier this week, I was trying to tell a health practitioner what I was feeling in my body.
And, true to how they've responded to me in the past, they proceeded to show me why what I'm feeling isn't actually what's happening.
*cue my huge over-it eye roll*
It can feel so deflating to have a provider dismiss, invalidate, or simply not believe you.
And even though I expected nothing different from this person (and thankfully it will be one of my last times interacting with them), it still felt so defeating.
Can you relate?
Have you had similar interactions with health providers (or loved ones), where you don't feel heard or believed?
It can be so hard to explain what only you can sense internally in your body. That alone takes so much energy, and then when it ends up feeling like the person you're talking to can't (or refuses to) understand what you took time to put into words...whew, just not fun.
And also...
When you have a provider who listens, who tries to understand, who doesn't dismiss and who validates all of your maybe strange, sometimes seemingly unexplainable internal experiences...
...it can feel like a weight is lifted.
Even when those problems you've just expressed aren't immediately resolved, working with someone who says "Yes, what you're feeling is real" can make such a huge difference in the process of getting to where you want to be with your body.
I've experienced the range of provider relationships, and I know how they've impacted my healing, in both good and less good ways.
If you've been going through some stuff with your body that has been hard to explain, or that's been invalidated by other people, please know that you deserve a space that is yours, where you can:
take the time to put words to your body's messages
be received with compassion and care
feel validated and not be told that what you're feeling isn't real
get a better understanding about what your body is feeling through a supportive partnership
Often, our body's messages can be complex, and the way through is not always quick and simple. But when you have a space dedicated to you and your process, the load may feel lighter, the end results more possible.
TL;DR: Practitioners (or any people) who dismiss and invalidate you are energy-suckers, and you deserve spaces and people who support you, validate you, and honor each and every message your body is communicating to you.What you're feeling is real.