metonymy4u

Emotional vulnerability is a series of experiences that involve having more emotions than the average person. It’s not just that we are more sensitive, but that our emotions are actually incredibly painful and last a really long time! On top of that, the world, because it often doesn’t understand the nature of emotional pain, tries to tell us that our emotions aren’t real, aren’t realistic, and shouldn’t be the way they are. So we spend much of our lives trying to live down our emotional experiences, shut them off, ignore them or banish them from existence. This of course just makes the situation worse. The good news is that one smart, brave, kind and generous woman, Dr. Marsha Linehan, figured out what was happening to her and all of us with similar experiences, and found a path to recovery. As for a severely burned child, the road is long and difficult. But long before the end is reached, a new way of life is discovered– involving the understanding, and the cessation, of suffering. Also like a severe burn, at times there is just too much damage to the body for some people to ultimately recover from. Even with all her skill, Marsha herself has met people who were not ultimately able to recover, despite their best efforts. And we know they were doing their best at all times! What this means is that, in addition to helping those who have been burned, we also need to work twice as hard to prevent the injuries in the first place. And thankfully, in extending this work to teens and families, clinicians have already seen courses diverted that most certainly would have ended in needless pain. There is no doubt whatsoever that what we have learned in the past 20 years has changed the official view of severe emotional suffering, and thereby changed the world. Can you just imagine what the next 20 years will bring?