Perhaps it’s the oxytocin making me gushy after so many hours Havening with clients recently, but I balled like a baby at the Wicked movie this week! Have you been? It was so lovely to see it with my daughter, we had the theatre to ourselves as we gasped and sobbed. This was us, wordless, when it ended.
My goodness, there was so much rich subject matter for a therapist, or really anyone with a beating heart. Where to begin?
Oppressive systems targeting and scapegoating the marginalised?
The way we can focus our power when we are grounded and clear?
The way people of colour and those experiencing discrimination still carry the burden of advocating for themselves?
The moments of connection and humanity that can be both brutal and beautiful; brutiful as Glennon Doyle says.
The breathtaking – actually – I felt like I couldn’t breathe – vocals of Cynthia Eriva?
My daughter’s deep ache at being seen, as a woman and a performer of colour, in the glorious diversity of this film?
It made me feel like the arts will save us.
The part that made me sob from my gut though (no spoilers I promise) was when Elpheba saw her younger self and she drew strength from her. The connection and love for that little girl enabled her to fly.
There is so much healing that’s possible in connecting to our younger parts. What can they tell us about how we’re feeling today? What we can learn by being curious about how young we were when we first felt the things that trigger us?
And beautifully, with compassion, we can learn to care for them rather than judging our reactions. As Cynthia (who plays Elphaba) says through tears, here, we can make that connection and say, Come With Me, We’re Ok Now.
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SUMMER HOURS
My last day for the year will be the 21st December and I’m all booked until then apart from a few ad hoc spots here and there. I’ll be back on the 7th Jan.
You can make a time for a beautifully relaxing SOMA Session in Jan&Feb here if you like. These started this week, I’m offering them over summer and I’m calling them a massage for your nervous system.
If you’d like to make a counselling appointment online or in-person in Marrickville, you can book in here.
You can also find me at The Religious Trauma Collective and on Substack
Warmly,
Jane
