From the author: A case from practice. To maintain confidentiality, the client's name and some information have been changed. Let me share with you a vivid memory from my practice. Several years ago, when I was still working in a state hospital, a frail, short girl appeared at the door of my office. Let's call her Olga. She was brought to the acute department after a suicide attempt, then referred to me. The session lasted 90 minutes, during which time I heard the difficult story of her childhood. About how her parents divorced when she was 7 years old, how her mother often entered into unsuccessful relationships, about the lack of friends due to frequent moves, about poor performance at school... In her family it was not customary to talk about feelings, she had no right to her opinion and had to be obedient. I was terribly afraid of upsetting my mother, because I was afraid that she would be abandoned. She always felt unnecessary, worthless, bad. She did most of the talking, and then there were tears and pain from realizing reality. Exhausted, tired, wiping away tears, she looked at me pleadingly. I already had a picture of my inner child, this beautiful girl, inside me. Olga joined my psychotherapy group, where she received support and a positive feeling from a friendly community. Soon she overcame depression and her relationship with her mother improved, but for a long time we worked on the fears of making a mistake, of being “wrong.” Gradually she realized that she could be herself and follow her own desires. Doing it “as it should” does not mean becoming better, it is the path to destroying yourself. I stopped being afraid of the questions “What do you want?” and no longer asks “What should I do?” Six months passed before I saw the spark of life in her eyes. I am grateful to everyone I meet in my practice, to every client, for the opportunity to touch your worldview. Your successes are so important and so heartwarming. I am ready to be there, listen, give feedback. Accept. If you recognize yourself and your friends, I recommend turning to a specialist for help. Or has something gone wrong in your life that might be worth reconsidering and starting to change? Right now... You just need to start. Don't forget to click "say thank you"" :)