Dare to be witnessed™

The woman who did not hold you now expects you to hold her.

You send the money. You take the call. You always show up for the mother who often did not show up for you and you do it without public complaint because complaining would make you the ungrateful one. It would make you a bad daughter.

Everyone tells you how strong you are. No one asks how you are. I’m not talking about the “how are you?” that people ask out of courtesy. I’m talking about the inquiry into your well-being that is rooted in genuine curiosity and care.

You have not told your truth to anyone in years. The last time you tried, they changed the subject or insinuated that you couldn’t possibly have anything going on because you’ve made it. You have the money, the designer bags, and the corporate job that makes it all possible. So you stopped expecting to be seen and started settling for abandonment. Now you describe your own life the way a reporter describes a stranger's — evenly, competently, and from a safe distance. You’ve become hardened because you have learned that vulnerability always leads to violation. Your soul is suffering.

What you call your financial and emotional generosity to a woman who did not mother you is not the embodiment of a dutiful daughter. It is a trauma response. That ends today, if you allow it.

To be seen and to be witnessed are two different experiences. Schedule a therapy consultation to learn the difference.