Relationships are very important for our wellbeing. If we have been impacted by loss and / or trauma we might not be able to connect to others at all, or not in a healthy way. We might not have learnt to trust ourselves or others, nor may we know what a healthy relationship actually means or is. We might be too busy to fulfil the needs of others or what we think they need. The saying ‘that people will treat you as you treat yourself’ is for me an essential one and highlights an important reality that is often missed. It is important to develop a relationship to oneself so that one is able to communicate one’s own needs and wants, as well as developing the ability to hear them in the other people, be it a partner, family member, friend, or even a colleague. It is about feeling equal to others and not superior nor inferior.
A therapeutic relationship can help with looking at all the other relationships that you have in your life and the relationship you have to yourself. It might help with untangling feelings of self-worth, neediness, fear and anxiety around relationships you have. It is possible to change and to have healthy people in your life who actually care about you.