raditionally men in
American culture have
not been taught how
to express their emotions appropriately or effectively. Men have been discouraged from sharing their feelings and dismissing their emotions. The messages have been; real men don’t express emotions, boys don’t cry, sensitivity is a sign of weakness, boys have to be tough, never let them see you cry, and so on. These types of messages strip away a man’s humanness by robbing him of the ability to tap into his feelings and experience himself as an emotional being. Many of my male clients have shared that they have never been told by their fathers, “I love you.” Many reported having never seen or experienced affection from their fathers; a hug, pat on the back, loving caress, high five, no physical contact.
There are numerous research studies about the benefits of human touch on brain development and overall emotional well-being.
Psychologists also agree that
what is not expressed externally
will manifest internally.
Suppressing your emotions
like men have been taught for centuries is unhealthy for you. Greater value needs to be
placed on the importance of emotional expression, that it is
vital to survival and necessary to guide your human experience.
So how do we change the
narrative and give men
permission to feel their feelings
and express their emotions in a healthy way. I would like to offer
6 reasons why therapy for men is beneficial to the emotional wellbeing of all.
T
Photo Credit Nik Shuliahin