As we’ve learned, sometimes, you’ve got to… Do It Yourself

IN today’s world, we swim in an alphabet soup of therapeutic modalities. Having a problem with shalom bayis? Want to finally confront a childhood trauma? Are you simply overwhelmed by the many challenges that rush at us in our overheated, uber-stimulated world? You can try CBT, DBT, NLP, EMDR or — according to a list we found on Google — another 24 different therapy abbreviations.

So many varied ways to help us cope with challenges — but they have one thing in common. If you want to be healed, if you want to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your relationships, and your place in the world — you’ll have to do the work. Yes, therapists (and rabbanim and rebbetzins and coaches and mentors and even dear friends) can offer counsel, advice, insights, and  gentle guidance. But for real change and true healing to happen, your “therapist” must be... you.

With that in mind, we Sisters propose to add another abbreviation to the list: DIY — Do It Yourself — Therapy. It can happen in a classroom, when a writing assignment finally allows a young girl to confront a nightmare. In a shivah home, with a curious mix of laughter and tears. And even on an airplane, when Murphy’s law seems to hijack the flight, and everything that can go wrong, does.

We Sisters salute and celebrate mental health professionals for their dedication and expertise. But as we’ve learned, sometimes, you’ve got to… Do It Yourself.