Why ‘safe and seen’?

Being safe and feeling seen or understood are two fundamental human needs, yet many people find themselves in environments where they have to choose between being themselves, and being safe. Many have not had the opportunity to discover who they are and what they value.

Perhaps love was conditional on meeting others' expectations, on fitting in. Perhaps caregivers were not available in the way you needed. Perhaps you were punished for expressing yourself, and you learnt to disconnect from your spontaneous ways of being. This makes it so we struggle to trust, and to allow even safe others to get close to us. It's very isolating, and it can make the world feel even more overwhelming.

I believe it's possible to reconnect with who we are and how we feel, to better discern who is safe and who is not, and to practice ways of relating which allow us to connect with others in safer, more fulfilling ways. My hope is for a society in which more of us can feel both safe and seen.