"That was my family's unspoken rule: some wounds are better left unacknowledged, buried deep inside."

"That was my family's unspoken rule: some wounds are better left unacknowledged, buried deep inside."

For some people, making an appointment with a mental health provider may be a personal and independent decision. For others, the decision to seek therapy services may be influenced by their culture or community, as each culture has its own understanding, interpretation, and beliefs about mental health symptoms.

In many cultures, negative stigma about mental health symptoms or therapy services is a major obstacle to getting professional help.

For Asian American and Middle Eastern American communities, cultural beliefs that seeking mental health treatment will bring shame and dishonor to the family leads some people to internalize their symptoms instead of seeking therapy.

Many Asian American children have described feeling pressured to appear perfect and successful, and therefore keep their symptoms secret.

As an Indian woman, I can relate to not wanting to ask for help. I was told, "We don't tell strangers about our problems." 

I even felt the stigma when I changed my profession from lawyer to healer/coach.

Now, in my work with women who are on a healing journey, when a fellow "we don't talk about these things" client comes through my doors, I know it was a BOLD step to reach out to me. I am deeply committed to holding a safe space for others starting down the Path to evolving and healing.

Life transforms dramatically when we learn to let ourselves feel pain.

But whether or not you work with someone through this process or go it alone, trust that your efforts to make contact with your pain will lead you down the path toward healing. And not only will you heal, you’ll also strengthen your ability to face life courageously and open-heartedly, knowing you can handle whatever comes your way.

So, when a client of mine (Crystal), told me she was recently published in Pop Sugar talking about her healing journey...I was THRILLED to see her feel so open and vulnerable about her journey. 

With Crystal's permission, I share her courageous story:

Hypnotherapy Helped Me Reconcile Growing Up as an Outsider in America

Thank you Crystal for pouring your heart out. The healing relationship is sacred, and I am honored to be holding a Light on your Path. Your evocative writing shows your Emmy nomination!

Crystal Bui is an Emmy-nominated Vietnamese American news reporter who's covered some of the biggest stories in the last decade, including George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis and the deadly Atlanta spa shootings where eight people, including six Asian women, were killed. She is the author of "More to Tell," a memoir published in 2023 that became an Amazon bestseller.