I heal when I hear someone else’s story because I can see myself in the story without having to feel defensive.

Whenever you tell your own story, someone will be healed by hearing it.

And it doesn’t matter what your story is. Anorexia, depression, hallucinations, alcoholism, addiction, abusive relationships, prison time, financial failure, divorce, suicidal thoughts. As long as it is your own story. And it doesn’t matter whether you tell it as a cry for help, an uplifting tale of recovery, or a simple statement that you feel terrible today.

As long as you tell your story without blaming anyone (including yourself), your story will show someone, somewhere, that they are not alone. Your story will show someone that they can stop feeling ashamed, they can stop keeping secrets, and they can start to tell their own truth. And their own truth is the beginning of their own power and their own freedom.

Who will be healed? No way to know. The person who gets healed might be the one who is the least like you, because your story won’t provoke defensiveness. It may be the person who is most like you, because they will see themselves in your telling.

Our stories are our power and our freedom.