This story was inspired by many of my patients who are exceptionally talented, bright, and genuinely good people, but they see themselves as losers, loners, or just feel beaten down.  They grew up in either hypercritical families, or negative environments, where their self-confidence was eroded and their talents were not nurtured, or they experienced themselves as different from their peers because of their intelligence, disability, race, height, alternative way of perceiving the word.  In some way, they did not feel that they fit in. As adults, they tend to see themselves as a plow horse, simply plodding through life, trying to get by. They go to work, come home, do their chores, go to sleep, and then wake up to do the same thing over again. In order to survive in a world that rewards conformity, these individuals are trying to fit in. When they seek psychotherapy, they often complain of depression and anxiety. They experience life in shades of grey rather than in color. Joy is minimal. Within a short time, I often recognize that behind the lackluster presentation lives a vibrant, talented, creative, bright, and often gifted individual. It is that individual I try to reach and help emerge.  This story is dedicated to all the plow horses within which lies the thoroughbred. (more…)