- Anastasia Piatakhina Giré
Look at me!
Many people struggle to fully meet their therapist’s eyes at the beginning. Particularly those who are shy or introverted. The warmth, care, interest or love that we may perceive in a therapist’s compassionate gaze may seem “too much” or even unbearable for many who missed or never received it from their original caretakers. Rachel was my first therapy client totally unable to tolerate the eye contact during a session. The first time we met, this lack of eye contact made me sense her anxiety; she looked like a captured bird, scared and ready to fly away at the first occasion. I thought she would not come back for another session, but she eventually did.