Therapy Alliance

Reflection on Father’s Day 2021

On Father’s Day we pay tribute to, and express gratitude for the role that fathers play in our lives. However, for many people, Father’s Day or Mother’s Day can be difficult and triggering because of loss, or a complex relationship that may have included abandonment or abuse.

Damaging patterns are often passed from fathers to children (frequently sons) and become a sort of generational legacy. Perhaps one of the most iconic father-son relationships in popular culture is Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars Trilogy. The protagonist Luke, can sense the presence of Vader, the evil galactic overlord, in his very core, and at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, learns the truth about his father. Vader, consumed by a lust for power, implores Luke to join him to rule the galaxy together and says to him, in the famous line, “It is your destiny”. However, Luke rejects this destiny as he values his relationships with his friends over the power he could have by being like his father. At the end of the trilogy, Luke’s warmth washes over even Vader himself, and there is reparation between them.

Like Luke, sons are not destined to be like their fathers, and can choose loving relationships with their own children, partners, and themselves over the false empowerment achieved through abuse or escape. The therapist Terrence Real says that “This person brings peace to their ancestors and spares the children that follow.”

There is support out there to help with this. Maybe it’s not Yoda!, but through therapy or programs such as AA, the pattern can be broken and new destinies formed.

Phil - Day 6 CAMH Sunrise Challenge

Doing some professional development reading this morning. Almost done this book by Terrence Real about depression in men. It's over 20 years old and dated in some ways, but a really interesting read about the prevalence of covert depression amongst men and the influence that patriarchy has on this.


For more information on supporting our team to help CAMH, see the following link:
http://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/2021SunriseChallenge?px=1347689&pg=personal&fr_id=1180&s_src=coaching+autoresp&s_subsrc=sc2021&utm_campaign=sc2021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=coaching+autoresp

Claire - Day 6 CAMH Sunrise Challenge
Good morning everyone one! I have a busy day today and didn't think I had time for a run so I've decided to do some yoga since I've been doing a lot of sitting lately and felt like I needed some stretching and maybe some meditation as well. Off I go...

\
For more information on supporting our team to help CAMH, see the following link:

http://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/2021SunriseChallenge?px=1347689&pg=personal&fr_id=1180&s_src=coaching%20autoresp&s_subsrc=sc2021&utm_campaign=sc2021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=coaching%20autoresp&fbclid=IwAR3K20GYoYbt8Ayle6zEqhLXiqB5AzmCY5X9fBb1tzs0kDJHAGJHtJoj_WI

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health The Sunrise Challenge: Wake up with the sun from May 31 to June 6 while raising money to support the groundbreaking mental health research at CAMH. By rising together and rallying our friends, family and coworkers behind the cause, we can change the way the worl...