Why labels can be crucial to self-understanding

"You don't need a label"

For many of us who've found solace in labels, it's not the label itself that's important, it's what the label does for us psychologically.

Before the label, we weren't just made to feel different. We were made to feel crazy. And not just occasionally... all the time.

Meaning, we were told on a regular basis that our internal experiences weren't what we thought they were.

That what we knew we were experiencing, we couldn't possibly be experiencing.

That it was ACTUALLY something different and we were just confused. Or were explaining it wrong. Or exaggerating. Or overreacting. 

For many of us, the label wasn't about identifying with a word...

It was about feeling less crazy. 

Because the label confirmed for us in an instant that our experiences were and are, in fact, real.

Because it's proof that the internal experience wasn't isolated to us... 

That a large enough group of other people shared the same experience to such a meaningful degree that they created a formal term to capture it...

And when you've spent your whole life being made to feel like you were fabricating experiences, that label becomes one of the most empowering things you have access to when someone tries to tell you that you don't understand your own internal experiences. 

It's not just a label for many of us.

It's evidence that we are sane.

That our reality is real.

And that stabilizes our sense of self.

It's not just a label, it's a lifeline for many of us.

And yes, we absolutely do need it. ❤️‍🩹