What Is a Slow Dating and Therapy Journey?
Slow Dating and Therapy Journey — it’s not a phrase we grew up hearing, but it’s one many of us are living. All of us grew up hearing stories about what therapy will—or won’t—be. We ask ourselves questions like, “What will I say?” or “What will they say?” And let’s not forget my favorite: “What the hell was I thinking signing up for this!” Either way, you never feel prepared for that first session—and honestly, you don’t want to be. Otherwise, you’d just orchestrate it to fold right into your dysfunction, like a fitted sheet in a linen closet. In fact, Psychology Today explains that slow dating isn’t about speed—it’s about intentionality.
Learning to Let Go of Control
How I Walked into My First Therapy Session
As a self-proclaimed control freak and a bit of a perfectionist…okay…okay, an overachieving, emotional, borderline OCD perfectionist…I was ready to steamroll that first appointment in true Erica fashion. You know, say all the right things, do all the right things, tilt my head to the side to reflect thought, lean forward to demonstrate interest. Classic textbook body language to pretend like I really wanted to do this. I was prepared to show up like imitation crab shows up in a seafood dish at Red Lobster. But to my surprise, when the stars aligned, and the universe had its way …my starring role was cancelled.
The Surprise That Changed Everything
We talked about so much, mainly about things I hadn’t prepared my political press statement for. And when the topic of my singleness surfaced, I just knew my therapist would sympathize with my pain. Ha! She empathized, but she read me like a Dick and Jane book from the 1930s. It wasn’t about them…it was all about me and not in the way I had expected it to be. We had work to do and before her office door closed behind me, my therapist left me with some parting words: “Erica, in dating, you got to slow walk that thing. It’s all about data collection. Slow walk it, my dear, you know like the Tortoise and the Hare.”
Why the Slow Dating and Therapy Journey Matters
So, here we are, slow walking this dating thing and going to therapy. Y’all, I’m walking so damn slow, I think the tortoise passed me. And honestly, that’s okay. Because the Slow Dating and Therapy Journey isn’t about arriving fast—it’s about showing up real.
Need Support on Your Journey?
If you’re walking through your own journey and need someone to talk to, reach out to us through our therapy contact page. We’re here to walk beside you.
Written by: Erica, M.O.T.M StoryTeller