Exposure Therapy Doesnt Work That Way

Exposure Therapy Doesn’t Work That Way

I occasionally encounter well-meaning people who, upon hearing of my anxiety disorder, take it upon themselves to “help me face my fears.” They know a little bit about exposure therapy, so they figure that if they just tell me “You can do it! It’ll be fine!” and throw me into the anxiety-provoking situation, I will conquer my fear.

In case it wasn’t clear from the title, that doesn’t work. At all. Ever. Do not do this to someone. Real exposure therapy is done gradually and with a trained professional. There is always, always the option to say no/stop without getting in trouble. If the anxious person doesn’t have a way out of the situation, it’s not exposure therapy. It’s throwing someone into the deep end without a life jacket.

We have to be precise when speaking about this. The narrative matters.

Especially because this celebration is something stemming from the experience of Black Texans and their enslaved ancestors. I would hate to see that legacy and the voices of Black Texans removed from the conversation. It's important to note that even after being freed, these ancestors still had to fight to even celebrate Juneteeth the following year.

Many cities banned then from using parks for celebrations, but refusing to be stopped, freed people eventually crowdsourced amongst themselves to buy land JUST to celebrate

For Black Texans, this is an Independence Day and for the rest of Black America, we would do well to remember that we ain't free until we are all free 🤌🏿

I think this should be known

Two-spirit people are terrific!

Fa’afafine people are fantastic!

Muxe people are marvelous!

Hijra people are heavenly!

Bissu people are beautiful!

Kathoey people are kind-hearted!

Māhū people are magical!

Waria people are wonderful!

Sistergirl people are sensational!

Brotherboy people are brilliant!

Tumtum people are top-notch!

Androgynos people are amazing!

Saris people are spectacular!

Ay’lonit people are awesome!

All people with cultural third genders are dazzling, stunning, and outstanding!

This weekend we are talking about alternative approaches to relationships and sex that may appeal to aces and aros! These last few days of pride month will consist of a variety of information from us. If you’d like more on relationship anarchy, check out our resource here: https://taaap.org/2021/02/21/amatonormativity-and-relationship-anarchy/

[ID: Two images on a light pink background with black text and the TAAAP logo in the upper right corners. The first image reads “Relationship Anarchy*. Quote, Relationship anarchy questions the idea that love is a limited resource that can only be real if restricted to a couple. You have capacity to love more than one person, and one relationship and the love felt for that person does not diminish love felt for another. Endquote, source Andie Nordgren 2006. *Relationship anarchy is explicitly anarchist political philosophy applied to relationships.” The second image reads “Relationship Anarchy. Relationship here means not only traditional “partners” but also any person you know and interact with. Fundamentally opposed to possessive relationships, assimilationism, artificial scarcity (of care, affection, intimacy, sex, support, etc.) and amatonormativity. Defies the “relationship escalator that presumes romantic relationships must move “forward” to be legitimate. Relies on informed consent around all boundaries from all parties. Not the same as polyamory - some people are both polya and relationship anarchists, while many others are one or the other. End ID.]