Do YOU HAVE PATRIARCHY STRESS DISORDER? (Short answer: YES, you do)
Chances are you’ve come across this Marianne Williamson quote: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.’ I used to vacillate between rolling my eyes and scratching my head when Iheard it. It sounded profound and meaningful, but also made no sense to me. She didn’t explain why we’d be afraid of ‘being powerful beyond measure’. That sounded pretty great to me. Why would anyone be afraid of it? So I dismissed it.
Until, that is, I encountered the work of Dr Valerie Rein.
And then I understood.
I understood how it could be that we – women, specifically – could be terrified of our power. So terrified we hide it almost at any cost… without even realising we’re doing it. Welcome to patriarchy stress disorder, or PSD.
Through her extensive work with women as a psychologist and life coach, Dr Rein has uncovered that most of us go through life with our subconscious signalling ‘unsafe!’ when we choose to pursue wealth, pleasure, power, relaxation, fulfilment and independence. But why would we do that?
Because of patriarchy, Dr Rein says – but not patriarchy as we know it
