Imi Lo
Imi is an author, mental health consultant, and philosophical consultant – She has received a number of prestigious awards for her work including the Australian Government Endeavour Award, the HSBC Social Work Scholarship, and a Postgraduate Scholarship for Buddhist Studies. Imi’s work has been featured in major publications such as Business Insider, Psychologies, Marie Claire, HuffPost, The Daily Mail, and The Telegraph.
She writes beautifully on the condition from someone who has seen both sides.
There are links to some of her writings below:
My words to you - Imi Lo
“If you have been wounded and stunted, I hope that you, too, find your way back into love.
However, saying that all you need is courage would be too elusive and uncaring of me, especially if your memories of betrayal, rejection, and abandonment are still vividly alive.
You have good reasons to hesitate. The freezing reaction you had was a natural response to trauma. Opening to others might have been a real threat when you were much younger. However, things have changed. Although it used to crumble your soul so much that you felt you couldn’t get back up, although it had shattered your world so badly that you worried if you could live another day, you are much stronger now. Many of your early survival strategies such as emotional disengagement, social isolation and over-intellectualizing protected you during your early years, but they no longer serve you today.
You have to trust the process of loving. While it may come with potential disappointments, these bruises are now something that you can live through. People coming together and pulling away, the relationship conflicts and closeness, the emotional ups and the downs, are all just part of this roller coaster ride called life.”
“Your past does not have to dictate your future.”
“Acknowledging the pain, and reaching out to those wounded parts, is the most courageous step you can take right now.
It is saying, “I see you, and I’m ready to face what’s inside.”
It might be the hardest thing you ever have to do, but it’s a journey worth taking for the sake of reclaiming your one chance to live a life where you are finally not just a cold and critical observer, but a joyous, driven participant.
It is what opens the door to truly living.”