The Rise of Therapeutic Jargon
Written by: Liz Cerven
7/29/24
It’s fascinating how, through the creation and rise of social media, therapeutic language is ever-present. Words once spoken by professionals are commonplace amongst those who may not even be engaging in therapy. These words are not “off limits.” These words are not designated solely to those with master’s degrees and licenses to practice in those spaces. Yet, when I talk with other therapists, it’s interesting how quickly we go from “we want those we work with to feel empowered and liberated” to “they are using this out of context and learning about it without a trained professional!”
How do you think learning a language works?
We learn words from different people in different places. Therapeutic language is not forced to remain in the confines of therapeutic spaces, as that would be antithetical to therapy. While people learn about and use language like narcissism, codependence, boundaries, and embodiment (to name a few) correctly and incorrectly, they are doing so to make sense of their world. Just as children learn words to make sense of theirs, we continue to develop language to create an understanding of our experiences.
Therapy has been interesting to me because of its evolution. While many believe therapy began with Freud, it has always been present. According to one article (there are so many more!) published in 2019 by O’Keefe, Cwik, Haroz, and Barlow, therapy, specifically the tools and techniques, have been practiced within Indigenous, Native, and Tribal communities for centuries. These communities were met with violence by colonizers, their practices forced to be wiped from their culture only for those colonizing to take those practices and make them their own to be sold as forms of healing.
Why would we want to claim this language as sacred to therapeutic spaces when we have not even begun to acknowledge the harm in ripping these sacred practices from those who created them? We have white-washed healing practices for decades. Colonization is a historical trauma that continues to occur and shows up today. This plays a major role in what we do as therapists. We could work to better understand and make changes or continue to uphold individualistic and Eurocentric wellness methods.
I’m a white person in this field... these ideas originated elsewhere and I am simply learning as I go! I learn and continue to learn because knowledge is power which is liberating. Please read Dr. Jennifer Mullan’s book, Decolonizing Therapy! "This book is for...The Root Workers. Those of you who tend to the deeply buried parts of human suffering, society, and the global consciousness...that truly embody space holding...The containers...The hope holders. The medicine makers. The soldiers of suffering.”—Dr. Jennifer Mullan.
Back to language and therapeutic jargon...
Who am I to tell someone not in therapy not to use language that makes sense to them? I want folks to feel empowered and liberated. I want folks to understand their world. If the words we use in therapy make sense to others and allow a light bulb to go off in them, then use the language! Learn more about it through the means to which you have access (that includes TikTok). Continue to be curious and allow yourselves to grow in your use of and understanding of these words. Therapeutic language is not meant to stay in the therapy space but to open doors of understanding and cultivate change.