Dear Mia:

I think you can provide those things for yourself only after you received it from someone else, ideally from a parent. A child cannot give these things to herself. It has to be received first, consistently, for a long time.

The thing is at this point, I believe, is for you to choose the right person/s to give you these things: to choose a person or people who are wise, reliable, trustworthy and compassionate to give you the protection, validation, guidance and comfort that you need.

Can be a competent, wise, reliable.. psychotherapist. From my personal experience, no matter how old I became, I still couldn’t give myself those things before receiving them first from another person.

anita