Scraping Off Barnacles

There is a video on Instagram that I cannot scroll past. It shows sweet turtles having their barnacles scraped off, bit by bit, until the smooth shell underneath finally appears. Then, the turtles slide back into the water, free and renewed, while a crowd on the beach claps as if they have witnessed something sacred. Watching this, I think of my clients. The weight they carry shows up in the same way. Barnacle by barnacle, invisible until someone looks closely enough. Therapy is the slow work of finding what’s underneath, a little at a time.

Healing does not happen in a single moment. Like the turtles, people need someone to carefully scrape away what holds them back. They need others to polish their shells and a community to support their release back into life.

I am the scraper.

I do one of the hardest parts: getting to what lies beneath. The polishing, testing, and medications come from other hands and expertise. Healing takes time.

A beautiful turtle free of barnacles

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The Role of the Scraper in Healing

As a therapist, I see myself as the scraper. I help clients uncover what has been hidden or ignored. This work is often the hardest part because it means facing pain and vulnerability. But it is also the most important step toward growth.

There is no rush. There isn't suppose to be.

Each person brought me closer. It was an EMDR therapist and 12-step work that finally scraped the barnacles off.

After the scraping, I had to learn how to swim again. I divorced. I went back to school. I bought a house in my name. A car, for the first time. My family left Northwest Arkansas. I stayed. I could sink, or I could swim. I swam.

And so can you.

Where Minds Bloom,

Genie