u/NewNetDays

I have a new therapist that I'm talking to. I have not shared many things yet, she just knows I have depression. I am confused about her saying my "authentic self." She says an authentic self is doing something you want to do, without worrying what others think. She said you can still accommodate others to be polite but if you stay in your authentic self it feels like you're still you, not a person who is faking your authenticity.

What does this mean? Maybe I am over thinking. It feels like I won't know how to be without a social context if that makes sense.

I usually see this and the words "soldier, war, cults, captivity, brainwashing, thought control" so I have a hard time imagining what this could look like somewhere else. A family where the parent is mentally ill, emotionally unavailable, also very controlling and parentifying. But you have a nice home and clothes and food on the table.