Hope
Not the belief that things will be good, but the perception that a path exists and that you are able to walk it.
How it shows up
It has two parts: a goal that means something to you, and a route to it. When one falls away, hope collapses — which is why a conviction of hopelessness is often not an assessment of the situation but exhaustion.
What we do with it in therapy
At the beginning I often carry the hope for a while. That isn’t empty consolation; it is part of the work, until you can take it over yourself.
See also
The therapeutic relationship
The relationship between you and your therapist, which isn't the frame for the work but the working tool itself.
Emotional blackmail
A pattern in which someone uses guilt, fear or obligation to get you to do what they want.
Burnout
A state of exhaustion, cynicism and a sense of ineffectiveness, arising from prolonged strain without recovery.
