Back in the 1970s, there was a popular book entitled The Transparent Self by Sidney Jourard. One of Sidney’s main points was that for good mental health, everyone needed at least one person with whom they could be “transparent” — one person they could drop the personas and masks with, one person to whom they could reveal their true selves. What’s important here is not so much what the other person says and does when you do, but rather the positive impact that the act of revealing, that letting down of one’s guard, that having a safe relationship, in and of itself, can have. A good idea that still resonates today. Click here to read more…