Name the Thing

Reverend Olivia Tate

SooutofthegroundtheLordGodformedeveryanimalofthefield andeverybirdoftheairandbroughtthemtothemantoseewhat he would call them, and whatever the man called every living creature,thatwasitsname.

Genesis20:18-20

“Chile, ain’t nothing wrong with me. I’m just tired as hell.” The combination of her words and body language as she spoke were all too familiar to me. I was a clinician in training, working as an intern at a mental health clinic. I had my Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) on hand, and I was prepared to check off the criteria to make a diagnosis to describe her symptoms. “Keisha” had come into the clinic at the encouragement of her best friend, whom she stated was concerned about her. She insisted that there was “nothing wrong” with her, but that she’d promised her friend she would come in and getcheckedout.

Then, I asked her to describe how she was feeling, and she was able to describe an internal warfare that was taking place in her mind and body. She talked about how shehadlostinterestinsomeof the things she loved, and that her motivation to do simple taskswasnonexistent.Shehad not missed work, nor was she sleeping excessively because those were not viable options for her. As a Black woman, she felt obligated to continued showing up in all the ways, because that what she was expected to do. That was all sheknewtodo.

KeishawassotetheredtotheStrongBlack Woman trope of self-sacrificing and toxic independence that she did not realize how these behaviors were negatively impacting her. She acknowledged that she had been feeling “off,” but she couldn’t really put her finger on what the problem was. Besides, the religious culture in which she had been indoctrinated in, did not make space for non-medical, or non-tangible illnesses. The tension between her faith and the emotional crisis that she was experiencingaddedtoherdistress,soshe insisted that there was not anything wrong with her. She did not exhibit many of the external signs that the DSM suggests are normative for patients diagnosed with Major or Persistent Depressive Disorder (MDD/PDD), but the internal conflicts that this sister was battlingwasundeniable.

The reality is, there is a very thin line between saying things that are not as though they are, and flat out lying. A thin line. Indeed, there is power in speaking over yourself and believing God for supernatural healing. There is also power in acknowledging our reality and trusting our Creator to show up in creative ways. What might it look like, if we were honest withourselvesandcalledathing,athing?

As a student clinician, I was tethered to the DSM to diagnose and treat clients livingwithmentalillnesses.

As a Black woman, I had some lived experiences paired with a gift of discernment that allowed me to look beyond the clinical presentation of this clientandseeher.Forthefirsttimeinher life, she had a name for the cycles that she had been experiencing since childhood. She reflected on how there was a common thread of what was deemed “moodiness” among several of her family members. It ran in the family, andnow,ithadaname.Thereispowerin thenaming.

In the first story of creation, found in Genesis1,GodassignedAdamthetaskof naming all the animals. God had already createdtheanimalsoftheearth,butthey remained unnamed. It was important to label each animal, so that each creature could be addressed individually. As they roamed the earth, it became necessary to be able to distinguish between the goat and the turtle. The distinction between the eagle and the camel was necessary, because their purpose was different. When we name a thing, we can speak directly to the thing. Once Adam named the four-legged, hump-back creature “camel,” he was able to call out to the camel and give directives. Otherwise, when he called out and said “come,” several creatures would likely showup.

When we name our experiences and symptoms,wegainthepowertoaddressthem directly.Refusingtonameoracknowledgethe existenceofthesethings,donotmakethething cease to exist. Instead, the thing becomes larger, stronger, and more persistent. It holds thepoweruntilwefaceitandcallitbyitsname. Let’sreclaimourpower,sis.

While there are different types of depression, and it can show up a myriad of ways, particularlyforBlackwomen,hereareafewtips forridingthewaves:

Embrace the power of naming and acknowledgingyourexperience.

Have your doctor rule out any medical conditionsorhormonaldeficiencies.

Engage your village, granting them the opportunitytoshowupforyou.

Change up your daily routine, engage a newactivity.

Fuel your body regularly with lots of water andlife-givingfood.

Explorecreativewaystomoveyourbodylearn a new dance, start kickboxing, play basketball,etc.

Protect your ear gates and eye gates. Be mindful of your media intake, as well as energyzappersinyourcircle.

Consider meeting with a clinical therapist thatlookslikeyou.

Abouttheauthor:

Reverend Olivia Tate is the Director and a licensed psychotherapist for Flowing Well Therapy Center. As a certified trauma specialist, Olivia incorporates her knowledge to curate safe spaces for individual therapy sessions to assist peoplewithvariousmentalandemotional challenges. Reverend Tate is also the creator of The Well Black Woman Collective, a wellness group that centers thelivedexperiencesofBlackWomen;itis a space designed for Black women to process the overwhelming weight of just being.Throughsacredsafespacepractice inindividualandgroupwork,Olivia’swork andultimatedesireareforBlackwomento healandthrive.