As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

When I was walking in the Middlesex Fells Reservation recently, I came across this unusual tree. It stopped me in my tracks and pulled me from the path. Looking at the tree I was immediately drawn to the small split in the middle and the widen gap as the limbs extended further up. I thought of times, as a kid, out exploring and wedging my foot in the middle of trees and rocks and getting stuck for a while - having anxious moments and questioning if I’d be able to get myself out of the jam.

As kids and adults, we can easily get stuck in situations we find ourselves in. The dilemmas that life hands us can leave us feeling caught between two extremes. These moments are pivotal and some of our early teachings may guide us on how we respond, or don’t, and if we choose to share the dilemma with anyone.

In Open Dialogue, we notice double-binds and are curious about these dilemmas that can carry serious weight and consequences, physically and emotionally, when holding onto the stress of making a choice between two or more undesirable options, often related to fear, confusion, shame, and rejection.

Like trees, in time our bodies will give way to the pressure and buckle in some way. And like tress, the only way they can survive is through accepting and sharing of nutrients with the other trees through their own shared pathways.