Secrets Revealed
Dr. Robin says there is an unspoken epidemic in America: Women who are living a lie. Even if our stories are not as extreme as Jeannette's, she says, many of us live beyond our means or turn a blind eye to our husband's affairs. Dr. Robin explains that fear and shame keep us from living real lives.
"The lies that people live every day," Dr. Robin tells Jeannette, "may not feel as dramatic or drastic as yours, but people are pretending to be happy when they're not. … People are scared of their own stories."
Coming face-to-face with her story brought Jeannette a measure of relief she never imagined possible. With the publication of her book, Jeannette expected to lose her friends, her job and everything she'd worked so hard for. Instead, she found overwhelming empathy and acceptance. "I've never been so wrong about anything in my life," she says. "I hugely underestimated people's capacity for compassion."
"The lies that people live every day," Dr. Robin tells Jeannette, "may not feel as dramatic or drastic as yours, but people are pretending to be happy when they're not. … People are scared of their own stories."
Coming face-to-face with her story brought Jeannette a measure of relief she never imagined possible. With the publication of her book, Jeannette expected to lose her friends, her job and everything she'd worked so hard for. Instead, she found overwhelming empathy and acceptance. "I've never been so wrong about anything in my life," she says. "I hugely underestimated people's capacity for compassion."
Published 10/18/2005