Have you ever noticed something change after a glass of wine or a cocktail? Maybe you or your partner suddenly become more talkative, affectionate, or emotionally open. It might feel like a wall has come down. For a little while, everything feels easier. More connected. More loving. Then the next morning, it's gone. If this feels familiar, there's a good reason. Alcohol can temporarily unlock emotions that feel stuck or out of reach.
Emotional validation happens when your parents see what you are feeling, acknowledge your feelings, and seem to understand why you are having them. Just like adults, children's feelings are the deepest, most personal, biological expression of who they are. In order to feel seen, understood, and heard, a child must feel that their feelings are seen, understood, and heard. What happens when you feel seen, understood, and heard as a child?