The Jackie Robinson of Mental Health

One of my favorite authors, in his struggle to find the words to express who he really is, said this: “It’s like putting together a pitch black jigsaw puzzle with all the corner pieces missing.”

The writing is so good that it obscures the insights it offers.

The insight is so great that it obscures the reflection required to get there.

The reflection is so amazing that you lose the courage to share it.

The author is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and his Substack is a must-read for anyone interested in psychology.

For those of you who don’t know, Abdul-Jabbar held the title of NBA’s all-time leading scorer for 39 years (until he was surpassed by LeBron James). As a six-time NBA champion and three-time NCAA champion, he arguably belongs to the smallest group of the greatest players of all time.

But here’s the thing: he’s a better writer than he is a basketball player. That shouldn’t be the case. He writes about politics, philosophy, and art from a very sound psychological perspective. You might call it “reporting from the top of Maslow’s pyramid.”

What is most remarkable is his humility and willingness to explore and express his own weaknesses and inadequacies. It is inspiring and even helpful that he is able to share his own exploration without fear.

It is clear from his writings that Abdul-Jabbar allvery deep, but it doesn’t overwhelm him. It inspires him. He is willing to seek out life’s most painful and challenging questions in order to find his best self.

Abdul-Jabbar writes from the perspective that all therapists wish for their patients, and by sharing his own experiences, he normalizes the type of reflection we need to live our best lives. He conducts his therapeutic reflections in public, and the positive impact he has on those he touches is undeniable, as evidenced by his readers’ comments each week.

Abdul-Jabbar’s work, whether explicitly or not, encourages people to participate in and persist with the healing process. especially He’s not the only professional athlete to make it when faced with obstacles.

Athletes and Rock Stars

I’ve always laughed at the idea that “athletes want to be rock stars and rock stars want to be athletes.” I get that, but that’s until the intro to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” features a 300-pound brick-wall defensive lineman trying to rip Slash’s head off.

Sorry, rock stars, you’re not in the same league, and the most talented people in the world aren’t working together to make you fail. teeth They are exceptionally talented, yet they deal with a level of uncertainty and risk that would frustrate most people. The courage and perseverance it takes to be a successful athlete is incredible. Success depends on dealing with repeated failure, even when you’re winning, and always in front of a large audience.

Some athletes are brave; they don’t feel scared. Most athletes are brave; they feel scared and they push through it. But these athletes don’t “feel” brave; they feel they have to compete. Being brave is just a prerequisite. Without it, they want First of all, compete.

There is a similar attempt: Patients in therapy don’t feel courageous; they feel they have to recover. Being courageous is just a prerequisite. Without courage, they would never want to recover in the first place.

Perhaps it is not surprising that some of the most prolific and important workers in the fields of therapy and mental health over the past 25 years have been professional athletes. It is entirely consistent with their personalities.

Trying out a different field

Former NFL running back Ricky Williams is an objectively likable man. He is inquisitive, earnest, thoughtful, sensitive and compassionate. For those who don’t know about him, there are some excellent documentaries and interviews about him that are worth watching. Williams was one of the most notable players for his mental struggles, as he was one of the most talented and accomplished football players in the history of the sport. The humiliation he suffered as a result was not nearly as bad as baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson had to endure, but… was terrible.

There’s a lot of pride in how he handled it all, but even more in how he helped the athletes who came after him. He’s dismantled stereotypes and made it much easier to talk about mental health in sports. How many other people are wondering, “What’s the point of this?” morning He made me think, ‘What am I doing?’ He now dedicates his life to spreading positivity and healing.

Former NBA star Metta World Peace thanked his therapist after hitting the winning shot in the NBA championship. Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall was and remains a pioneer in normalizing discussions about mental health. Legendary Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps chose to use his fame to make money by encouraging others to improve their lives through therapy. Tennis star Naomi Osaka could have never explained why she stepped away from competition. Instead, she could have been vulnerable and advocated for therapy to help others. So did Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. And Billie Jean King deserves a monument for her influence that goes beyond sports.

These athletes thrilled us with their stellar performances, but that doesn’t define their importance.

Charles Barkley once famously said, “I’m not a role model.” Sorry. For better or worse, we are all role models. And the groups listed above are the best role models.

Standardizing therapy as a necessary tool for living your best life would serve humanity better than any technological achievement.

One day, the stigma was, “You’re do not have “Are you in therapy? What are you so scared of?”

And the world would be a better place.

And when that happens, we’ll be thanking Kareem. And Ricky. And Brandon. And Michael. And Naomi. And Simone. And I don’t even need to talk about Billie Jean. We’ll be here for hours.

To find a therapist, check out Psychology Today’s Therapy Directory .