Herpes and authenticity, connection, vulnerability, shame and guilt

12/18/10 • 6 min

People with herpes are confronted with a very physical and intimate version of shame on an ongoing basis. Our automatic reaction is to go numb and look the other way, waiting for it to go away so we can get back to our lives. But what if there was something important we were turning away from?

Previous Episode

Herpes is a life teacher

Yes, at first herpes might seem like one of those teachers who was stern and cruel, but sometimes teachers push you because underneath that bratty kid they see something worthy of bringing out.

Next Episode

A herpes cure?

Occasionally the news will tell us there’s a possibility for a legitimate cure, but it seems just out of our reach sometime in the future. Whether or not the physical cure for herpes is coming anytime soon, ultimately the biggest “problem” herpes poses isn’t the physical symptoms at all, but the psychological.