A cry for help can look like anything

What is expressed is not always what is meant

When you are a witness to another human's full-bodied, full-throated, unrestrained grieving, it stays with you. So when I think about what it might take to heal our global traumas, I wonder if we will be able to give people time and space to make those sounds—and if we will be willing to listen.

–Jane McGonigal

There's this story about an old man¹, Joseph, who is experiencing dizzy spells, but none of his anti-nausea medications are doing a thing. Eventually, a new doctor asks Joseph to describe his symptoms more closely:

"Doctor, I feel dizzy nearly all the time since my wife died. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm confused. I watch TV, but I'm not interested. I go outside, but there's no place to go."

He looked sad indeed as he told of the emptiness of his life. He had moved to California with his wife after retirement. He had no children, no close friends, no special interests. Suddenly the real problem became clearer to Dr. Barbour. "Dizzy" was Joseph's way of expressing his con…