Healthy Relationships with Amy (Part 2)

Welcome back to part two of Erin’s conversation with our sensitivity reader Amy! As a therapist and a sensitivity reader, Amy has unique insight into the way that relationships are presented in fiction (and more broadly as well) and why those misrepresentations—and lack of representation and diversity—impacts everyday people in a deep way. The discussion opens with a conversation about how white supremacy is the norm in a lot of romance circles, and how that necessarily plays into ableism, sexism, racism, classism, and colorism; Amy brings up late-diagnosed neurodivergence as a perfect example of the intersection of all of those social issues. The pair discusses the unhealthy patterns that exist within romance more generally, and how a lot of relationships show up as a us (as humans) trying so hard to gain control over an uncontrollable life as a way to find safety. Erin gets personal about the way that fiction negatively impacted her view of her partner, and how she had to do a lot of her own inner work to get back to a healthy space. You can book a sensitivity read with Amy to look over your fictional relationship at www.saltandsagebooks.com! If you need help with a real relationship, we recommend finding a therapist.