Matthew J. Dempsey Psychotherapy

09/21/2022

Listen, I’m the first one you’ll catch on Grindr or Scruff maybe a little longer than I need to be sometimes. (And some of you have even said hi there and thanked me for these videos - c’mon community!👋🏼🫶🏼) The thing is, casual s*x is good. Sometimes the amount of time I’ve invested into finding some playtime can be problematic though because it’s a time suck and a way to numb out from other s**t like loneliness and my own negative story telling. But there’s a big difference between checking in honestly on excess and s*x shaming because s*x isn’t the problem and we can’t hate ourselves into a version we’ll love. Check out the video and tell me what you think! ***r

09/21/2022

“TOXIC SINGLE SHAMING” • Being open to a relationship is one thing. Being attached to needing one to feel secure in life is a house of cards. But we live in a society that on so many levels pushes the idea that if you can’t find a long term romantic love, then you must be damaged. 🏳️‍🌈🖤🤎🏳️‍⚧️ And especially for us q***r folx, we can feel the extra pressure to prove that our hearts are just as good as any cis hetero couples out there. But in the same way we can rise above the bs and come out as gay/q***r, we can also stay elevated and find a strong love for ourselves any moment we might be doing our own thing as a single person. Watch this video and tell me what your experience has been below! ***r

09/07/2022

“TOXIC POSITIVITY” • Positive thinking helps us accept and process our normal feelings more effectively. Toxic positivity, however, tries to have us outthink and avoid what we’re feeling altogether. And listen I get it - sadness, fear, loneliness, insecurity, anger, and hurt are not fun. The feelings themselves are uncomfortable, but what really makes us desperate to cancel our own emotions is because we live in a hyper-rational culture that conditioned us to believe we’re broken if we have feelings that seem to contradict what we know to be true. 🏳️‍🌈🖤🤎🏳️‍⚧️ Especially for us q***r folx who already grew up feeling broken, anything that triggers that bs narrative can be particularly overwhelming if not retraumatizing. Watch this video and tell me what you think about toxic positivity! ***r

08/31/2022

AYEEE! Excited to share a passion project I’ve been working on for all of you and I’m calling it “Gay Therapy: Toxic Series”! We’ve all been seeing how much the label “TOXIC” has been thrown around online to help call out and give new perspective to the s**t we’ve had to deal with in life and in relationships. So, I wanted to give my take and also help clear up some things I think have been missed or misunderstood, especially for us q***r folx. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled every week starting next Tuesday, September 6th and let’s detox together. 🫂❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤 **s ***r

03/25/2022

Hi everyone - my stepmom has MS and is also raising money to help fund it’s research. Please donate if you can! 🤍 A message from her:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
It’s that time of year again !! There hasn’t been an MS Walk in 2 years, so let’s make this one really count !! I’m raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $1. Every little bit helps. So please make a donation to my team. I’ve included the link below.
Thanks
Missy
Will you help me teach my goal by donating what you can ?

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Melissa_Dempsey_2022

You can help support groundbreaking research, provide life-changing services and guarantee a supportive community for those who need it most. Please support me with a donation to Walk MS to help create a world free of MS!

06/14/2021

Same. 📝 🎁

11/29/2020

This photo makes me so happy (looks like I’m stoned but pretty sure I wasn’t yet). I call them my head and my heart. .tannenbaum 🧠 is the friend I can always count on for the truth even when it’s unpolished and hard to hear. ♥️ is the friend I go to for gentleness, optimism, and coddling. Together they’re my 🌎 and I’d be lost without either one of them. Tag your 🧠➕♥️.

11/26/2020

I keep saying, “I can’t wait to feel all the strength we’re building this year.” I’m starting to feel it. Grateful for all the warriors of love out there. 🍁🧡🦃

11/19/2020

“Attachment vs Connection” • When you need things to be a certain way in a relationship in order to feel ok, your mind dominates with fearful thinking and you’re attached to an idea instead of a human. When your heart is open for the person and moment in front of you, you’re connected with no strings attached. Love is a gift, not a barter. ♥️♥️

11/11/2020

Grandma does virtual therapy.

11/07/2020

♥️🤍💙

10/25/2020

Everybody’s doin it.

08/25/2020

“Dear White Allies...” • Jacob Blake is one more example of an enraging assault against Blackness. Black people - your rage is yet again felt and beyond valid and I’ll do what I can to hold space for it while lifting your voices and the need for equitable change. White allies - of course all of this will stir up our own rage for our Black friends and family yet I submit that more effective allyship requires us to be more assertive and less aggressive with other White people. Aggressiveness and shaming serves the self/ego and not the message so let’s be intentional with how we’re communicating. As Rumi said, “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”

08/17/2020

City boy with a mountain heart.

08/13/2020

Message o’ the Day: Get creative! Also, am I a food celebrity now?? (Spoiler: not so much, but we have fun!)

08/08/2020

Sent this pic to my friend because he made me this friendship bracelet and mailed it to me with the sweetest gd note. And then he told me he’s living for my “velvety terry blouse.” I feel seen on so many levels. 💗