Why This Therapist Is Unapologetically Obsessed with Taylor Swift

By Jennifer Grindon (I need to clarify because I may or may not be the only Taylor fan at FSP)

Let me get this out of the way:

Yes, I’m a therapist.

Yes, I love Taylor Swift.

Yes, I consider it part of my ongoing healing journey, especially as someone who used to struggle to identify her emotions and hated feeling them. Listening to Taylor’s music gave me a safe arena to touch into my emotional realm, express myself and understand the complexities of my sensitive soul.

And no, this is not a phase — it’s a full-body, emotionally regulated celebration for sensitive girlies (or this girl at least).

Let me explain (in case your inner critic is already judging me)

Somewhere growing up, society told women: 

Femininity is… cringey.

Too emotional = unprofessional.

Too sparkly = unserious.

Too into pop music = probably lacks depth.

So I did what many of us do.

I tucked my glitter away. I analyzed everything. I healed intellectually.

But the body knows when it’s being edited and I soon came to understand that I couldn't think myself out of the BS i've been through (don't get me wrong, I tried!).

Then Taylor came roaring back into my life in my 20s..

Not as a guilty pleasure.

As a portal back to the soft, fiery, feeling parts of me that got silenced in the name of being “serious” and “smart.”

Her lyrics? Case studies in attachment wounds.

Her eras? A masterclass in post-traumatic growth.

Her music? Expressive art. Somatic Therapy.

(And if you think “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” isn’t a structured narrative exposure exercise, you’re wrong and I will die on this hill.)

As therapists, we know that healing isn’t just about insight.

It’s about:

• Reclaiming identity

• Moving emotion through the body

• Telling the truth out loud and still being loved

• Witnessing our pain and saying: “Me too”

And that’s what Taylor does.

When she sobs on vinyl, she invites us to feel our own stuff.

When she rages in glitter and red lipstick, she reminds us that power and femininity are not opposites.

When she sings about shame, heartbreak, longing, and reinvention — she helps people find themselves in their stories.

She’s basically an expressive arts therapist in a stadium.

So no, it’s not just “pop music.”

It’s:

• Nervous system regulation through movement (have you seen me belt out Cruel Summer?)

• Co-regulation through shared emotion (hello, 80,000 people screaming about our exes)

• Reclaiming feminine energy as powerful, intelligent, and valid

• A reminder that vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s what connects us

And maybe most importantly:

Loving Taylor Swift taught me that I don’t have to choose between being an emotionally attuned therapist and someone who loves glitter, storytelling, heartbreak anthems, and drama in lowercase cursive.

I can be both.

So if you’ve ever been made to feel like your softness, sparkle, or sensitivity makes you less professional —

Let this be your permission slip.

Play the music. Wear the boots. Wear the make-up, cute and comfy fits, and Feel the feelings.

Therapy is healing.

Taylor is healing.

Being your full, emotional, big-feeling self?

Also healing.