Hi:
I'd like to dedicate this message to a presentation I recently watched on TED.com. It involved two different researchers commenting on the biological/technological advances of the other species of this planet - in contrast to the moderate (sometimes magnificent) accomplishments of human beings.
The major point that I took home with me was this: life builds the requirements it needs to keep living. Everything on earth needs a place to dwell, to recreate, and to evolve. Beginning with the earliest life forms that originated 3.8 billions years ago, each one has fought to increase the "grazing space" for the entire community (sometimes killing the weakest and least evolved in the process), simply by the process of living. What we humans must ask ourselves - are we doing the same?
The way this transfers into the realm of psychotherapy is as follows. We therapists work everyday to create more space in the lives of our patients - more space to self-observe, to reevaluate, to continue to thrive. While doing this we are also creating a more reflective and relationship friendly environment in our communities, which hopefully adds to the complex society we live in, and increases our human ability to thrive and to evolve.
Neat and simple. What do you think?
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Moving towards Relationships
Dear reader:
have you heard of the Relational model? Did you know that psychotherapists (the psychodynamic ones at least) are often expecting that you enter into a 'relationship' with them so they can help you make progress in therapy? Does the whole relationship thing seem wierd to you?
This is a topic that I think is very relevant to our current social developmental stage. I think we are at the level where relationships are often considered in a sort of bit-by-bit way. We have "contacts", "online facebook friends," "coworkers," "business leads," et cetera. It is my idea that today we often think of our relationships as being time-limited, enclosed in specific circumstances, and not necessarily as broad multi-faceted and experienced with mixed feelings. Sure most of us have a variety of emotions and thoughts about the people we know, but do we consolidate and integrate these emotions and thoughts into cohesive complicated relationships with people?
I'm beginning to think of psychotherapy as a complicated relationship that teaches us about complicated relationships. In other words, helps us realize that the people, situations, and actions in our life are actually integrated experiences. Going to the "bar" is not just a fun experience with your friends, but an experience that consists of many components so much of which we may be unaware of and some which we may purposefully try to ignore.
I want to continue exploring this point of view - but I need more thinking.
The main idea today is - psychotherapy is a relationship, and that is what makes it good.
have you heard of the Relational model? Did you know that psychotherapists (the psychodynamic ones at least) are often expecting that you enter into a 'relationship' with them so they can help you make progress in therapy? Does the whole relationship thing seem wierd to you?
This is a topic that I think is very relevant to our current social developmental stage. I think we are at the level where relationships are often considered in a sort of bit-by-bit way. We have "contacts", "online facebook friends," "coworkers," "business leads," et cetera. It is my idea that today we often think of our relationships as being time-limited, enclosed in specific circumstances, and not necessarily as broad multi-faceted and experienced with mixed feelings. Sure most of us have a variety of emotions and thoughts about the people we know, but do we consolidate and integrate these emotions and thoughts into cohesive complicated relationships with people?
I'm beginning to think of psychotherapy as a complicated relationship that teaches us about complicated relationships. In other words, helps us realize that the people, situations, and actions in our life are actually integrated experiences. Going to the "bar" is not just a fun experience with your friends, but an experience that consists of many components so much of which we may be unaware of and some which we may purposefully try to ignore.
I want to continue exploring this point of view - but I need more thinking.
The main idea today is - psychotherapy is a relationship, and that is what makes it good.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
New Think
Bloggers/spammers/readers
I've figured out another thing today, which may revolutionize (at least) my view of the universe. The human universe.
I've realized that everything in the brain is trained - the brain works like this: basically you take some really good ingredients [genetics, nutrients, *] which most all of us have, and then you teach this biomass to do something. Some of these skills you learn from your family, how to sit and talk, how to move around, how to look at people in the eye. Those skills. Then some things you pick up from friends and lovers, or just people on the street. OVERALL though your brain is always learning new ways of shuffling information of interpreting sensory data of operating in the world - both the inside world of your mind/body and the outside world of, well outside.
I do mean to make it so simple - because although the process is hard long term and quite invisible, it is happening and you can learn to trace it regulate it and change its course.
For example, you say you didn't learn what you wanted in your family. YOU wanted hangliding. Ok, so you taught yourself and your brain how to approach an instructor {hopefully} earn money to buy the equipment and then fly. Those easy steps can actually be measured, soon more accurately, in your brain of how you accomplished all that stuff. Otherwise how can we explain a singer like Anthony Kiedis going from rapping in his songs to developing a strong singing voice. He learned to do it, trained his body and his mind!!!!
take heed and learn out there
I've figured out another thing today, which may revolutionize (at least) my view of the universe. The human universe.
I've realized that everything in the brain is trained - the brain works like this: basically you take some really good ingredients [genetics, nutrients, *] which most all of us have, and then you teach this biomass to do something. Some of these skills you learn from your family, how to sit and talk, how to move around, how to look at people in the eye. Those skills. Then some things you pick up from friends and lovers, or just people on the street. OVERALL though your brain is always learning new ways of shuffling information of interpreting sensory data of operating in the world - both the inside world of your mind/body and the outside world of, well outside.
I do mean to make it so simple - because although the process is hard long term and quite invisible, it is happening and you can learn to trace it regulate it and change its course.
For example, you say you didn't learn what you wanted in your family. YOU wanted hangliding. Ok, so you taught yourself and your brain how to approach an instructor {hopefully} earn money to buy the equipment and then fly. Those easy steps can actually be measured, soon more accurately, in your brain of how you accomplished all that stuff. Otherwise how can we explain a singer like Anthony Kiedis going from rapping in his songs to developing a strong singing voice. He learned to do it, trained his body and his mind!!!!
take heed and learn out there
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