Dear blogster:
The world challenge we have to take on today can be narrowed down to the following: what, who, and how are we going to change the structure of the economy/social world so that psychotherapy is more understood and better utilized? Let me try to write that again, how can we take a discipline that is on the further end of the social norm, and make it into something educational and accepted, such as math.
Forgive me for forcing this issue all the time, but there has to be a way to dig deep and make this a recognizeable thing. I mean there are always ways to make something interesting, to kind of dive in and create excitement and desire for a certain way of living. Think about all the commercials we see for some type of exotic vacation, what are they doing but encouraging a particular way to enjoy your money and free time. They are saying, "hey if you want to have a good time just hop online purchase a ticket and its carefree adventures from then on." What if we could create some type of ads for psychotherapy, how can we tap into the knowledge of marketers to take make this industry affordable, and accessible?
I get so angry when I realize how little outreach actually exists in the mental health field. There are literaly millions of people struggling with some aspects of their daily lives, which we can help them with! Doesn't that make you just want to light a fire under your own motivation and just get active =)
please, share your experiences suggestions and thoughts with me
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
what about Environment + personality types...
Dear r(eader)
the post today is a complicated thought process, like the rest of them, that resides in my brain mostly and I communicate onto electronic paper-> therefore its accuracy may be dubious and is suspec to criticism and multi-dimensional correction.
that being said...
I've been thinking about the development of psychotherapy, and the tendency of its practicioners, "followers" and benefactors to be interested in all things psychological. In other words what I mean is - many people who go through therapy become therapists, or have already had some interested in psychology and the like studies. What does this suggest, are we treading on well-worn ground and do we not access the other populations that we so hope to reach [such as politicians, judges, school teachers, and many others].
I'd like to do a study, collecting the numbers of people from various social classes, settings, regions, professions, blood types, and other variables who come for and benefit from treatment.
For now, I'm just looking to meet up with some corporate executives who'd like treatment.
let me know
peace,
the post today is a complicated thought process, like the rest of them, that resides in my brain mostly and I communicate onto electronic paper-> therefore its accuracy may be dubious and is suspec to criticism and multi-dimensional correction.
that being said...
I've been thinking about the development of psychotherapy, and the tendency of its practicioners, "followers" and benefactors to be interested in all things psychological. In other words what I mean is - many people who go through therapy become therapists, or have already had some interested in psychology and the like studies. What does this suggest, are we treading on well-worn ground and do we not access the other populations that we so hope to reach [such as politicians, judges, school teachers, and many others].
I'd like to do a study, collecting the numbers of people from various social classes, settings, regions, professions, blood types, and other variables who come for and benefit from treatment.
For now, I'm just looking to meet up with some corporate executives who'd like treatment.
let me know
peace,
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
little criticisms
Dear reader
I'd like to address in this issue something I recently learned.
I think it takes a special kind of situation, and a particular built-up strength or stamina, to handle criticism. Just think of it - someone tells you that you're doing something wrong and you have to respond to it. You can
1. ignore it
2. deny your error
3. submit to reparative action
4. contest the entire thing
5. you get the picture
So what comes next? If the person (boss, friend, lover,..) tells you something very large that incorporates many actions/thoughts/emotions -it is difficult to translate it into a cohesive thoughtful response. For example, it might take you a while to get around to realizing what happened if someone breaks up with you suddenly. On the other hand, if that someone says "Don't do that!" while you are driving on the wrong road side of the road, it's a bit easier to adjust.
What that adds up to is the following: depending on our state of mind, the person saying it, and
the situation our response is very different. In daily life this would mean that a person giving us a kind remark (with some reproach) would have a greater effect if we were ready to hear it - warmed up so to speak.
So my advice, or the recipe, is to give comments gently, in bite size pieces. That way your warm and caring attitude opens up the person (slowly) to receiving a comment or remark about something you'd like them to do differently.
that's it!
I'd like to address in this issue something I recently learned.
I think it takes a special kind of situation, and a particular built-up strength or stamina, to handle criticism. Just think of it - someone tells you that you're doing something wrong and you have to respond to it. You can
1. ignore it
2. deny your error
3. submit to reparative action
4. contest the entire thing
5. you get the picture
So what comes next? If the person (boss, friend, lover,..) tells you something very large that incorporates many actions/thoughts/emotions -it is difficult to translate it into a cohesive thoughtful response. For example, it might take you a while to get around to realizing what happened if someone breaks up with you suddenly. On the other hand, if that someone says "Don't do that!" while you are driving on the wrong road side of the road, it's a bit easier to adjust.
What that adds up to is the following: depending on our state of mind, the person saying it, and
the situation our response is very different. In daily life this would mean that a person giving us a kind remark (with some reproach) would have a greater effect if we were ready to hear it - warmed up so to speak.
So my advice, or the recipe, is to give comments gently, in bite size pieces. That way your warm and caring attitude opens up the person (slowly) to receiving a comment or remark about something you'd like them to do differently.
that's it!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Meaning of Money
Dear blog reader:
This week I would like to comment on a particular issue, which sits at the heart of much treatment debate, controversy, and lamentation.
I think we have all heard of the shortage of money in regards to public funds for mental or physical health. There is always some bureaucrat stating that "we need to curtail spending," or "create sustainable treatment programs," or the worst "achieve cost-efficiency." One might think that on the outside looking in, it may make sense that spending money needlessly is a stupid endeavor. In fact, that has some validity.
However, when one also begins to examine the large amounts of money that is made from the health industry and then poorly redistributed, it is difficult to look at the same argument and not feel a bit nauseated. For example, heatlh insurance companies notoriously make very large profits from the healthcare industry and simultaneosly willingly provide petty sums for mild preventative treatment (to the nearly healthy) and carefully limited amounts the most exacerbated patients who can no longer be denied healthcare services.
The most upsetting part of this picture is that if the system goes under reorganization - it would be possible to provide better treatment at cheaper prices to a larger portion of the population. Of course this is difficult because there are so many points of view about treatment, health insurance, money allocation, etc.
If you dear reader are interested in learning about how to make treatment successful and how to teach others empathy all the while empowering them to work with oppressed populations - please read Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains.
The book is the story of Paul Farmer, an American doctor who has done much to encourage others to help the poor. He has done it by providing an excellent level of care to a very disadvantaged population -mostly through hard work and a devotion to making others around him realize this is possible.
So what is the point that I am belaboring: I think we need to make more effort to change the general viewpoint that mental health is unachievable, too expensive, or unworthy. In fact if enough of us make an effort to work with oppressed populations we can create pathways, beliefs, and points of attentions that others can focus on and elaborate over time.
anyway - just thinking out loud.
take action!
This week I would like to comment on a particular issue, which sits at the heart of much treatment debate, controversy, and lamentation.
I think we have all heard of the shortage of money in regards to public funds for mental or physical health. There is always some bureaucrat stating that "we need to curtail spending," or "create sustainable treatment programs," or the worst "achieve cost-efficiency." One might think that on the outside looking in, it may make sense that spending money needlessly is a stupid endeavor. In fact, that has some validity.
However, when one also begins to examine the large amounts of money that is made from the health industry and then poorly redistributed, it is difficult to look at the same argument and not feel a bit nauseated. For example, heatlh insurance companies notoriously make very large profits from the healthcare industry and simultaneosly willingly provide petty sums for mild preventative treatment (to the nearly healthy) and carefully limited amounts the most exacerbated patients who can no longer be denied healthcare services.
The most upsetting part of this picture is that if the system goes under reorganization - it would be possible to provide better treatment at cheaper prices to a larger portion of the population. Of course this is difficult because there are so many points of view about treatment, health insurance, money allocation, etc.
If you dear reader are interested in learning about how to make treatment successful and how to teach others empathy all the while empowering them to work with oppressed populations - please read Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains.
The book is the story of Paul Farmer, an American doctor who has done much to encourage others to help the poor. He has done it by providing an excellent level of care to a very disadvantaged population -mostly through hard work and a devotion to making others around him realize this is possible.
So what is the point that I am belaboring: I think we need to make more effort to change the general viewpoint that mental health is unachievable, too expensive, or unworthy. In fact if enough of us make an effort to work with oppressed populations we can create pathways, beliefs, and points of attentions that others can focus on and elaborate over time.
anyway - just thinking out loud.
take action!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Life builds Life
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?
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?
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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