Spirituality Category
HOW BECOMING IS THE DIVINE SELF
Charles Asher HOW BECOMING IS THE DIVINE SELF Imagine, if you will, part of the wider Jungian community, are gathered together in the basement of a Lutheran church. It could be a Presbyterian church as well. It could be, for that matter, just about any mainstream American church. They are going to dine together, and hear an evening talk as a way of preparing to fall asleep, some sooner than later. Someone, being didactic and commenting on the surroundings, says that the church has been historically symbolized as a ship tossed on the rough seas of life. Another adds, “So here we are - below deck.” A titter of laughter follows. More wine is poured, and thoughtfully sipped by all. The ship begins to roll. It was some such vision of a crew below deck that prompted Herman Melville in the classic, Moby Dick, to write of Ahab, the vengeful captain of the Pequod, Some considerating touch of humanity was in him; for at times like these, he usually abstained from patrolling the quart...
Should your beliefs or values matter when choosing a therapist?
In today’s society everyone is looking for a way to ‘fix’ their problems. However, the role of the therapist isn’t like that of a surgeon, who carries out a routine procedure to correct a problem. The active ingredient in successful therapy is the relationship you develop with your therapist. The better this relationship is, the more effective your therapy will be. That said, it might be easier to develop a strong connection with a therapist who shares some of the beliefs and values that you do.
A common reality is that many therapists have been taught to keep an objective distance or to show a neutral face. This is often taught for the betterment of the client, so that they never impose their own thoughts, beliefs, views or intentions on the client.
Another possible reality is that the therapist’s views may clash with the client’s. For example, a counselor may not believe in monogamy or accept the teachings of the Bible, whereas the client is a Ch...
Addressing the Sacred During the Session
Part one in a three-part series.
The 14 Competencies and Why We Need Them
Whether clients want to address religion and spirituality directly, indirectly, or they are suddenly faced with questions of faith–due to a death, loss, or crisis–during an existing therapy process , clients are bringing the sacred into their sessions. According to research, in general, we the counselors, are not prepared to respond.
However, because we are not prepared by our schools to respond, doesn’t mean we don’t. Many of us, according to surveys, do address the issues. Some of us, with little self-reflection and awareness of how our own beliefs shape the issue, therapeutic relationship, and process of therapy as a whole. And our beliefs do shape, overtly and covertly, the counseling relationship, which is a key indicator in successful outcomes.
Recently, the American Counseling Association endorsed 14 competencies outlined by the the Association for Spiritual, Ethical and...
Are We Headed Toward Win-Win?
The most commonly played games are described in terms of game-theory as "zero-sum." In other words, the game offers a finite reward and to the extent that one player benefits, the other player or players suffer. The reward may be regarded as a pie: if one person receives a bigger slice, all the others receive smaller.
In the past, human interaction has often been viewed as a zero-sum game. If you get the choicest pieces of a slain beast, I do not. If my tribe gains control of a watering hole, we gain and everyone else loses. Territorial wars on a global scale follow the same format: i
Yet human interaction does not have to be defined this way. Division of labor, for example, can produce a non-zero-sum result, whether it be in agriculture or in manufacturing. Individuals joined in a band can exert greater power than operating alone.
Robert Wright, in his book Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (New York: Random House, 2000), studies the growth of "non-zero-ness" in human affairs and...
Love Heals Everything
Not one of us can say that we know what each day will bring as it starts out. Every day of our lives, no matter how much we plan, can be full of the unexpected. As the events of the past week have shown us this, unfortunately, is sometimes tragic. Quite honestly, my heart is broken over what happened in Newtown. When I think about what occurred, I think about a young man who must NOT have felt loved. People who feel loved don't do things like he did. It saddens me tremendously that a void of love may have made him feel that he wanted others, who had so much love in their lives, to suffer so greatly. It will take a long time for people to recover from this event. Despite this, today I am full of hope. Hope that the enormous wound that that young man has left behind, will eventually heal. And it will heal with love because love is the most powerful force on earth. Love gives us all hope. Love heals everything.
Fasting and Anorexia
Fasting is a practice that almost all eating disorders sufferers participate in, using it to manage weight and gain a feeling of control. The anorectic tends to have the most extreme fasting practices, whereas the bulimic usually fasts for shorter periods. Fasting among binge eaters and food addicts is sporadic, with some individuals using it more than others.
The primary treatment for eating disorders is psychotherapy. For a psychotherapist treating someone with an eating disorder, having a thorough understanding of the practice of fasting could be a useful standard of care. Without this knowledge, it becomes more difficult to decipher the patient’s motivations and defense mechanisms pertaining to fasting. For the anorectic who has abused fasting to the brink of death, examining her bond with fasting in psychotherapy—much in the same way an alcoholic would with alcohol—could play an important role in recovery.
For patients who have not abused the practice of fast...
Thanks for Everything: Giving Thanks & Appreciation for ALL the Blessings of Our Lives
This Thanksgiving I want to pass on a little wisdom that guides my life. I believe that every single thing that happens to us in our lives is a blessing, and I mean everything. I can now look back on my life and explain every trauma, every horrible thing that once cast me as a victim, as a beautiful blessing that caused me to grow and strengthened me in some way. Each thing has increased my knowledge and has given me the experience and wisdom that I pass onto other people who are stuck or suffering.
It was not always like this. I used to be angry and felt victimized by my very abusive childhood. Or later on by a very unjust situation that landed me in jail for 16 months. Talk about angry and confused, feeling I was a victim! By human standards I was a victim, though by a more expanded, enlightened view I came to be grateful and even happy I had these experiences.
When I go to bed each night and when I awake each morning I always find myself thanking God for EVERYTHING in my life, all...
The Struggle
I was driving home from visiting an old friend yesterday and I got stuck in a very large traffic jam on the highway. Since I had the time I found myself briefly observing the other drivers. Most of them looked glum, to say the least. I get it they worked hard all day/week and now they were dealing with traffic. They were most likely thinking about what a struggle their lives were. They may have been thinking about just "getting through" this so that things will be better later. But life is about the present (right now). Life won't get any better (but perhaps worse) than it currently is, unless these people change their mindset. Life is not about what happens to you but about what you make happen. And this starts on the inside. External situations only change once a person changes internally FIRST. Think about when your life has changed for the better and see if you agree. And once you decide to take the steps necessary to do this, it is incredibly liberating, and most importantly it wor...
Dream Place
This past weekend my family and were away. We drove about 3 hours to witness the beauty and quiet that is northern Vermont. Although it rained some of the time, we were able to get out and walk and spend time together by the side of the lake. It was serene. On our drive home I noticed that there were a lot of cars from Massachusetts. It seems that they were escaping too. When you stop and think about it, the 'vacations' that we take are not so much to escape our physical setting as much as to escape our mental setting. That being said, you can escape by simply using the power of your mind. Close your eyes right now. Picture your dream place: it sights, smells and sounds, tastes and the feel of it. Really concentrate. Without any money, time or effort, you have just escaped to your dream place.
What? A Waste of Time
Why is it that so many of us feel we must constantly be 'efficient' for our lives to mean something or just to feel right? Many of us see 'down time' as wasted time. Do you feel this way about yourself? I say bunk! Unless you are spending countless hours on video games or something like that, your down time is a critical part of your day. Your down time is a time to either reflect, relax or to rebuild. I am reminded of my weight lifting days where I was instructed to only lift every other day so that the muscles could breakdown and rebuild, and become even stronger, in between lifting sessions. Isn't the time we spend between tasks like that? Our down time gives us a vital chance to 'breakdown and rebuild ourselves emotionally and physically.
Author's Note: I fully welcome your responses to the issues that are discussed in all the blogs.
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