Smile. It's all in your head. Change your thoughts and it will all get better. Ever hear that? Ever find that won't work? In this clip Barbara Ehrenreich invites us to become realists and see things as they are. While she doesn't specifically speak about mindfulness, her message of seeing things clearly speaks directly to the power one can find when they can see things as they are without modification or flourish.
Showing posts with label emotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emotions. Show all posts
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Why Weep?
Online discussion forms can be an interesting place. Take for example a thread of discussion about an older gentleman who was weeping in therapy. The psychotherapist posted the question "what do you make of weeping in a case of an [older] gentleman with major depression who has been seen in therapy [a handful of times]?
The range of responses are interesting. The original poster commented that in many years of clinical experience, they have never seen a person with major depression weep. Others have pondered if there is some sort of unexpressed grief, while many others talked about us living in a culture where men don't cry. Others have questioned if there is some sort of underlying medical disorder that is causing the weeping. The most useful comment is the most recent: "Have you thought about asking the patient why they are crying?"
My first thought is that I think every psychotherapist needs to think twice about having discussion about current patients anywhere on the internet. The second thought of the psychotherapist should always be "no, I'm not going to discuss this online." Supervision is great, peer supervision is great. Internet discussions with strangers about patients is nothing more than gossip. We owe our patients more than that. In fact, our ethics require us to offer our clients more than that.
My second thought is that if you are a patient, ask you psychotherapist about their privacy policy. Ask them directly if they discuss their work with anyone else. Most skilled and competent psychotherapists seek out some sort of supervision (with a peer, with a more experienced mentor) at various points in their career. This is perfectly acceptable. In asking how they talk about you with other's, ask if they have a policy about discussion on the internet. If you aren't comfortable with their policy, discuss it with your therapist until you are either comfortable or decide that you want a different therapist.
My third thought is about weeping. What a ridiculous question. Did you know one of the first things that comes up on a search of 'weeping' is a site that lists 52 medical causes for weeping. Have we really turned a normal human emotion and behavior into a disorder? Really?
The range of responses are interesting. The original poster commented that in many years of clinical experience, they have never seen a person with major depression weep. Others have pondered if there is some sort of unexpressed grief, while many others talked about us living in a culture where men don't cry. Others have questioned if there is some sort of underlying medical disorder that is causing the weeping. The most useful comment is the most recent: "Have you thought about asking the patient why they are crying?"
My first thought is that I think every psychotherapist needs to think twice about having discussion about current patients anywhere on the internet. The second thought of the psychotherapist should always be "no, I'm not going to discuss this online." Supervision is great, peer supervision is great. Internet discussions with strangers about patients is nothing more than gossip. We owe our patients more than that. In fact, our ethics require us to offer our clients more than that.
My second thought is that if you are a patient, ask you psychotherapist about their privacy policy. Ask them directly if they discuss their work with anyone else. Most skilled and competent psychotherapists seek out some sort of supervision (with a peer, with a more experienced mentor) at various points in their career. This is perfectly acceptable. In asking how they talk about you with other's, ask if they have a policy about discussion on the internet. If you aren't comfortable with their policy, discuss it with your therapist until you are either comfortable or decide that you want a different therapist.
My third thought is about weeping. What a ridiculous question. Did you know one of the first things that comes up on a search of 'weeping' is a site that lists 52 medical causes for weeping. Have we really turned a normal human emotion and behavior into a disorder? Really?
Friday, January 28, 2011
A bird? A plane? A Transient Experience?
Everywhere I turn the happiness squad is hawking their wares, trying to get me to purchase the latest way to create or increase my happiness. Oprah frequently has guests on her show who offer quizzes, books, and steps toward ensuring we achieve a steady state of happiness. A quick spin through a book store offers more of the same: happiness is a state that I achieve, and once I get there, I am supposed to stay there. With his recent tweet talking about finding happiness (a thing), H.H. the Dalai Lama said, “If you want others to be happy [a state], practice compassion, if you want to be happy, practice compassion” I fear even H.H. has encountered trouble with this word that conveys a transient experience that is frequently misused to convey a state or a thing. I’ll give H.H. the Dalai Lama the benefit of doubt—perhaps it’s a translation issue–because while H.H. refers to happy as a state, he also, elsewhere, refers to it as a transient experience: “Awareness of impermanence and appreciation of our human potential will give us a sense of urgency that we must use every precious moment.”Check out the full post, and others answering the question ""Why does the enterprise of psychotherapy matter?" on the new multi-contributor blog On Psychotherapy. Never fear--I will not be neglecting this blog!
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