Why go into Psychotherapy???

by frankiespeakin 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  frankiespeakin

  Here's a cut and paste about why some people use Psychotherapy:

  Click on this link and then click on "why go"

  http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/

  It all comes down to this: A person enters psychotherapy because he is lost or stuck. He may feel this way or it may be evident in behavior, but in any case that is the problem. "Lost or stuck?" I hear a voice asking. "What has that to do with anxiety, depression, panic, phobias, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, adolescent rebellion, drug abuse, school phobia, wife beating, compulsive promiscuity, etc.?" The answer is: Everything.
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  Markfromcali

  And of course, sometimes a person may be fine psychologically speaking - they might carry on in life as an average normal person, but there may still be the feeling of being lost or stuck in some existential sense.

  Under the "Whats the Cure?" page, the author points out the solution is essentially increased awareness. Its worth noting that contemplative practices from certain spiritual traditions has the same thing as its goal. Often people speak of therapy as a thing that has helped them, but the correct understanding would be that the process of therapy helped bring about that self-awareness, which is the only thing that will make a difference. After all, it doesn't do any good for someone else to read you like a book - you gotta come to terms and resolve things within yourself. Its also interesting that many therapists turn to these contemplative practices for themselves, and for their practice. But again, these practices do not have any magical powers in themselves, rather the whole thing is a matter of knowing yourself. You can know yourself well enough to be functioning in the world psychologically, the challenge in context of these traditions is self awareness in a sense that is much more thorough and complete.
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  frankiespeakin

  Mark,

  I think I agree with you pretty much in this post.

  I think Carl Jung felt that self was very sacred and it was also the God archetype. To realize the self is lonely because all we are is the self both you and I and every single thing is self.

  What do you feel about the self being unconscious? If the self is pure awareness with out ego how can one experience self? By intuition???
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  frankiespeakin

  I would like to find a Psychoanylist that knew alot about ethnogenics,,I think I would pay him for a couple of sessions if not very expensive. I would like someone of a Jungian backround.
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  Markfromcali

  Well its true that consciousness implies you are alone, but its not lonely - because loneliness implies there is some other to be with, and that realization goes so deep that there is just no other to be alone from.

  I don't really feel any particular way about the self being unconscious, it just happens. For a very short period of time I was going through a phase where I wanted to wake people up, but thats actually a degree of unconsciousness as that is also the self, people wake up when they are ready. And that leads into your question about experiencing the self, which is always. The difference is when you are having whatever experience, you know at the same time the nature of what is experienced is awareness itself - its just another aspect of the self. You don't buy into the form of the expression as self, you recognize it as just an expression.

  As for your interest in working with a psychoanalyst while doing entheogens, I would point out that just because they work with it doesn't necessarily mean they have that much depth or awareness. Some psychologists do have that, but its more them than any training they have. Its sort of like they naturally develop it through their work, whereas others who are into this stuff may in fact be very limited in their view. So for that matter someone who doesn't work with it may even have better understanding.

  Actually, you may be able to do it all yourself. (which is always the case in the other sense of the word 'self') It helps to work with someone, but it is not even necessary to be well studied on the subject. After all its about direct experience, not even about *what* you experience, but about what is having the experience, that awareness. You may not be able to speak about it in terms of a particular system of thought, but the realization can still be there. The thing is, before you realize this is beyond psychology you may want to have psychological work done, but in this context of awakening its about getting to that point. Frankly its not about making thought work in a certain way, it goes beyond that. If a certain thought woke people up someone could have started telling everyone that a long time ago and everyone would be awake by now, but it really is about self discovery.
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  frankiespeakin

  Mark,

  Thanks for you advice.

  I think you may be right,,perhaps just a friend to touch base with so as,,, I heard some Jungian type proffessor say that might help you not to get too lost when making the unconcious conscious. He strongly reccommended the western type guru(psychoanlysis). Buyt I think I can do it the cheaper way.

  BTW I'm dreaming a lot, but can't recall what it was I only sense that I'm dreaming but hard to recall,,I'm hoping I get a little better at recall since I see it as the unconscious comunication with the conscious and some how I'm not getting it. Oh well I think it will improve.
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  Markfromcali

  Frankie, one other thing to consider is its one thing to make the unconscious conscious in terms of content, but its another matter when we're talking about shifting that identification. If you know who you are, basically, then there tends to be a balancing and harmonizing effect - after all everything is the same then. On the other hand if you dig too deep in one area while still having that kind of egoic identification then it can just change form, but then there's still suffering. Strictly speaking you're not really more conscious, not in the sense of self realization. You might have more content uncovered, but that can actually create more suffering.
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  frankiespeakin

  Mark,

  I noticed you said "can" have more suffereing,,so it not always the case?
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  Markfromcali

  Well no it doesn't have to be, the basic rule of thumb is if you don't take any phenomena as self then there's not going to be suffering. Psychotherapy tends to deal with cases where there is a core issue, I suppose that might be magnified so maybe temporarily suffering will increase, but just depending on whether you're ready you can avoid it because its too intense, cling to it because it seems to be really significant in some way, or actually see through it. There comes a point where you see through the identification itself, and even if it kind of re-groups itself it just doesn't take anymore. So I always say don't believe having the same experience in itself means you've "relapsed" or something like that, you may find that in the long run it is diminishing more and more.
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  outoftheorg

  HI GUYS.

  INTERESTING TOPIC.

  COULD YOU TELL ME WHERE I CAN BUY A PSYCHOLOGY TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION BOOK?

  Outoftheorg