being a therapist (2) - different churches

The method that therapists use, will depend on their belief systems- therapists are more like priests in this way. To create a flawed and simplistic analogy:
Anglicans: Jungians, who try to integrate differences, and to be contemporary, but who invoke the assistance of unconscious forces, angels and saints, and certainly believe in the devil (who is a fallen angel, after all).
Catholics: Object relations (the old Freudians)- who tend to be fundamentalistic in their beliefs, and take the unconscious seriously, but since they know better, you are very much dependent on them for absolution They marry somewhat skewed and punitive concepts with highly intellectual thinking and warm relationships. Its very clever and seductive, but man, you have to be careful: it can do as much harm as it can do good: the devil and the angel are cleverly disguised, at times switching sides.
Protestants: Cognitive behaviourists - forget about intuition and the unconscious; its all in the head. Scientific, pragmatic, real.Well-researched. Safe. The uncsoncious, creative, intuitive,symbolic side of humankind is ignored, and not co-opted at times of distress. (Has humans not, since times immemorial, used song and symbol to move from depair towards healing?)
New church: Narrative therapists - it is all about different ways of telling the same story. We know from research that memory is highly selective; we create a belief-system, and then select information that fit our belief systems. Narrative therapy is about creating alternative, more constructive narratives. Good idea, and certainly usefull and highly effective with children. peronally, I like the techniques, but prefer a worldview with more depth and nuance, which can include acknowldegemnt of the sharp and dark aspects of humanity, existing at times also in their own clients and in the therapist.
Happy clappies: Self psychologists and positive psychology - who are so touchy feelly,and individualised that I am concerned that they create icons out of their own suffering or positive thinking, as if the world should only be made of me and of goodness. And no, the world does not consist of individuals in distress; it is all connected: I, the times and contexts that I live in. My belief systems, are also informed by my peers and the media, by my present history as much as my past - it's all a web: the job if the therapist, at least that's my belief, is to try to untangle the web - then you will find it is a multi-coloured thread (soos tolletjie brei).
Atheists: The clinical, medical people, who believe suffering is, in essence a result of chemistry and genetics. Bring on the medicine. As the knowledge is all in the head of the professional, these are the therapists who can be most attracted by the power complex, and who would be, of course, most unconscious - that is, from the perspective of a lapsed anglican, like me.
In movies, the cognitive psychologists are mostly shown, although to their credit, in a much reduced format.

being a therapist (1) - introversion vs extraversion

One of the side-effects of being a therapist, is that people tend to tire you. If you are already more introverted than extraverted, being a therapist is a relatively better fit. (An introvert may like people, but experiences over-exposure, especially to groups, as draining. They recharge energy by engaging in solitary activities. Extroverts require the energies of others to recharge them). I use the word "relatively", because being a therapist is very much a one-way flow of intimacies. Therapists clearly do not share their own certainties, insecurities and fears, nor their own pain in sessions. Increasingly they also tend not to do so after hours (On the hand we are supposed to be immune to these human failures. To be able to cope impeccably. On the other, we are proud and shyat the same time, and also rather tired of emotional talk). But you listen intently to those of other, all the time. This is why most therapists that I know, shy away from people, of intimacy and, last but not least, of any emotionally wrenching stories or movies, after hours. We need a break! problem is, you can feel that way about your own intimate relationships.
Extraverted persons who become therapists have an even tougher time: how not to show your own personality and ideas too much! In time, they become more introverted- the job just determines that. So, we suffer from loss of spirit very often- too much being for others; too little being ourselves. An analyst once said to me; "The problem with you is, you have too little character." "How do I get more, I asked" (No, I did not argue and I was not offended;I could feel the loss of character in my bones after more than a decade in practice). "You find out what you like and you do lots of it!", was his answer.

In the beginning is relation - Martin Buber

The image of a mother and her infant represents, in archetypal form, our earliest experience of being related. From this theme, much Art and most of modern Psychology has emerged. An exhibition is planned that will highlight key elements in the relationship between the primary caregiver and child, from the perspective of Art as well as Psychology. The former will provide an interpretation of this primary relationship in our time, as experienced through the lens of Art.
The latter provides longitudinal research findings on what mothers (or primary caregivers) do naturally – independent of time or context - that which has withstood the test of time. This is based on the long history of research in the field of Attachment Theory, with a specific focus on the research findings on Maternal Sensitivity, a sub-speciality within the field. Attachment Theory is based on parent-child observations. What naturally happens between children and primary
Caregivers is recorded in minute details. Longitudinal multi-cultural research discovered that sensitive mothers all over the world, independent of socio-economic status, level of education or cultural background, respond to their infants in the same ways.

What babies and mothers do naturally

When a baby is born, the first thing it wants to see is it's mother's eyes. No, not the breasts, as we previously thought; video material of new-born infants shows that a baby is restless, until it has looked into it's mother eyes. A mother of a newborn baby will instinctively lie with her baby on her breasts; gazing at its face, which is tilted slightly backwards, to achieve just the right distance. Sensitive mothers all do this: to set themselves and the baby up in such a way that a comfortable, yet highly intimate 'eye-exchange' takes place. Soon afterwards, the newborn infant achieves a look of quiet satisfaction, and falls asleep.
If we look at this natural gaze, and the intimacy between mother and infant, it is difficult not to be moved. This is love, is it not? A neurochemical by the name of Oxytycin is involved here. No, it is not only chemical; it is proof that we are body and mind at one; that we are the human species; made for bonding, made for relationship, made for love between mother and child.What if this goes wrong? What if we lose it, for example in adolescence? Before we get to these hugely important questions, let us first look closer at the newborn and its mother . . .

dreams 1

Dreams are universal; we all dream - we are after all, species bound. It comes as somewhat of surprise however, that, universally, our dreams reflect a typically limited range of themes. Maybe if we looked closely at these themes, we would be able to make up what being human means? I find it amazing that our brains can make up a story that is unique to ourselves every night, using only a limited number of themes. It strikes me that story-making must be an innate human capacity. We are made for story, it seems. Every night as you go to sleep, your brain concocts a story in which your life plays a major role. This, in itself , is extraordinary.
(All mammals dream every night, with few rare exceptions).
If you would like to look at the universality of themes, look up Hall & van der Castle.

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