"Awareness of what I feel, no matter how undesirable it may be, will make me free. I will have the choice of my actions only to the degree of my awareness. If I choose to verbally express these feelings when there is a good purpose, such as with my helper, I will do so. If I feel that such expression may impair a relationship, I will not do so, but will withhold it knowingly and without self-deception."
Pathwork Guide Lecture #133
PL SOON TO BE REPLACED BY AN APP? BRING IT ON!
LOL! That's my first response. Bring it on! That's my second. "If only." That's my third response.
There's an article in yesterday's Science section of the NY Times entitled: "Feeling Anxious? Soon There Will Be An App For That." That's right. That's what it's about, according to the author of the piece, Benedict Carey, "therapy apps, in effect, that may soon make psychological help accessible anytime, anywhere, whether in the grocery store line, on the bus or just before a work presentation."
Well, all I can say - besides "LOL," "Bring it on," and "If only" - is that I have been looking for a short cut around the painstaking process of psychotherapy for three decades. In that search, I have studied and/or practiced psychoanalytic treatment modalities, object relations theory, paradoxical therapy, Jungian analysis, behavioral-cognitive therapies, Gestalt, Primal Scream, Bioenergetics, Core Energetics, hypnosis, past life regression, channeling, Alexander and rebirthing techniques, herbal cleanses, acupuncture, shiatsu, Reiki and Full Permission Living, all in an effort to put myself out of business, which is how I see being successful as a therapist.
As a result of those efforts, which have required more than anything else that I subject myself to all of the above processes, I have been able to help some people go deeper into themselves and experience profound shifts and healings in their personalities, and to achieve such shifts and healings at an accelerated rate, but we're still talking years. And years of whatever-it-takes determination on the part of the patient and therapist. And a crucial part of the process has always been the therapeutic relationship, the actual partnership, person to person, between therapist and patient, rolling up their sleeves and going into the netherlands of our psyches and emotional lives.
An app for therapy?
Well, here's Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, a psychiatrist at Columbia University, quoted in the Times piece on the prospect of a therapy icon next to Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja:
“We are built as human beings to figure out our place in the world, to construct a narrative in the context of a relationship that gives meaning to our lives. I would be wary of treatments that don’t allow for that.”
I couldn't agree with you more, Dr. Gerber.
[Footnote: I didn't mention psychopharmacology or psychosurgery as treatment methods I've tried because I don't consider modern psychiatry to be in the business of helping people or providing actual healing treatments.]
There's an article in yesterday's Science section of the NY Times entitled: "Feeling Anxious? Soon There Will Be An App For That." That's right. That's what it's about, according to the author of the piece, Benedict Carey, "therapy apps, in effect, that may soon make psychological help accessible anytime, anywhere, whether in the grocery store line, on the bus or just before a work presentation."
Well, all I can say - besides "LOL," "Bring it on," and "If only" - is that I have been looking for a short cut around the painstaking process of psychotherapy for three decades. In that search, I have studied and/or practiced psychoanalytic treatment modalities, object relations theory, paradoxical therapy, Jungian analysis, behavioral-cognitive therapies, Gestalt, Primal Scream, Bioenergetics, Core Energetics, hypnosis, past life regression, channeling, Alexander and rebirthing techniques, herbal cleanses, acupuncture, shiatsu, Reiki and Full Permission Living, all in an effort to put myself out of business, which is how I see being successful as a therapist.
As a result of those efforts, which have required more than anything else that I subject myself to all of the above processes, I have been able to help some people go deeper into themselves and experience profound shifts and healings in their personalities, and to achieve such shifts and healings at an accelerated rate, but we're still talking years. And years of whatever-it-takes determination on the part of the patient and therapist. And a crucial part of the process has always been the therapeutic relationship, the actual partnership, person to person, between therapist and patient, rolling up their sleeves and going into the netherlands of our psyches and emotional lives.
An app for therapy?
Well, here's Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, a psychiatrist at Columbia University, quoted in the Times piece on the prospect of a therapy icon next to Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja:
“We are built as human beings to figure out our place in the world, to construct a narrative in the context of a relationship that gives meaning to our lives. I would be wary of treatments that don’t allow for that.”
I couldn't agree with you more, Dr. Gerber.
[Footnote: I didn't mention psychopharmacology or psychosurgery as treatment methods I've tried because I don't consider modern psychiatry to be in the business of helping people or providing actual healing treatments.]
THE DEADLY SIDE OF THE WAVE, PART 5: WHITNEY!
"Why Whitney?"
Many people ask.
They ask because she was a great talent and her music enthralled millions around the world. She had a gift, and it feels like that gift was taken away ruthlessly.
Folks, I am not at all being insensitive here, but yes, talent is a gift, but that is all. It is an open window into the soul, into our Higher Self, but it does not provide an end run around the aspects of ourselves that need to be healed. Talent is not a cure. And yes, The Wave, that surge of energy that has been knocking people off the planet at an accelerated rate over the last two years, is ruthless!
But it is ruthless in both directions. During these last two years, many people have been healing and becoming more self-actualized faster and more powerfully than ever, just as others, steadfast in their resistance and illusions have been met with severe crisis more dramatically. (And rest assured, if you don't want to heal, the medical-pharmaceutical-insurance industry cabal is on your side!) And basically right now, there is no middle ground, no "neutral" to shift into
This isn't being done to us, though. We have called this energy forth for the transistions we want to make collectively and individually right now.
The Wave is upon us because we've asked it to be. As I've said many times before, you can get on your surfboard of self-work and enjoy the ride, or you can get slammed, but those are the only two choices.
You decide. We all do.
Many people ask.
They ask because she was a great talent and her music enthralled millions around the world. She had a gift, and it feels like that gift was taken away ruthlessly.
Folks, I am not at all being insensitive here, but yes, talent is a gift, but that is all. It is an open window into the soul, into our Higher Self, but it does not provide an end run around the aspects of ourselves that need to be healed. Talent is not a cure. And yes, The Wave, that surge of energy that has been knocking people off the planet at an accelerated rate over the last two years, is ruthless!
But it is ruthless in both directions. During these last two years, many people have been healing and becoming more self-actualized faster and more powerfully than ever, just as others, steadfast in their resistance and illusions have been met with severe crisis more dramatically. (And rest assured, if you don't want to heal, the medical-pharmaceutical-insurance industry cabal is on your side!) And basically right now, there is no middle ground, no "neutral" to shift into
This isn't being done to us, though. We have called this energy forth for the transistions we want to make collectively and individually right now.
The Wave is upon us because we've asked it to be. As I've said many times before, you can get on your surfboard of self-work and enjoy the ride, or you can get slammed, but those are the only two choices.
You decide. We all do.
TODAY'S LIFETIME QUOTE!
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
Paul McCartney
This last line of the last song written for the Beatles (by Paul) was also the last musical line sung (by Paul) at last night's Grammy Awards. What brought tears to my eyes in that moment was the realization that this particular soul made sure that in this lifetime he said to the world what he came here to say. There he was, over 4 decades later after first saying it:
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
What did you come here to say?
Paul McCartney
This last line of the last song written for the Beatles (by Paul) was also the last musical line sung (by Paul) at last night's Grammy Awards. What brought tears to my eyes in that moment was the realization that this particular soul made sure that in this lifetime he said to the world what he came here to say. There he was, over 4 decades later after first saying it:
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
What did you come here to say?
THIS IS AN INTENSE - AND IMPORTANT - MESSAGE ABOUT PARENTING!
As soon as I read this piece, I knew I was going to post a link to it on the FPL blog without delay. Written by a distraught mother, one Pauline Gaines, her tale, entitled simply but stunningly, "Why I'm Glad I Gave My Ex Custody Of Our Son," is a lesson for every parent or prospective parent.
Your kids know the truth!
Whether you ever speak it out loud, whether you hide it even from yourself, your kids know the truth.
Folks, if you are or plan to become a parent, play the long game. By that I mean don't go for the short-term ego gains of trying to please your kids. Parenting is a job. They're not, nor do they need to be your friends. The love part is there, built in by your Higher Self, so trust that and just do your job!
And while we're at it, don't make your kids a source of supply for your unmet needs from your childhood. That's not their job. Don't live vicariously through their achievements, nor feel defeated by their failures. Let them evolve. They have souls, just like everybody else.
In the end, playing the long game paid off for Pauline and her son. It can for you, too.
Your kids know the truth!
Whether you ever speak it out loud, whether you hide it even from yourself, your kids know the truth.
Folks, if you are or plan to become a parent, play the long game. By that I mean don't go for the short-term ego gains of trying to please your kids. Parenting is a job. They're not, nor do they need to be your friends. The love part is there, built in by your Higher Self, so trust that and just do your job!
And while we're at it, don't make your kids a source of supply for your unmet needs from your childhood. That's not their job. Don't live vicariously through their achievements, nor feel defeated by their failures. Let them evolve. They have souls, just like everybody else.
In the end, playing the long game paid off for Pauline and her son. It can for you, too.
TODAY'S QUOTE! ("GOOD-BYE, G-SPOT!)
"Without a doubt, a discreet anatomic entity called the G-spot does not exist."
So says Dr. Amichai Kilchevsky, a urology resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and lead author of the review, published Jan. 12 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Well, there you have it, folks.
You know that special internal spot in women that loves to be massaged in a deliciously rhythmic way, either by fingers, lingam or battery-operated toys?
Doesn't exist! That's what the scientists say.
And those amazing orgasms women sometimes have if and when those spots are massaged just right?
Just your imagination!
Oh, yeah and did you know that the sun revolves around the Earth?
So says Dr. Amichai Kilchevsky, a urology resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and lead author of the review, published Jan. 12 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Well, there you have it, folks.
You know that special internal spot in women that loves to be massaged in a deliciously rhythmic way, either by fingers, lingam or battery-operated toys?
Doesn't exist! That's what the scientists say.
And those amazing orgasms women sometimes have if and when those spots are massaged just right?
Just your imagination!
Oh, yeah and did you know that the sun revolves around the Earth?
NEW LINK TO ALL THE CHARACTER STRUCTURES!
Well, yes, finally, I put all of the character structures in one place and made a link to get to them! The link is at the top of the list in the "Links" section on the lower right side of the blog. Check it out... and have fun finding your self!
TODAY'S PICTURES!
Here comes the sun... (The Beatles gorgeous album of music, "Abbey Road")
There goes the dark...
(Police, using tear gas, arresting hundreds of citizens at Occupy Oakland.)
(Police, using tear gas, arresting hundreds of citizens at Occupy Oakland.)
WHY ARE THERE STILL LOW VIBES IN MY LIFE? YOU CHOSE TO BE ON EARTH!
HERE is a link to a recent clip by "Bashar," channeling through Darryl Ankar, addressing a question I hear often from people who have done a significant amount of self-work, but still find that there are people in their lives operating at a lower level of consciousness than they are. The complaint usually sounds something like this:
"After all this work I've done to raise my own level of self-awareness and understanding, and to connect to my feelings, why am I still attracting this kind of person or energy into my life?"
Well, according to Bashar, it's simple: "You chose to be here!"
"After all this work I've done to raise my own level of self-awareness and understanding, and to connect to my feelings, why am I still attracting this kind of person or energy into my life?"
Well, according to Bashar, it's simple: "You chose to be here!"
THE WAVE HITS HOLLYWOOD!
There's a piece on salon.com entitled"Oscar 2012: Chicken soup for the Hollywood Soul" that describes the number of popular movies that came out in 2011 about people in crisis, in particular the kind of life-altering crises that have been typical of what I have been calling The Wave rolling through Planet Earth over the last few years.
Interesting reading and pondering...
Interesting reading and pondering...
"How Better Parenting Could Produce Fewer Greedy Bankers and More People Who Care About the Future of the Earth!"
YA THINK?!
Read the piece on alternet.org HERE and read a short post from the past by PL entitled: "NO EMPATHY? ARE THESE KIDS FROM PARK SLOPE?!"
Read the piece on alternet.org HERE and read a short post from the past by PL entitled: "NO EMPATHY? ARE THESE KIDS FROM PARK SLOPE?!"
TODAY'S QUOTE!
"Nobody needs your help. I know, I know...this is a difficult one. But it is true. Yet this does not mean no one wants your help, or that no one could use your help. It simply means the thought that another aspect of divinity is powerless without you is inaccurate. Do not do something, therefore, because you think someone else needs you. That only builds resentment. Do whatever you do as a means of deciding, declaring, creating, and experiencing who you are--and who you choose to be. Then you will never feel victimized, powerless, or without choice. Yes? You see how simple it all is? Get out of victimhood."
Neil Donald Walsch (Sent to PL by MC)
Neil Donald Walsch (Sent to PL by MC)
NARCISSISM IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Yep. That most intransigent of states so rampant in our culture for the last 30-40 years, narcissism, may not just be bad for your social life; it may also hamper your health. That's what a piece in the Huffington Post says this morning.
A new study, entitled "Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol," published in a scientific journal, PLoS One, suggests that individuals with certain narcissistic personality traits may have elevated levels of cortisol - the primary stress hormone - putting them at greater risk for longterm health problems, particularly cardiovascular events.
Dr. Patrick Kelly, director of consultation liaison service and pediatric psychosomatic medicine at Johns Hopkins says, "It gives a biological correlation to a psychiatric phenomenon. There is a mind body connection. There are real physical ramifications to your mental state, particularly if you have something like a personality disorder, which can be treated."
Hello!
You can read more on the subject on FPL HERE and HERE and HERE.
A new study, entitled "Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol," published in a scientific journal, PLoS One, suggests that individuals with certain narcissistic personality traits may have elevated levels of cortisol - the primary stress hormone - putting them at greater risk for longterm health problems, particularly cardiovascular events.
Dr. Patrick Kelly, director of consultation liaison service and pediatric psychosomatic medicine at Johns Hopkins says, "It gives a biological correlation to a psychiatric phenomenon. There is a mind body connection. There are real physical ramifications to your mental state, particularly if you have something like a personality disorder, which can be treated."
Hello!
You can read more on the subject on FPL HERE and HERE and HERE.
WHY I CONTINUE TO SLAM PARENTS AND DOCTORS!
THIS excerpt is from an article entitled, "RITALIN GONE WRONG," by L. ALAN SROUFE, in today's NY Times:
"As a psychologist who has been studying the development of troubled children for more than 40 years, I believe we should be asking why we rely so heavily on these drugs [like Ritalin]. Attention-deficit drugs increase concentration in the short term, which is why they work so well for college students cramming for exams. But when given to children over long periods of time, they neither improve school achievement nor reduce behavior problems. The drugs can also have serious side effects, including stunting growth. Sadly, few physicians and parents seem to be aware of what we have been learning about the lack of effectiveness of these drugs."
Here's PL:
WHY NOT?!
Sorry.
"As a psychologist who has been studying the development of troubled children for more than 40 years, I believe we should be asking why we rely so heavily on these drugs [like Ritalin]. Attention-deficit drugs increase concentration in the short term, which is why they work so well for college students cramming for exams. But when given to children over long periods of time, they neither improve school achievement nor reduce behavior problems. The drugs can also have serious side effects, including stunting growth. Sadly, few physicians and parents seem to be aware of what we have been learning about the lack of effectiveness of these drugs."
Here's PL:
WHY NOT?!
Sorry.
BEAUTIFUL RESPONSE TO PL'S: "STILL MORE ON WHY I CONTINUE TO SLAM PARENTS AND DOCTORS!"
This is why I do this, folks, why I started this blog, to give a voice to the Truth (Yes, with a capital "T") to offer and invite actual Wisdom (capital "W"), not conventional wisdom, which far too often represents a system of beliefs that range from primitive superstition, at best, to nefarious lies and manipulations, at worst.
What follows is from a courageous mother who defied the dogma and saved her son from the doctors and "experts."
Thank you, whoever and wherever you are!
Here's "Anonymous":
Thank you for sharing this.
My son was indeed misdiagnosed under the "spectrum," yet I knew to my core that he was in fact being dismissed for his atypical, but gifted, development.
Consequently, I in turn dismissed "the experts" and helped my child even-out at home my (our)own way by spending time with him, teaching him. He was autonomously reading and comprehending complex written language at age two (2), and fluent in the "language" of spatial relationships, yet he did not begin to process spoken language or converse until age (6). These developmental differences were dismissed as being indicative of "autistic markers" and we were sent on our way with recommendations for special schooling and more "experts."
It has been my experience that so many "experts" like to conveniently box children into nice neat categories, pontificate in generalities, and capitalize on the mystical respect we as a society are blindly programmed to give them as health professionals. Essentially, such people diagnose to justify their own degrees. I did find one PhD who was exceptional and pegged my son for being gifted, but the many that I encountered not only severely lacked what I think should be the requisite academic inquisitiveness of a person given such power, but they also did not have children of their own and were thus incapable of knowing the variability of day to day development.
Most importantly, they gave no credence to the input of me as the mother. I too was dismissed and seen as being in denial. This was a very difficult hurdle to overcome, both in the system and from within. The pressure was so great that even with my resolute position intact, I still began to have moments of self-doubt. The reality is that I would have been perfectly willing to accept any issue my son had to deal with, any diagnosis they made, had it been correct.
I wish I could show them my kid now...he is, as you say in your blog, a proud nerd, who has earned academic honors, and has all the human qualities they said he could not have...insight, emotion, empathy. He is doing just fine.
What follows is from a courageous mother who defied the dogma and saved her son from the doctors and "experts."
Thank you, whoever and wherever you are!
Here's "Anonymous":
Thank you for sharing this.
My son was indeed misdiagnosed under the "spectrum," yet I knew to my core that he was in fact being dismissed for his atypical, but gifted, development.
Consequently, I in turn dismissed "the experts" and helped my child even-out at home my (our)own way by spending time with him, teaching him. He was autonomously reading and comprehending complex written language at age two (2), and fluent in the "language" of spatial relationships, yet he did not begin to process spoken language or converse until age (6). These developmental differences were dismissed as being indicative of "autistic markers" and we were sent on our way with recommendations for special schooling and more "experts."
It has been my experience that so many "experts" like to conveniently box children into nice neat categories, pontificate in generalities, and capitalize on the mystical respect we as a society are blindly programmed to give them as health professionals. Essentially, such people diagnose to justify their own degrees. I did find one PhD who was exceptional and pegged my son for being gifted, but the many that I encountered not only severely lacked what I think should be the requisite academic inquisitiveness of a person given such power, but they also did not have children of their own and were thus incapable of knowing the variability of day to day development.
Most importantly, they gave no credence to the input of me as the mother. I too was dismissed and seen as being in denial. This was a very difficult hurdle to overcome, both in the system and from within. The pressure was so great that even with my resolute position intact, I still began to have moments of self-doubt. The reality is that I would have been perfectly willing to accept any issue my son had to deal with, any diagnosis they made, had it been correct.
I wish I could show them my kid now...he is, as you say in your blog, a proud nerd, who has earned academic honors, and has all the human qualities they said he could not have...insight, emotion, empathy. He is doing just fine.
TODAY'S QUOTE! (STILL MORE ON WHY I CONTINUE TO SLAM PARENTS AND DOCTORS!)
"But my experience can’t be unique. Under the rules in place today, any nerd, any withdrawn, bookish kid, can end up diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. This is particularly true if you’re bad at sports or nervous or weird-looking. As I came into my adult personality, it became clear to me and my mother that I didn’t have Asperger syndrome, and she apologized profusely. I forgave her, after about seven years."
Read the entire article HERE.
Read the entire article HERE.
CITY ROCK'S 4TH VIDEO: "The Heat Wave!"
This is more like a short than a trailer (An actual trailer is in the works), and it presents the two main female leads in the series, Jennie, Frank Cello's erstwhile girlfriend, and Mindy, his enchanting neighbor who lives on the same floor of his apartment building. The short also shows us a bit more of the personal relationship Frank has with the ghost, known only as "City Rock," of a young man who died on Frank's watch.
Enjoy the video (Click the lower right button to watch full screen) and totally enjoy the original musical renditions by sycicWALRUS!
Enjoy the video (Click the lower right button to watch full screen) and totally enjoy the original musical renditions by sycicWALRUS!
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