Here's one reason why: the existence of Judi James, a psychologist and self-proclaimed body language expert on a ridiculous reality show called "Big Brother." Judi has a blurb on the Huffington Post entitled: "FEELING STRESSED? THROW A TEMPER TANTRUM!"
The piece is as inane as it is misleading.
What, you say? Yes, many of you know, in therapy sessions with me, you may be asked at times to hit pillows or "have a tantrum" on a mattress, so what gives, Peter?
Well, first of all, releasing surface anger left over from your day by screaming or having tantrums or hitting or breaking things or kick-boxing or whatever has almost no therapeutic value whatsoever. Literally almost none. I say "almost," because that superficial discharge can provide a moment of relief afterwards, but it has no effect on the stockpile of rage and pain long-held inside oneself that is the real cause of so many of our problems - emotionally, mentally and physically.
To truly have a healing release of pent-up emotion, a safe, supportive and reflective relationship with another person is required while screaming and hitting the pillows, so that the deeper, festering feelings can be accessed with support and guidance that allows for integration and understanding. "Letting off steam" is exactly that... and nothing more.
Judi James is part of an epidemic in the psychotherapy profession. Whether from laziness - rooted in the fear of their own inner lives, or from psychopathic greed - trying to make a fast buck by offering quick fixes to desperate people in pain, or from gigantic egos - wanting to appear magical to the needy child in their patients, far too many therapists offer gimmick-based therapies, or even worse... drug-based therapies.
DRUGS!
Oh, how I hate the use of drugs by psychotherapists!
Of all the abuses a helping professional can inflict on a patient, it's the prescribing of a drug to solve an emotional problem that I find the most despicable. It's really simple, folks. It's not complicated at all. Almost all emotional problems are caused by the suppression of feelings, and almost all mental problems are caused by the repression of thoughts. Not hard to figure out that freeing up those feelings and thoughts should provide a healing if done with care and professional know-how, right? Right.
Drugs, on the other hand, offer false relief by actually aiding in the process of suppression and repression, ultimately deepening the problem. How insidious - and financially lucrative - is that?! These days, everyone knows a story about someone who is taking a psychotropic medication and is now on an endless train ride of more and more medications, and yet, is still getting worse over time. Sometimes, that "worse" even means suicidal.
People, be in charge of your healing process. Don't ever let a supposed "professional" kid you into believing in magic potions or "chemical imbalances" or RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME!! Drug companies and their M.D. shills make up those terms to rid you of your cash, not of your symptoms.
Ugh! I need to go have a tantrum!
The problem I have with so many self-proclaimed "experts" is that they fail to take into account the real world, and the real and potential consequences of the actions they propose you take. In simplest terms, tantrums have more negative than positive effect, at least as I've experienced, so her claim seemed like rubbish from the moment I read the headline.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input on this. Glad I'm not the only one who smells something fishy about it.