Getting ready to go

I just received this in my inbox from the Psychology Network, an online forum for psychotherapists and thought it was interesting:

“We all think we know ourselves and are convinced that we know others just by reading body language, the way they speak, write, look.”

As I get ready to go back to Asia I am aware that this statement could potentially be rather dangerous for me to follow given where I am traveling to. In fact, I find it deeply insensitive for many reasons.

While I have traveled extensively now through out Asia,  there are a variety of social and cultural norms that go from the more liberal (western clothing acceptable in the cities men and women able to be together in one space and work together) to more

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Remembering the Healing Stories

Dreaming the World

Lauret Savoy ends Traces with this: “Remembering is an alternative to extinction.”

Remembering is a well-formed story. One of my early clinical teachers used to insist that neurosis was that which prevented the development of healing story, and that psychotherapy was the search for stories that worked. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is also the most useful definition of trauma; indeed, perhaps, as Pierre Janet suggested, trauma and neurosis are essentially the same. In that view, neurosis becomes a sort of effect of trauma, a trace of that which defies narrative.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, we are reminded that violence seeks to interrupt the development of rich, liberating stories. To those who hold unfair advantage, there is something frightening in the arrival of empowering, healing stories, and they will do all within their power to prevent the development and dissemination of such liberatory narratives. Assassination…

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Trying Something New

It is a new year. The old year, 2015 went out with the usual flurry of holiday activities. We celebrate Channukah, Solstice and Christmas in our house and so we had our usual gathering for Solstice which was warm with rich deep sharing both with story and food. Christmas is a big thing for us. I sing in our local church choir and we serve breakfast on Christmas morning. We then spent New Years Eve with neighbors made for a sweet ending to the hectic year we had.

While we celebrated, There was something a bit different with this year. Michael and I bemoaned that it seemed hard for us to enjoy the holidays as we were working so much and were tired at night. We finally managed to get out to see one of our favorite A capella singing groups, Social Band (www.socialband.org) and were glad for it as it was a wonderful performance.

(Our Medicine wheel lit up on New Years 2016)

It was busy not so much because of the actual holidays themselves (although that definitely was present, excuse the pun), but I think the experiences in our collective worlds.  There is much drama in our world right now and a lot of it deeply anxiety provoking. Tonight a presidential campaigner is coming to our town and it is stirring a huge to-do in our community. That coupled with extremes around the world, environmental chaos (Vermont had the warmest December on record by a huge margin) and sad and maddening responses to the environmental crises by our local elected officials created a deep well of sadness, pain and anguish for me and others.  It was hard to see the forest through the trees.

I noted that my client load went up- People feeling tremendous pain. The holidays brings so much with it- often not pleasant. Putting on a face and supporting others, in the end is what supported me as well. “Take the long view” I counseled. This too shall pass and there will be another day. I find that at times it is hard for me to take my own counsel.

 

As I get older and bear witness to all this, I am taking stock of what is most important. Ive been trying to be in the studio more. Working on what nourishes me. Today I took a Nia dance class and so enjoyed it that I decided  I am going back and committed to a ten visit pass. Exercise classes can be interesting  and often painful with my CP based  slightly twisted and awkward back muscles. Im looking forward to seeing how this goes. I had fun, was with a community of women, and the music was great. Right now my back feels great and I am full of energy. With this, I begin anew and step into the unknown of 2016.