In continuing on from anxiety: being and nonbeing, we’ll now explore guilt in an ontological sense as presented in Rollo May’s The Discovery of Being. “We now move on to state that when the person denies these potentialities, fails to fulfill them, his condition is guilt. That is to say, guilt is also an ontologicalContinue reading “guilt: denial of our unique being”
Tag Archives: psychotherapy
anxiety: being and nonbeing
anxiety as ontological In his book The Discovery of Being, Rollo May provides a perspective on anxiety as ontological. By this he means anxiety is situated at the level of our being and an essential characteristic of our existence as human individuals. This differentiates it from an affect among other affects, such as sadness andContinue reading “anxiety: being and nonbeing”
opportunities of the unknown
Questions and wonderings about being and existence provoke a distinct type of experience. Whether exciting, annoying, frustrating, terrifying or wondrous, we are creatures gifted and burdened with the ability to question: Floating atop mysterious origins, we go about our daily lives often consumed by what we know. The mundane, routine aspects of our lives seemContinue reading “opportunities of the unknown”
why memories are important
Here we find ourselves at some point in our lives after years of moments, interactions, passing days, changes… Where does all this go? We may forget what we did a week ago, but never forget a cherished childhood memory. What comes to our mind when we turn to our past? Cornerstone memories may arise, maybeContinue reading “why memories are important”
therapy
Often, unless we are gifted by mentors, particularly supportive family or friends, our opportunities to reflect openly and deeply on our lives are limited to isolated activities such as journaling, contemplative practices or laying awake at night flooded by heavy thoughts and concerns. We may be surprised by what arises; insights on new ways toContinue reading “therapy”
the logic of our life
What could be different if we could recognize and gain new perspectives on the ways in which all the aspects of our lives hang together? Why that specific reaction during that interaction? Why this mood at this particular time? Why does this always happen? We may feel at times that our lives lack coherence orContinue reading “the logic of our life”
one size doesn’t fit all
The common notion that if only we could just do this or that and we would change, feel better or resolve some difficulty seems to imply that the aspects and parts of our lives, everything together that makes us us, are more or less random and arbitrary. We could just add or subtract this orContinue reading “one size doesn’t fit all”
back again (near but far)
All the thoughts, wishes, ideas, fantasy images and dreams that we’ve never spoken, shared or communicated. They come back, or we come back to them, again and again. What are they about? What stops their expression?
missing an opportunity to know ourselves
What we identify as the symptoms or troubles that lead us to seek therapy may be some of the most constant aspects of our lives. We know they are there, we are suffering, and typically we want them gone. If only someone or something could remove them from our lives, this would be solved. We’reContinue reading “missing an opportunity to know ourselves”
knowing ourselves and our world
The idea of self-discovery can often lead us to the notion of “looking within.” While there is certainly much to gain in viewing ourselves this way, we may also become misguided in forgetting the world around us and the blurry lines of inner and outer. We are undoubtably made up of much of the worldContinue reading “knowing ourselves and our world”
what is therapy supposed to do?
This question, “what is therapy supposed to do?” can be useful for all involved in the therapeutic process as a tool to circle back to for gaining clarity on what we’re doing or trying to do. This is a living question, both stable and in flux. The range of difficulties that lead us to therapyContinue reading “what is therapy supposed to do?”
tensions of measurability in mental health
perspectives from C. G. Jung’s The Undiscovered Self We seek therapy in response to some adverse aspect of our lives as individuals. We’re intimately aware of this adversity experientially. We may struggle to find clarity or more thorough understanding about this disturbance, but we know something is impacting how our lives feel. What happens whenContinue reading “tensions of measurability in mental health”
forgotten wants and persisting tensions
We arrive in the world in a fragile state. Unable to sustain ourselves or even coordinate our bodies, we are wholly dependent on the circumstances that surround us before we even arrive. Our mother carrying us inside her, the mood of the delivery room, the expectations projected onto us and the monolithic social, economic andContinue reading “forgotten wants and persisting tensions”
asking ourselves “who am I?”
Initially, we may be drawn to descriptors; words that indicate what things we identify with. These words are thoughts and concepts. This process of identification is a thinking function of our mind. Being aware of thoughts, concepts and thinking, we are beyond thoughts, concepts and thinking. Who or what is aware of the mind andContinue reading “asking ourselves “who am I?””
working through phone overuse
our phones, our companions While not yet fully integrated into our physical being, smartphones and other similar technology are fully integrated into our experience of being in the world. The overwhelming standard and expectation has long set in that we not only have a smartphone but also that it moves with us through our day.Continue reading “working through phone overuse”