Psychotherapy and Counselling
Christmas sets the centre on the edge;
The edge of town, the outhouse of the inn,
The fringe of empire, far from privilege
And power, on the edge and outer spin
Of turning worlds, a margin of small stars
That edge a galaxy itself light years
From some unguessed at cosmic origin.
Christmas sets the centre at the edge.
Have you ever felt – like not wanting to be you, unlike you. Not that you wanted to shrink or hide behind things, people objects and become invisible, but rather to not be there, to feel invisible, to wield yourself differently in order to see what was around you and might bring itself forward, what […]
I came across this useful article appropriate at this time, signposting to various bodies that provide therapy for black and ethnic minorities.
I came across this article (https://medium.com/stillpointspaces/7-life-affirming-lessons-to-take-away-from-lockdown-a64566a1f451) recently in which I think we can all find something to relate to.
It is difficult to have compassion for people when presumed poor character is confused with the disease characteristics that undermine it. Compounding this is the common belief that people choose to become addicted, based on weakness, lack of will power and poor judgment. Again, looking beyond myth, science informs us that there is a genetic predisposition for addiction, as well as a range of environmental factors, especially those that occur in early childhood.
There is no agreed definition of schadenfreude. Since ancient times, some scholars have condemned schadenfreude as malicious, while others have perceived it as morally neutral or even virtuous. Schadenfreude is an uncanny emotion that is difficult to assimilate. It can make you feel odd to experience pleasure when hearing about bad things happening to someone else.
In this article Ellen Savage looks for her heroine to be cantankerous, sexually perverse, too-smart-for-her-historical-situation, and possibly corrupt: tired and bored of the idea that women should have hope, achievement, and be wholesome in order to be feminist.
For love to be grounded in reality it must be based on an accurate perception of the beloved, not fantasy, reverie or illusion. Love fuelled by a projection of a saint-like idealisation on to the beloved is bound to dwindle once the image of unbending perfection disintegrates and the real person, with her unsaintly flaws, is left in its place. Sustained only by fantasy and illusion, love that idealises the beloved is void of rationality.
Re-posting an article from a year ago.
My experience of my difference means that on occasions I can’t quite tell if what I’m seeing has underlying bigotry, or it’s just a normal conversation and I’m being paranoid. I admit sometimes I see race and racism when its not there. That dynamic in itself is unsettling.
In 1977 Nemiah described the concept of psychic elaboration of emotion. Many of us struggle to put our feelings into words – developing this capacity is a life-long task in which we must all engage. Moreover the failure to foster this capacity in therapy can be one of the most common factors to undermine its success