Posted by Dinah on September 1, 2003, at 20:35:44
I just read a really silly article by a couple of marriage counselors who do short term therapy. And their whole idea is based on pointing out to couples that what they're doing is not getting them what they want. And I think they do some work into figuring out why they do it anyway.
And I was wondering. Does anyone go into a therapist complaining, say, of not being their ideal weight. And the therapist says "Well, you're eating too much and not exercising enough. If you eat less and exercise more, you'll lose weight. Here's a 1200 calorie diet plan, and a list of activities. And you say your mother also weighed more than she would have liked to weigh? Well, there you go. That'll be $150." And the client goes out and eats less and exercises more?
Why do we keep doing self destructive things? Or more to the point, why is it so hard to stop even if we know they're self destructive. Even if we know how to change. Even if we know why we're doing them.
All of the self destructive things I do fulfill some need. Admittedly I haven't figured out what that need is for some of them, but I'm sure there is one. And until that need is met some other way, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to give them up. Why are some people able to give them up more easily with some not so subtle prompting?
poster:Dinah
thread:256207
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030814/msgs/256207.html