Posted by DaisyM on March 22, 2004, at 14:23:41
In reply to Marinoff and 'philosophical counseling', posted by badhaircut on March 22, 2004, at 10:09:56
What bothers me, is that these guys act like they invented the napkin or decided to slice bread...Yalom has written for years that mortality, a meaningful life, and fate vs. choice have always been underlying most people's mental health issues. Not that he didn't agree that there was pathology but he believed that as therapy progressed to really get to the main issue, you had to look at these questions. Essentially he wanted us to consider why we question who we are or are meant to be, why we feel guilty, why we need/don't need intimacy...and these questions are philosophical in nature and personal in application. Discontentment comes in often when there is a disconnect between you philisophical leanings and your reality.
I smiled inwardly yesterday having a conversation with my 18-year-old son. He is in his first year at UC Berkely and I picked him up for spring break. He is so optimistic, so outraged and so idealistic in his thinking right now. It is great! But remembering those intense philosophical discussion all night in the dorm hallways reminds me that therapy is about making peace with how personal situations and choices conflict with your philisophical stance and life dreams.
poster:DaisyM
thread:326975
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040321/msgs/327065.html