Gestalt ‘Prayer’ I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it […]
Great Expectations Read Post »
I love working with my own dreams and with client dreams. In Gestalt therapy we are encouraged to see all aspects of the dream as part of the self. When we describe our dreams we are encouraged to connect with it using the present tense. I had that frustrating experience of knowing I had had
The Wisdom of Dreams Read Post »
The greatest loss, that of oneself, may pass unnoticed. Kierkegaard Last time, I mentioned Transactional Analysis and the idea of “I’m not OK, You’re OK” and “I’m OK, You’re not OK”. I would like to consider what we have to gain from the “I’m OK, You’re OK” position. I left yesterday’s post with a thought
We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are. The Talmud I have been aware this week of how much pressure some people put on themselves to be perfect. How dependent we can be at times on the approval of others. We might engage in external behaviours (such as people
Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. ― Mary Oliver I was walking along a busy city street last week, and I was busy myself, inside my head, when the scent of roses stopped me in my tracks and I had to reverse my steps to find the rose bush
Without judgment, take a minute to listen and to know. What do you feel right now? Notice your body, your tensions, where you hold. Bring you attention to your energy, your creative life force, is it lively or flat? There is no right or wrong answer, no way you ‘should’ be, just the truth of
Tell me that you’re disappointed with the unfinished chores you see, but calling me ‘irresponsible’ is no way to motivate me. And tell me that you’re feeling hurt when I say ‘no’ to your advances, but calling me a frigid man won’t increase your future chances. Marshall Rosenberg Non-Violent Communication: A language of life http://www.cnvc.org/about/marshall-rosenberg.html,
“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.” ― Anonymous, The Bhagavad Gita Last week, I was reflecting on how empathy is a powerful re-iteration of the paradoxical theory of change. Instead of saying, “Don’t be like that”, to ourselves or others, we sit with
The Way of Imperfection Read Post »
..change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. Change does not take place through a coercive attempt by the individual or by another person to change him, but it does take place if one takes the time and effort to be what he is — to
The Paradoxical Theory of Change Read Post »