So if, as explored last time, we suspend expectations, where does that leave us in our relationships? Does this mean we should expect nothing from our partners, our friends, our family? If they are ‘doing their thing’ and I am doing mine, how will we meet each other? For me as a therapist, this is where in […]
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want …. Read Post »
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 »
I am on a little adventure, exploring the Forest of Dean this week. It was while I was making friends with a borrowed Sat Nav on the journey, that I considered the ideas of trust of self, trust of authority and route finding. Initially I borrowed the Sat Nav as reassurance, as company, as protection
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
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,
When the tissues and structures of the body are engaged and held in stillness… In that stillness there is opportunity for change and enhanced self-awareness. Phil Greenfield I attended Phil Greenfield’s http://www.corealignment.co.uk/ talk on Zero Balancing this week. It seemed very timely following my experience with Authentic Movement therapy. One of the descriptions he used, regarding
Psychotherapy Without Words Read Post »
Dance like no one is watching… Last week I had a further valuable experience of ‘going within’ with eyes closed. I was experiencing a therapy called Authentic Movement Therapy on a workshop. I won’t explain all that we did on this training, but just describe that by the second half of the workshop we were