Dharma Bum

Scrubbing..

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A monk asked Tosu, "Is there a dragons howl in a dead tree?"

Tosu said, "I say there's a lions roar in a skull."

The Radical Therapist

I've been watching the occupy Wall Street gatherings recently and have been reflecting on my own political leanings. As a former punk rocker who lived by the motto "never trust a hippie" I have always tended to view these kind of movements as suspect, or as the Who would say,“Here’s to the new boss, same as the old boss.” I mean, the hippies sold out eventually right?

This weekend I found myself wandering into a used book store. I purchased two books, both with politics in the title. The first The Politics of Therapy by Seymour Halleck and the second R.D. Laing's The Politics of the Family. I started reading Hallecks' The Politics of Therapy this weekend and have found myself captivated. Written in 1971 during a time of much political upheaval, Halleck argues that any psychiatric intervention, even when treating a voluntary person, will have an impact on the distribution of power within the various social systems in which the person travels. Who knew that someone was writing about power operations in therapy in the U.S. that long ago? And I thought it all began with narrative practice.

I'm still early in the book but Halleck did introduce me to the Radical Therapist, a journal that emerged in the early 1970s. I have had fun learning about this journal and the Radical Therapy collective which can still be found in northern California alive and well.

Politics are in the air, I have been doing lots of reading and reflecting. I'm not sure where I sit with this new movement gaining traction in the U.S., but I have found myself recently with a few good ideas for signs.

The following is part of the Radical Therapist Manifesto (written 1971). Good stuff:

Therapy today has become a commodity, a means of social control. We reject such an approach to people's distress. we reject the pleasant careers with which the system rewards its adherents. The social system must change and we will be workers toward such change. But to be true instruments of change, therapy and therapists must be liberated from their own forms of oppression. Nor is it enough to pursue a medical model and try and develop popular programs to 'treat the masses.' Therapists must understand their place in the changing social and political reality; thus therapy must become politically aware. No therapist, no person, can claim detachment from social contact. Each human act is a social act and moral statement: a political fact. It then becomes important which values we hold and which of them comes first. This awareness must structure all radical therapy today; for liberation from within has to be accompanied by liberation from with out.

 

Hard...Core

The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the "rat race" -- the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing. - DFW

Vancouver Bound

In two weeks Anne Arnold and myself are flying up to Canada and one of my favorite city's Vancouver, to attend a four day training at the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy titled Advanced Practice & Supervision: Developing Inquiry: exploring the craft of narrative therapy inquiry. I'm very excited that I get to spend time in Vancouver learning from both Stephen Madigan and David Epston. There's 2 more spots available in the class if anybody wants to jump in, just go HERE. I'm sure I'll be posting a bit from the training when I get up there so stay tuned for more.

Friday Afternoons at Dulwich

Throughout the month of October the Dulwich Center will be hosting a new online forum called Friday Afternoons at Dulwich. The plan is that every Friday afternoon Dulwich will put up a video, maybe an audio recording, or a link to something they find interesting related to narrative practice. The first post this Friday is the video of the presentation Inviting paranoia to the table: A narrative perspective by Amanda Worral. Please take a look and register to get involved in the discussion. If it gets some energy it sounds like they'll keep doing it.

Back

"The capital-T Truth is about life before death.
It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over:
"This is water."
"This is water."
It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out."
- David Foster Wallace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serenade

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Sailing Away

Tomorrow I leave on what has turned into an annual sailing trip to Catalina. Over the next 6 days I get to spend time with a couple of quality old men of the sea. Our first trip took place last year, and it was last year at this time that I was basically falling apart. You know things aren't going well when you find yourself weeping in a Ralph's parking lot after buying oatmeal. Fortunately for me I was going to be stuck with Capt. Ed and Ralph for the next several days. We had a great time and they patched me back up, I owe them big time.

I'm in a much better place this time around but still have a lot on my plate. I recently quit two jobs, so that I could better focus on the Narrative Project and California Youth Services. It was very hard to leave the OC Rescue Mission's Village of Hope. I spent nearly two years there counseling individuals and families, amazing people who invited me into their lives. I'm not sure what effect I had in their lives, but the association was transformative for me. I found myself struggling with some grief this week. It will be going with me on the trip.

There's also many exciting things happening.There's the recent great news for the growth of the Narrative Project, and the writing project. My private practice is growing quickly and I am loving the work. The chance to help grow CYS's counseling practice is very exciting. And once again I am thinking of applying to a PhD program for next fall...because that's just how I roll. I'll take all that on the trip as well.

We might encounter some rough weather, but I am used to that (metaphorically speaking) and find it fitting for this kind of trip. I will post photos, so come back, and I might come back.

02 Right Away, Great Captain!

Right Away, Great Captain