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Quotes
for Therapists
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"O,
Ferryman of souls across the river of illusion, beware, lest thou
thyself be stranded upon the wrong shore." "The
principle aim of psychotherapy is not to transport one to an impossible
state of happiness, but to help (the client) acquire steadfastness
and patience in the face of suffering. " "Never
diagnose a (client) until after their therapy is over."
"My work as a psychoanalyst is to help patients recover their lost
wholeness and to strengthen the psyche so it can resist future dismemberment."
"The
psyche is a natural phenomenon. All aspects of the psyche, even
those which seem pathological or destructive, actually serve the
function of furthering our psychological development." "A
patient doesn't select his physical ailments. They happen to him.
You could just as well ask when you are eaten by a crocodile, 'How
did you select that crocodile?'. Nonsense. He has selected you.
The patient doesn't even select the symptoms unconsciously. That
is an extraordinary exaggeration of the subject to say he was choosing
such things. They get him." "What
the doctor fails to see in himself, he will either not see at all
in his patient, or see grossly exaggerated." "The
difference in a teacher and a mentor is that a mentor is interested
in our soul." "The
only hope for healing is to offer a better form of ecstasy, to upgrade
so the addict will give up the stupid one." "The
goal of inner work is to help clients unblock their bottlenecks
and learn how to live in partnership with the unconscious rather
than at its mercy." "It's
not too difficult to get the skeletons out of the closet with people,
but to get the gold out is a different matter. That is therapy.
Psychology is the Art of finding the gold of the spirit." "The
only valid cure for any kind of depression is the acceptance of
real suffering. To climb out of it any other way is simply laying
the foundation for the next depression." "The
ego will endure the worst agonies of neurotic misery rather than
consent to one minute of diminishment of its sense of importance."
"What
analysis is all about is for one hour a week, you sit and hope that
for a flash of a moment you will experience connectedness." "The
healing of ourselves as healers has to take place first. Bringing
ourselves to wholeness, we become more sensitive to other people.
In the change of consciousness that happens within us, we bring
about change of consciousness in those around us and in the planet
itself." "If
we can abandon our missionary zeal we have less chance of being
eaten by cannibals."
"Although attempting to bring about World Peace through the internal
transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way."
"While
non-reactivity is a principle asset of a therapist, such a trait
is useless if it does not coincide with the ability to feel." "The
level of differentiation is the single most important aspect distinguishing
a therapist from a technician. Differentiation is the ability to
maintain a non-anxious presence in the face of another's anxiety.
It does not mean being uninvolved or indifferent. It is the ability
to tolerate pain for growth." "In
providing therapy, look, discover, accompany. See what happens.
Our goal in analysis is not necessarily to wipe out personality
characteristics (guilt, etc), but to become conscious of them."
"We don't even have to understand the unconscious. All we have to
do is pay attention to it and it will be flattered. If we can't
see it ourselves, then we hire a therapist to see it for us, and
the unconscious is so excited to be recognized that it immediately
becomes less harmful." "Unless
we engage in developing consciousness, we become what was done to
us-or its opposite."
"It is not our task to solve another's problems, or take away another's
pain. All lessons of life are necessary and produce growth-and therefore
joy." "To
seek truth is not the way to paradise, it is the way to reality,
to life with all of its complications and problems, turmoil and
chaos, and its raging emotions...the way to growing wisdom that
will enable us to fulfill our mission." "All
diseases and disorders have some spiritual connection and serve
as stepping stones for us to listen to and learn from." "If
I simply live the principles that appear to be truth for me, I will
touch the lives of those I am destined to touch." "Sometimes
instead of offering up helpful, healing symbols, the unconscious
will first produce a series of painful realizations about what is
wrong with oneself and one's conscious attitudes-where one is missing
the mark. Then one must begin the process by swallowing all sorts
of bitter truths."
"If we can give up attachment to our roles as helpers, then maybe
our clients can give up attachment to their roles as patients and
we can meet as fellow souls on this incredible journey. We can fulfill
the duties of our roles without being trapped by over-identification
with them." "You
don't tell the quality of a master by the size of his crowds." "Of
course I'm a fake. We're all fakes on this whole world, pretending
to be something we're not. We are not just bodies walking around,
not just atoms, molecules. We are unkillable, undestroyable ideas
of the IS, no matter how much we believe otherwise." "'Repression
of the life force' is a diagnosis that would describe most of the
emotional problems that clients present in therapy." "The
aim of soul work is not adjustment to accepted norms or a statistical
framework. The goal is a richly elaborated life connected to society
and nature. The idea is not to be superficially adjusted, but to
be profoundly connected in the heart." "The
therapist's job is not to be an exterminator to take things away.
The job is to give the problem back to the client in a way that
shows how much they need it, show its value."
"If we pathologize depression, trying to get rid of it, treating
it as a symptom in need of cure, then these legitimate emotions
have nowhere to go except into abnormal behavior and acting out.
An alternative would be to invite these emotions in and give them
an appropriate place to stay." "In
the course of our lifetime, our personalities are to be transformed
and reorganized in such a way that the Ego with its ambitions and
goals is no longer the main reference point. Indeed, the guiding
element in our personality is to be the will of God, which in psychological
language, we call the Self or Center." |
