Psychotherapy and Life Events… Consciousness and Aloneness
April 18th, 2011 · aloneness, Identity, psychotherapist, Psychotherapy
Truly wise psychotherapy knows that you can have an experience of life events, that changes your consciousness but at the same time leaves you in a state of profound aloneness. Karin Dubois wrote of such an experience in her essay Friends on the Other Side in the Globe and Mail of April 13, 2011.
As a very young woman, Karen was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer. She describes in graphic terms how psychologically isolating that experience was for her.
Most of my friends were worrying about exams at school while I was paralyzed with fear that my next CT scan would light up with cancer. We couldn’t relate.
When Others Have No Idea
What a profoundly difficult experience for someone to encounter. Yet, there are many people who have experiences of this kind, which make that person aware of aspects of life of which many other people have no idea. An illness, yes, or a child born with a disability, a parent with an addiction, a major economic setback or family bankruptcy in an affluent community — the list is endless. There are many, many different types of experiences that can change a person’s consciousness. The problem can be that, when we have those experiences, especially if they involve deep pain or insight, it may make it very difficult for others to connect or understand.
The Fundamental Need to Reach Out and Connect
When someone is at a point like this, it can be essential for that person to connect with someone who sincerely strives to understand, and who listensmost carefully to his or her story, in all its uniqueness. Oftentimes, we also need to hear ourselves talk about such experiences, with a receptive witness, to get beyond aloneness. This is because we truly need to know that our experience, while uniquely ours, is something human, something that others can relate to, understand and appreciate. Entering into real psychotherapy can bring this dimension of reality and acknowledgement to our experience, connecting us powerfully to the entire human race, while leaving us standing in our unique human dignity. That’s the power of depth psychotherapy.
I welcome your inquiries and comments.
Wishing you deep and fundamental human connection on your journey to wholeness,
