One of the most important elements to establishing an effective therapeutic relationship is empathy. In order to create an environment of trust the therapist must listen to the client’s concerns. Something more however must happen, which occurs when the therapist actually cares about the client and what the client is saying, and the client becomes […]
Entries from September 2009
Empathy
September 20th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Thich Nhat Hanh at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium
September 20th, 2009 · 8 Comments
My son Andrew and I went to see Thich Nhat Hanh last night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. We attended not as devotees or practitioners of Zen, Buddhism or the discipline of mindfulness but rather as critics interested primarily in Brother Thay as a pop culture phenomenon. We also paid close attention […]
The “Now”
September 14th, 2009 · No Comments
The concept of the “now” – the present moment – long has interested philosophers and psychologists. In this essay I will examine the views of four of them. Since they essentially are incompatible, juxtaposing them is an interesting thought experiment. To start off with I should say I do not intend to address time from […]
Mind, Culture, World – Chapter 3 – We Are Uniquely Suited to Being Here and Not Anywhere Else
September 7th, 2009 · No Comments
Motion pictures like “Stargate” and “The Matrix” notwithstanding it would not be possible for us to exist on some other planet in some other galaxy. The reason why is we are not adapted to being anywhere other than where we are. Such an “other place” might meet all of the requirements and specifications for a […]
Mind, Culture, World – Chapter 2 – Neurochemistry Facilitated Culture and vice versa
September 3rd, 2009 · No Comments
Our brain size increased as we migrated (1) and pair-bonded. (2) We developed the hypothalamus and the thalamus enabling us to deploy sensory and motor skills to interface successfully with our environment. We strengthened our ability to vocalize distress in response to the feeling of pain, which then was mediated by neurochemical opiates. (3) These […]
Mind, Culture, World – Chapter 1 – The Earth Has Evolved Us, Not the Other Way Around
September 1st, 2009 · No Comments
As much as we have impacted it, we – people – didn’t “create” the earth. Rather, from an evolutionary standpoint, it has evolved us to its specifications. All concerned agree it started with mud. The Bible’s Book of Genesis instructs us, God “formed man of the dust of the ground.” (1) As he expelled man […]
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