THE ZEN OF PSYCHOTHERAPY-NOT WHAT SHOULD
BE BUT WHAT IS.
Kevin Donnelly wrote an important book for
our times: “WHY OUR SCHOOLS ARE FAILING”. He claims the PC (politically
correct) left has invaded the Universities and is introducing a view that our
centuries old “liberal and open education is described as imperialistic,
elitist, patriarchal, misogynist, racist and inequitable”. University
Humanities departments once were teaching a liberal view of knowledge and
involving a “universal transcendent truth”. Now the cultural left argues that
that education is cloaked with self-serving power of white Eurocentric male
ideas.
As the topic of this reflection is
psychotherapy, we are also noting how the ideas of the PC left have come to
psychotherapy and note the way the profession has shifted from a discipline
that took many years of required study in various theories from psychology,
social work, medicine and intensive supervision and personal inner work to a
short course "on line" offering a diploma. The practice of therapy
under supervision, clinical mentorship, group therapy experiences in the field
and a long and extensive clinical experience is not a way to learn to become a
psychotherapist anymore.
The so called ‘identity politics’ has
become a major influence in our western society where not only individuals but
also whole countries are subject to this influence. We are not aware as to who
we are. The word “I” has become the narcissistic symbol of this socio-political
movement. Alan Watts wrote some years ago that the “I” is an illusion and he
states: “I have been interested in this idea of “I” and have come to the
conclusion that what most civilized people mean by that word is a
hallucination, a false sense of personal identity that is at complete variance
with the facts of nature. As a result of having a false sense of identity, we
act in a way that is inappropriate to our natural environment and when that
inappropriate way of action is magnified by a very powerful technology, we see
a profound discord that is separating men from Nature. As is well known today, we
are in the process of destroying our environment because of our attempt to
conquer it and master it. We are making a great mistake and already are paying
for this” (Watts 1969).
Psychoanalysis and other psychotherapies
are clearly a copy of our Newtonian (man as machine) concept. We think, for
example, that the ‘libido’ is the same as the science thinks of the universal
energy as being blind and unconscious. We are still learning in psychology
classes that what was the view of the mechanistic 19th century
philosophy. That is that the “psyche’ (soul) is based on the mind, the ego, the
superego, the Id and they are all basically a mechanical function of Self.
Therefore, outside a few therapeutic
theories like Gestalt, Existentialism and Process Psychology, we are still
looking at the human being as an object to study in a lab and dissect. This has
been called “Scientific Naturalism”. The popular phrase: “I came to this world”
is not true – we came OUT of this world, in the same way as a fruit came out of
a tree or a flower came out of a plant, as a bird came out of an egg. The same
applies to the solar system and the universe as a whole.
In Gestalt therapy, we call this process
ORGANISM/ENVIRONMENT FIELD. Or a Field of Being. We cannot be separate from the
environment for we are part of it. We cannot exist without the earth, the air,
the water and a balanced temperature and all these are present within us. For
example, we are made from about 80-90% water.
Therefore our “I” is merely a symbol of
ourselves and the SELF is the whole psychological organism, conscious,
unconscious plus the environment – that is our real Self.
That means that our REAL SELF is the
Universe centred in our Organism. When we spend time learning psychology,
psychotherapy and the human fact, we must consider the mutuality of SELF with
the WHOLE. This is a mutuality that is undivided. When we leave for the outer
space, we must take our environment along with us or we cannot survive.
THE ZEN OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
Alan Watts wrote many books about “Nature
and Man”. He used the metaphor stated in the wisdom of ZEN, the Eastern
teachings about Nature and Man. He wrote that the Western psychotherapy is
impregnated with the idea that soul, spirit, body and mind are all separate.
God is experienced(interpreted) as a separate being – somewhere ‘out there’.
Therefore, identifying ourselves with being apart, we have a problem of inner
Soul. We feel different from the “out there” and so we are taught to manage,
conquer, manipulate and problem solve the natural material world.
In the ZEN view, the everyday world is not
a problem to be solved. The ZEN wisdom has the essential point of view that
Life is a flowing process where mind, spirit and consciousness of the human
being are intrinsically involved. We are part of the whole life flow and any
separation of mind from the flow of life is an illusion, a fantasy, something
imagined ‘as if’.
There are many books today translated from
the 3000 years of wisdom and practiced by most Eastern societies. However, in
the West, this was not known as a ‘spiritual therapy’ but some sort of
religion. Yet, ZEN is clearly a discipline of healing mind, body and
soul.
Here is a nice example quoted by a ZEN
master in the year 500 AD – this may be seen today as a masterful
existential/gestalt therapy:
“ A Chinese monk came to see the master
Bodhidarma with the usual troubles that affect us all and he said: ‘Master, I
have no peace of mind – please pacify my mind’ (the man is suffering of a
typical anxiety state). The Master looked at him and said: ‘Bring me your mind out
here before me and I will pacify it’. The monk said: ‘But when I look for
my mind, I cannot find it’. The Master said:’ There it is - PACIFIED!’ At this
moment, the monk had a realisation (an AHA!) He realised what is REAL and
what is NOT!
I INVITE YOUR COMMENTS AND REFLECTIONS
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