Optimism and pessimism are not cures; they are symptoms, or an expression of something much deeper inside each of us. We may be able to think our way to one or the other, but it would probably not be a permanent fix to some, if not all, of the many dysfunctions we experience in our lives [Frank Clayton: Happiness 101, the Five Spot, Dec. 29, City Weekly].
Therapists are a lot like the promoters of natural medicine. Someone discovers that a natural remedy magically cured some really bad ailment like cancer in one or two persons, when, in fact, it may have simply been remission, or even a spiritual miracle. Then it goes through the grapevine, and all of a sudden people start buying the item, even though it does not do the same thing to every person that takes it. Frank Clayton may have discovered a method that worked for a couple of people, or even several, but it does not make his method any better than anyone else’s.
My point here is that therapists are all trained the same way, and that is to go to the very edge of a “breakthrough” with a patient, then quickly back off and say, “OK, now then here are your choices,” blah, blah, blah. My god, if the patient could logically make choices, they would not be in his office in the first place.
It is not useful to tout a system of therapy until it is proven successful with a vast majority of patients. Until one gets to the root cause of the dysfunction, it will never ever truly go away.
Besides, most people arrive at the therapist after having been prescribed some kind of mood-altering drug to get them “under control” in the first place. Let’s see how well he does with those who are not diagnosed and drugged in some way by the amazing psychiatrists.
If
most of these so-called dysfunctions are a chemical imbalance, then
find out which chemical, and put it back into balance. Well, we all know
the answer to that. The drug companies are not really interested in
curing, just stabilizing, so one can continue to work at the job he has
and can afford to stay on the drug.
Sylvan Crofts
Eagle Mountain