Too Much of the Human Condition

CHAPTER ONE: THE ROAD TOWARD LIBERATION Let us simplify. We need to simplify not because we are not smart. In fact, we are far wiser within our deepest Self than we would believe. Why must we simplify? Because living in the 21st century has become enormously complex and often bewildering. In our bewildering confusion and frequently overwhelmed state of mind, we often reach out for help, a wise step in the process of self-care. Finding support or assistance is something we all need at various times throughout our lives. Eleanor Roosevelt has said, “We are called to do that which we cannot do alone.” Reaching out for connection is a basic human need. Finding help is not the problem. Helpful professionals are plentiful and come in a variety of flavors with numerous types of credentials, various degrees of training and experience. Here is my concern and reason for this book: the behavioral sciences have created enormous complexity often causing people, even our psychotherapists and counselors, to lose sight of what is most essential. We want to grow, heal and evolve, but the very places we turn to for help with this growth may lead us astray with too much information, too many techniques. It is time to expand our consciousness while at the same time reduce the complexity in how we think about ourselves and our lives. Clients sometimes refer to me as their “shrink” to which I generally reply, “I’m not a ‘shrink’. I am an expander of consciousness.” However, in the material I put forth in this small book, I hope to shrink the complexity of helpful techniques and theories down to those which are most essential: Essentials for the Human Growth ProcessTM as I’ve defined and described it herein. Once the essentials are taken in, integrated in such a way that we can easily remember them, we can add whatever techniques and complexities we wish. However, let us keep it simple for starters and put the formula into an easy to remember code: 1-2-3, A-B-C Apologies for the gimmicky sound of this, but these two trios of numbers and letters are an easy way to remember and use the essentials. Without a simple formula to hold on to, we can easily forget where we want to grow toward and get to. I have been to workshops over the years where it was suggested that we put signs up in our homes saying “Remember.” Remember who you really are. This is good. Nice and simple. Yet who we are has more than one dimension. The formula in this book can help us remember all that we are at both the level of our human nature AND the level of our greater Self which is our Essence. I would like to offer some practical perspectives which I’ve arrived at during the past 35 years in private practice as a holistic psychotherapist working with individuals, couples, and whole family systems. These approaches to wellness may sometimes feel spiritual as they lead us into our wholeness. However, these perspectives are not religious positions; yet they are compatible with all religions, all traditions, including agnostic, atheist individuals and hard scientists. This formula is for growing into true integration, integrity. At our deepest level we long to experience our wholeness. We have an urge to evolve and grow that is both psychological and spiritual. This book is written for self-helpers, any individuals seeking Awareness, Balance, Cohesiveness—harmony and well-being on any and all levels. It is also written for counselors. We all are counselors at heart, and we all are wanting to know our own wholeness. We are all in this together, so this book is for all.