Journal Entries
Analogy and Imagery
Posted Jul 14, 2000
Well my dear hitch-hikers. Time for another thrilling installment of Alice's Psychology home help guide...
Our minds when asleep are still very active and this is why we dream. Often we dream in symbol form. One theory is that it is the evolutionarily oldest part of our brain that is working when asleep (i think it is the cerebellum). It is almost that in this unconscious state our minds dream in a more primative form of language that is strange to us when we are conscious, ie. awake. For instance, dreaming of falling can indicate "insecurity" (or feeling like we are out of control), or dreaming of a large house with many rooms is often an analogy for our life, with each room representing a different part of ourself.
Similarly I find when talking to clients I see I can almost understand them better when I create a mental image or analogy of their issue. For instance representing their irrational beliefs as a balancing scale to represent one-sidedness. etc.
As a psychotherapist I have to undergo my own personal therapy. The other week I appreciated the effectiveness of using analogous mental imagery to represent issues in my life or abstract parts of myself. For instance I constructed a mental picture of my life path taking on the form of a plant, seeing my "roots" as my foundations, "new shoots" as new paths I take in my career or personal life, branches and a trunk to represent the core aspects of myself.
So, going back to dream imagery, I have found that utilising such primitive mind-language it can help one to understand one's life in a slightly deeper way. It works for me, try it yourself and see what happens!!!
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Latest reply: Jul 14, 2000
Psychlogy
Posted Jul 7, 2000
Any psychologists out there? Need a good natter with a like-minded psycho person....
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Latest reply: Jul 7, 2000
Communication
Posted Jul 4, 2000
Being in the profession of psychotherapy I just wanted to share some of my personal views with everyone out there who would care to listen. It concerns mental health and well-being.
In my experience of working with clients and from my own personal experience I suggest that being honest with oneself and with others as far as one can will promote a much healthier lifestyle. When people hide things from others (thoughts, feelings, attititudes...)this can be counterproductive. Obviously one cannot be totally honest with everyone all of the time but one should always strive to be as open and honest with as many people as possible. This will always leave you feeling better about yourself.
Communication is a must. In this day and age we tend to keep things to ourselves for fear of pressures from society and to give the impression that we are always "strong". To an extent this can be useful. However, "Everything in Moderation" is a good phrase to live by. When a problem is shared, it is halved, as they say....
When one communicates to others in an honest, open and genuine manner then others will communicate in such a way with them. When secrets are abound and communication takes the form of using codes and having to "read between the lines", this will only lead to distress on both parts.
My advice is to communicate with others - Friends, Family and colleagues - in an honest and open manner. This is difficult sometimes but is usually for the best in the long run.
Good Luck!
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Latest reply: Jul 4, 2000
Psycho- Therapist
Researcher U142774
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