Working With The Mentally Healthy

Probably every human being who has ever lived has yearned at least briefly to be a "better person" rather than just desiring to have, but to be wiser, more skilled, and to contribute more to others. But rarely in history have more than a few people had the time or resources to devote themselves to satisfying this yearning for personal growth.

In the 1960s, in America, a shift occurred. For various social and economic reasons, a significant number of people committed themselves to such growth. Although an augmented demand was present, there was no supply--no "growth industry" to serve it. There was, however, an available industry equipped to deal with mental illness--the profession of psychotherapy. The concept of "mental illness" was developed about 200 years ago and, by 1960, this medical specialty had developed its own concepts and methods and established its presence.

When those who yearned for personal growth began looking for assistance, psychotherapy was, so to speak, the "only game in town." Psychotherapy claimed to understand the mysteries of the mind, had status in the intellectual community, and, above all, was available.

Some people turned to the psychotherapeutic couch to meet their personal growth yearnings. Some gained from their choice, but there were prices. By entering the world of psychotherapy (which literally means "treatment for abnormalities of the mind"), they accepted implicitly its world view, and this view had dangers.

Here are a few of the core assumptions shared by many (not all) approaches to psychotherapy:

1. To be a patient with a mental illness means that something is wrong with you; you are not fully O.K. and must be "fixed."
2. Our lives are run by our unconscious. Our conscious knowledge and intentions are untrustworthy, and we are always resisting what is good for us.
3. We cannot be "fixed" or come to know this unconscious without outside help.
4. Events from our past caused us to be the way we are. These must be understood if we are to be healed. It is absolutely necessary to explore and understand the "personal past."
5. We are fixed entities with some attached qualities. These qualities can be arranged to some degree but profound change is highly unlikely.
6. Whatever cure is possible can only be achieved through years of expensive effort.

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