Dangers Inherent in the Trivialization of Psychotherapy

introspection or subjective experiences other than those prescribed by family, friends, religion, and one’s entire social milieu.  In the extreme I imagined what it would have been like for one of those young men, in the months before September 11, to have raised doubts or misgivings about the plans they were making.  A dream, a fantasy, or an emotion that had such implications would have to have been suppressed or repressed almost immediately.  Certainly to allow oneself such experiences, and to open discussion about them with one’s fellows, would have been to risk complete rejection as a minimum, and immediate death as a high probability.

At the opposite extreme would be the ancient mystical and meditative traditions of the world.  What little I know of Buddhist and other such practices is that an enormous variety of powerful subjective experiences are expected when the seeker enters into the particular form of deep introspection associated with a given tradition.  Vivid fantasies of unbridled sexuality and violence are common, but in the end give way to–or perhaps are part of– experiences which ultimately develop deep compassion and equanimity in the seeker.  Psychologically this process may be seen at least in part as a withdrawal of the projection of evil which, when projected, leads to the perception of “evil-doers” in external reality and the conviction that one’s holy task is to slay them.  The Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh reports having been able to view the corpses of six young men he regarded as his sons, brutally murdered because of their opposition to the war in Vietnam, and still feel compassion for their killers.

Perhaps most people navigate a middle course, being somewhat

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15