G. Michael Blahnik

EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT: Transforming Psychotherapy

In one way I think the psychiatric, psychological and counseling professions are indispensible; we need helpers in this area of our lives. There's a good deal of psychological pain in the world, and these people are at the forefront in an effort to ease that pain.

In another way I think many, if not most, of the professionals working in these areas cling to some form of objective or quasi-objective ideology that 'grounds' them in an 'objective world', which allows them to raise themselves above others in regard to determining just what constitutes mental health and mental illness. If the professionals possess knowledge of mental health, and patients/clients do not (or are limited in that knowledge), then the professionals have a certain power over the non-professionals. They can tell them what's 'wrong' with them, even if non-professionals (i.e. patients, clients, etc.) don't agree.

And with the development of more and more drugs to address mental health problems, more and more people seem to be acquiesing to the determinations of mental health professionals (at least psychiatrists). In order to alleviate their pain, more and more people are taking some sort of psychotropic drug. This might help ease their pain, but does it also help solidify their dependence upon the professional? 

This part of the web site deals with an alternative to traditional psychotherapy, yet it does not identify with any of the 'holistic' or 'experiential' approaches that exist today to address psychological problems. Rather, it offers a philosophical approach to a more equal relationship between mental health professional (e.g. psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, etc.) and mental health non-professional (patient/client). It is, in effect, experientialism applied to the mental health field.

If you are interested in pursuing this idea further you can read Emotonal Investment: Transforming Psychotherapeutic Assumptions. Find out more by clicking on the appropriate links.
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